Waterfront Blues Festival

July 2-4, 2026 Music for the community since 1988. The Waterfront Blues Festival takes place every Fourth of July weekend in downtown Portland, Oregon as a cornerstone event of the Pacific Northwest and one of the country’s best fully independently-owned and operated music festivals. For nearly four decades, the Waterfront Blues Festival has welcomed legendary performers and rising stars across blues, soul, funk, folk, R&B, and Americana. As downtown Portland’s largest and longest-running music festival, and host of Portland’s spectacular July 4th fireworks show, this multigenerational celebration of music, culture, and community continues to evolve, inspire, and bring people together for an unparalleled summer experience that draws tens of thousands of music lovers to Portland each year.