More than 30 international musicians and Canadian stars will serenade Salmon Arm at the 31st annual ROOTSandBLUES festival this summer.
From Blue Rodeo鈥檚 first chord on Friday, Aug. 17 to Sarah McLachlan鈥檚 final note on Sunday, Aug. 20, the stellar lineup of artists is growing. Along with those confirmed in March, including such crowd favourites as Hawksley Workman and Five Alarm Funk, just announced are 16 more performers to entertain audiences at the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds and beyond.
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Joining the star-studded lineup are: Canadian guitar icon Sue Foley, singer-songwriter Abigail Lapell, good-vibes songwriter Boy Golden, storyteller and musician Dallas Arcand, Indigenous puppeteer and comedian DerRic Starlight, bluegrass group Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River Boys, Indigenous storytellers Kuksjammin and singer-songwriter Little Miss Higgins.
Tropical partiers Mazacote, Saskatoon duo Munro & Patrick, festival-favourite Oral Fuentes Reggae Band, singer-songwriters Rain August and Ryley Booth, roots and reggae group the Spiritual Warriors, roots stars the Hello Darlins and local legends the Salmon Armenians round out the batch of newly confirmed artists.
Before the talent hits the stage, however, ROOTSandBLUES is starting the party downtown on Thursday, Aug. 17 with a free concert. Featuring DJ Shub and Moontricks, the performance follows a week of live music planned for the Ross Street Plaza leading up to the festival, beginning with Oral Fuentes Reggae Band鈥檚 free concert on Monday, Aug. 14 at 11:45 a.m.
鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 think of a better way to set the stage for ROOTSandBLUES than with an intimate performance featuring these two incredible Canadian musicians,鈥� said Kevin Tobin, artistic director with the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society, in a media release. 鈥淟ive music fills people with such positive energy, and we wanted to share that experience with everyone in our community.鈥�
Concerts run downtown daily until Mel贸n Jim茅nez and Lara Wong鈥檚 Flamenco Project concludes the series Saturday, Aug. 19 during the weekly Farmers鈥� Market.
鈥淥f course, there鈥檚 more to ROOTSandBLUES than just what happens on stage,鈥� said Tobin. 鈥淲e have exciting plans for this year鈥檚 workshops, Plulk鈥檞 Place and family zone activities that we will announce in the coming weeks.鈥�
Last year, the festival welcomed more than 30,000 people to Salmon Arm, including more than 600 volunteers, food vendors, artisans and local suppliers.
Weekend and day passes are available online at or at 250-833-4096. For more information, follow Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES on Facebook and Instagram.
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rebecca.willson@saobserver.net
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