As Bluesfest’s 10-day run at LeBreton Flats drew to a close Sunday, organizers declared the 2018 edition of the outdoor music festival – one of the country’s largest – a success.
Total attendance reached some 300,000 spectators, organizers say. That figure is comparable to recent years, according to Bluesfest’s website.
Organizers say this year’s edition was bolstered by good weather as well as several acts that drew capacity crowds, such as the Foo Fighters, Bryan Adams, Shawn Mendes and the Dave Matthews Band.
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The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa includes a 150-room hotel, expanded gaming facilities, restaurants and performance spaces. The transformation of the Rideau Carleton Casino into the Hard Rock Hotel

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa includes a 150-room hotel, expanded gaming facilities, restaurants and performance spaces. The transformation of the Rideau Carleton Casino into the Hard Rock Hotel
“I’m delighted with the way this year’s line-up was received,” Mark Monahan, the festival’s executive and artistic director, said in a statement.
Bluesfest is one of Ottawa’s most popular annual festivals and helps draw tourists to the nation’s capital by attracting thousands of out-of-town guests in a typical year.
Started in 1994 as a single-stage, three-day event, Bluesfest has grown into a two-week festival that’s estimated to pump more than $37 million into the local economy each year, according to organizers.
Monahan and his team will now turn their attention to preparing for CityFolk, a music festival scheduled for Sept. 12 to 15 at Lansdowne Park.