The Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival is a Vancouver music festival that takes place on the lawns of Deer Lake Park in August.
The one or two-day event features great bands and attracts up to 5000 people.
The Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022 the festival takes place on Saturday, August 6th.
Other events happening on the same weekend in 2022 include the Vancouver Bach Festival (with a performance at VanDusen Garden). It’s also fireworks night at the Vancouver Canadians baseball game. Free events on August 6th in 2022 also include KitsFest at Kitsilanto Beach, the Harmony Arts Festival in West Van, and Car Free Day in New Westminster.
Deer Lake Music Festival
In 2020 the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival was supposed to be on Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The festival didn’t happen in 2021 either.
The next Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 6th in 2022. Additional details are to be confirmed.
Bands that are scheduled to perform in 2022 include The War on Drugs, Kathleen Edwards, The Soul Rebels, Ruby Waters and Balkan Shmalkan.
Some of the great performers from past festivals include Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Matt Andersen, Sue Foley, Leeroy Stagger, and Jesse Roper.
About the Festival
The Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival usually takes place at Deer Lake Park in central Burnaby not far from the City Hall and Burnaby Village Museum. The park is a beautiful venue, and the festival features three different stages, a market, food vendors and (very importantly) beer and wine service.
Concert Lineup
Below is the schedule for the 2022 festival. (Note: any times and performer details are subject to change.)
- 1:00 pm – A Blues Journey with Brandon & Jack: a six-piece band fronted by the duo of Brandon Isaak and Jack Lavin.
- 2:00 pm – Robert Connely Farr: an American singer now living in Vancouver who is releasing his second album this year.
- 3:00 pm – Balkan Shmalkan: a Vancouver-based group that combines traditional Serbian music with western pop and jazz.
- 4:05 pm – Ruby Waters: an up and coming Canadian singer who received her first Juno Award nomination this year.
- 5:15 pm – The Soul Rebels: a brass band ensemble from New Orleans that mixes various styles of music together.
- 6:45 pm – Kathleen Edwards: a Canadian artist who has performed for around two decades with multiple charting albums.
- 8:30 pm – The War on Drugs: the Grammy Award-winning indie rock band who recently released their newest album in 2021.
Things to Take and Leave at Home
There are a number of things that the festival recommends you bring to the event, as well as items you should leave at home.
TIP: NOT allowed at the festival are the usual things like outside alcohol, drugs and weapons, but also not welcome are pets, frisbees, balls, BBQs, musical instruments, shaded canopies and even umbrellas (so hope it doesn’t rain)!
Things to take include sunscreen and/or a raincoat depending on how the weather looks. Items you can take with you include low back beach style chairs (not more than 8″ in height off the ground) and small blankets.
The Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival is a fabulous family-friendly event with great music. The crowd is all ages.
Festival Admission
Most years the gates open at noon on the Saturday and performances run from 1:00 until 10:00 pm. 2022 ticket prices are as follows (plus taxes and service charges).
Early Bird (available until June 15th, 2022)
- General Admission – $40
Bought in Advance (June 16th to August 5th, 2022)
- General Admission – $50
- 4 Pack of Tickets – $150
Day-Of Tickets (August 6th, 2022)
- General Admission – $60
Children 12 and under are free with an accompanying adult, but they still need tickets. There is a designated family area open from 2:00 to 8:00 pm which is an alcohol-free zone.
Other Information
For more information on the event, check out the official Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival website.
For more ideas on things to do in the month of August, check out our Events Calendar.
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