Ottawa Bluesfest
Eleven days of blues, rock, and everything in between in Canada’s capital. Ottawa Bluesfest delivers free daytime programming and major headliners at night — a road trip worth making from the North Country.
Montreal Jazz Festival
Ten days, 350+ concerts, two-thirds of them free. The Montreal International Jazz Festival is a pilgrimage for anyone who cares about the form — the world’s largest jazz festival, five hours from Albany.
Oswego Harborfest
Four days of free music on the Lake Ontario waterfront, capped by Grucci fireworks — Oswego Harborfest is one of New York’s largest free festivals and returns July 23-26, 2026.
Chenango Blues Festival
For over 30 years, the Chenango Blues Festival has brought world-class blues to Norwich in the Southern Tier — all powered by 13 volunteers and zero paid staff. Award-winning and fiercely grassroots.
New York State Blues Festival
There is a moment on a Saturday night at the New York State Blues Festival when the headliner locks into a groove, the crowd surges forward, and Chevy Court at the NYS Fairgrounds becomes, for a few electrifying minutes, the best blues club in America.
Eddie 9V at Daryl’s House Club | June 23, 2026
There is a particular strain of Southern soul that does not politely introduce itself.
A Band of Brothers at Putnam Place | April 3, 2026
A Band of Brothers lands at Putnam Place on April 3, 2026. Lands firmly in the second category. Mark your calendar.
Marcus King Band at Frog Alley Brewing | June 13, 2026
Marcus King Band at Frog Alley Brewing. I’m going to let that sit for a second.
Buddy Guy at Kleinhans Music Hall | July 18, 2026
Buddy Guy is a living monument to the blues — an artist whose influence stretches from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton to virtually every…
Walter Trout at Asbury Hall | April 24, 2026
Asbury Hall was a church once, and when Walter Trout starts playing guitar, it feels like one again.