Nearly two weeks ago, the Ottawa Citizen ran a story wondering why the Ottawa Bluesfest lineup had not yet been announced. This week, the waiting and speculation ended as Bluesfest revealed their full lineup in one announcement.
Among the headliners for this year's festival are Hozier, Sean Paul, Green Day, and Canada's own Shania Twain.
True to form, Bluesfest has drawn from a wide variety of genres for 2025's iteration. Among the non-headlining performers, you'll find legendary alt-rockers Pixies, singer-songwriter and former Fleet Foxes member Father John Misty, Toronto's genre-bending jazz outfit BADBADNOTGOOD, and acclaimed electronic producer Kaytranada.
Bluesfest organizers expect some of the acts to spark high demand. The last time Shania Twain played Bluesfest in 2023, tickets for the day of her performance sold out in May, according to spokesperson Joe Reilly.
"If you want to just go see Shania, you better buy a day pass to her, because they're going to sell fast", he told CTV News.
Meanwhile, the decision to include Green Day in the lineup was apparently influenced by two anniversary milestones: the 30th of the band's debut Dookie, and the 20th of landmark protest-themed album American Idiot, "which has suddenly [seen a resurgence in interest], I don't know why", Reilly joked, likely referencing a political climate that has seen the United States threaten to impose high tariffs on Canadian goods.
The move to release the full lineup on one day bucks a recent trend: in recent years, Bluesfest had begun to reveal headline acts months ahead of the full lineup. It's a strategy organizer Mark Monaham described to the Citizen as something they had "played around with" but which hadn't yielded clear benefits, explaining the longer wait this year.
The 2025 edition of Ottawa Bluesfest will take place at Lebreton Flats from July 10th to July 20th. Tickets are on sale as of 10 am today, with Pick 3 Passes available at 10 am on March 3rd.
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