One of the city’s signature festivals returns this month

The lauded 2025 motion picture Sinners has given a boost to the blues lately, but in Baton Rouge, a determined annual festival founded in 1981 highlights the genre’s deep local roots. This month, the Baton Rouge Blues Festival returns with more than 40 acts spread over multiple downtown stages. One of the country’s oldest-running free blues festivals, the event draws regional and national talent, focusing on the so-called swamp blues genre formed in Louisiana in the ’50s and ’60s.

“The blues are alive and well in Baton Rouge,” says interim director J. Hover.

The festival kicks off Friday, April 17 with a combined concert with Live After Five, the city’s annual spring and fall music series. Then it rolls into Saturday, April 18, with 12 hours of music across five stages.

The day-and-a-half Blues Festival will be one day shorter than previous years, due to sweeping budget cuts across the city-parish that have impacted public concerts and festivals, Hover says. But Hover, who also manages Live After Five, remains bullish about the future of public concerts in talent-rich Baton Rouge. He says he’s working on joint sponsorships across the two events and sees 2026 as a chance to rebuild on a solid foundation.

“Last year’s Blues Festival attracted 20,000 attendees on Saturday alone,” he says, “And it had a $1.1 million economic impact.”

On Saturday, blues artists will perform inside Manship Theatre and on outdoor stages at Third and Convention Streets, North Boulevard and Lafayette Street, at the North Boulevard Town Square, and at Galvez Plaza.

“We have a heavy focus on Baton Rouge blues musicians and world-renowned artists like Kenny Neal, Chris Thomas King, Chris LeBlanc, Joven Webb and Jonathon ‘Boogie’ Long,” Hover says. “People drive in from across the country, and sometimes overseas, to enjoy the swamp blues.”

While there’s no official definition, swamp blues refers to a more relaxed version of the blues that was pioneered by Louisiana musicians, many of whom grew up in rural areas around Baton Rouge but gravitated to the city to hone their craft. Swamp blues pioneers like Slim Harpo, Tabby Thomas and Raful Neal helped the form evolve, pulling in influences from zydeco and other forms of regional roots music.

This year’s Blues Festival will also feature an arts market with local makers spread across two locations and food trucks, Hover says. And while the festival is free, attendees are encouraged to patronize downtown bars and restaurants, which will remain open throughout the festivities.

VIP options, called BFF packages, allow ticket holders to access inclusive food and drink throughout the day inside the Watermark Hotel, Manship Theatre and other air-conditioned locations. They also have access to VIP viewing sections.

Baton Rouge artist Susan Arnold created this year’s Blues Festival poster, which depicts ghostly images of blues musicians playing in a swamp setting. It will be available for purchase with other merch in the Manship Theatre lobby.

Baton Rouge Blues Festival

Friday, April 17, 5 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.