Sibel Thrasher at Burnaby Blues and Roots

The Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival is a Vancouver music festival that takes place on the lawns of Deer Lake Park in August.

The two-day event features great bands and attracts up to 5000 people.

Note: In previous years it has been a one day event occurring only on the Saturday but in 2020 it is was also supposed to be taking place on the Friday.

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. Bands that were scheduled to perform included Brandi Charlie, Steve Earle and the Dukes, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Colter Wall, Black Pumas, Son Little, Tonye Aganaba, Amigo the Devil, Jeremie Albino and Speed Control.

The headliner band a couple of years ago was Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, and other great bands that have performed here include Matt Andersen, Sue Foley, Leeroy Stagger, Jesse Roper, Murray Porter, Little Miss Higgins, Jesse Waldman, Kaya Kurz, Lord Huron, and Feist.

If the festival returns in 2021, the band lineup will likely be comparable to previous years, although exact dates and details are to be confirmed.

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.

Burnaby Blues Festival Deer Lake Venue — Deer Lake during Burnaby Blues & Roots

Concert Lineup

To give an idea of what to expect at future events, the schedule for the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival in 2019 is listed below. (Note: times and performer details are subject to change.)

1:00 to 1:45 pm – Speed Control: a Rock-n-Roll band from the Yukon.
2:05 to 2:50 pm – Southern Avenue: a Soul music quintet from Memphis Tennessee.
3:10 to 3:55 pm – William Prince: a JUNO Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician from the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba.
4:25 to 5:10 pm – The War & Treaty: the husband and wife duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter.
5:30 to 6:30 pm – Dan Mangan: a 2-time JUNO award-winning Vancouver-based musician and songwriter.
7:00 to 8:15 pm – Lord Huron: an American Indie band from Los Angeles.
8:45 to 10:00 pm – Feist: a Canadian Indie Pop singer.

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.

Colleen Rennison at Blues and Roots Festival

Festival Admission

Most years the gates open at noon on the Saturday and performances run from 1 until 10 pm. In 2020 there were also going to be Friday performances occurring.

2020 ticket prices were as follows (plus taxes and service charges). We expect 2021 details to be similar.