5005 Los Angeles Ave
Simi Valley, CA
simicajun.org

California Blues Festivals

August 5 - 6, 2011 Northern California Blues Festival, Auburn, CA. Location: Auburn Regional Park,  3770 Richardson Dr.
Auburn, CA. Tickets: $25, $65 VIP.

Acts include: Friday, Aug. 5, 2011 Big Brother and the Holding Company, Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers, Todd Morgan and the Emblems and Kenny Neal. Sat. Aug. 6, 2011 acts include: Carolyn Wonderland, Dennis Jones, Bay Area Blues Society's Caravan of All Stars, The Jeff Watson Band with Special Guest Stars, The Soulshakers and Population 5. norcalbluesfest.com

Long Beach Original Lobster Festival Sept. 9 - 11, 2011 includes full line up of blues, zydeco and cajun music, with tent-shaded dance floor. originallobsterfestival.com

Delta Blues Festival September 17, 2011 is held in the Delta region of California, the type of place where blues are great. It will be held in Antioch, CA. deltabluesfestival.net

Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival September 24 & 25, 2011 Held at Johnson's Beach, Guerneville, CA for over 35 years. Music lovers have enjoyed a stellar history of acts, including the Doobie Brothers, David Sanborn, Al Jarreau, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Etta James and many more. 2011 artists not announced yet.

Long gone. .. Long Beach Blues Festival ended its decades-long reign in 2010 due to financial constraints, and San Francisco Blues Festival , called it quits a year or two before Long Beach sang the blues.

Past events:

 If you're looking for some ways to launch your summer fun, you can always do it with music. The blues season officially begins on Memorial Weekend but just a week earlier, Doheny Blues Festival really sets the pace for celebrating one of the original sounds made in America.

May 27 -30, 2011  Sacramento Jazz Festival & Jubilee. Location venues include Sacramento Convention Center and surrounding hotels ballrooms and other meeting rooms. There are dance floors for dancing, seating for listening, and constant music throughout the town.  Sacramento Jazz Festival   Cost:  sacjazz.com
Hyatt Ballroom 209 L Street
Sheraton Ballroom 1230 J Street
Convention Center 13th & K St.

May 28 - 29, 2011 Cajun and Blues Festival Simi Valley  This is the largest festival of its kind west of the Mississippi River. The Festival presents live Cajun, Creole, Zydeco and Blues entertainment on multiple stages, offers more than 150 food, beverage, craft and sponsor booths, and attracts approximately 15,000 attendees. Held on Memorial Day Weekend each year, the two day event is an affordable $18/day. simicajun.org

May 28 - 29, 2011  Santa Cruz Blues Festival Now in its 19th year, this event features a mix of blues and Hendrix this year. Hendrix may be gone, but his music lives on. This is one of two blues festivals featuring his songs. The other is in Avila Beach. Experience Hendrix features Billy Cox (Band of Gypsys), Steve Vai, Jonny Lang,Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Keb Mo', David Hidalgo & Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos), Living Colour, North Mississippi Allstars Duo(Luther & Cody); Chris Layton (SRV & Double Trouble), Ernie Isley, Brad Whitford (Aerosmith), Slide Brothers, Mato Nanji (Indigenous). For more traditional blues, there's Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Jackie Greene, Mia Borders, and some pop-retro, R&B, blues mix with Boz Scaggs, Tower of Power, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones, Tommy Castro and Chris Cain. santacruzbluesfestival.com

 May 21 & 22, 2011   Doheny Blues FestivalOther blues festivals include Doheny Blues at Doheny Beach in Dana Point. The annual 14th Annual Blues Festival at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point provides an incredible line up of entertainment. In 2011 John Fogerty and Walter Trout are several headliners. Cost: $50 one day, $80 2 day pass. Location: Doheny State Beach, Dana Point, CA. omegaevents.com

May 29, 2011   Avila Beach Blues Festival 18th Annual Avila Beach Blues Festival features Experience Hendrix! The popular annual blues concerts held near the beautiful beaches of Avila Beach north of Pismo Beach in San Luis Obispo County, CA, provides fantastic weather (always take a sweater and plan to dress in layers) and some of the hottest music to be had. This year is the Hendrix Experience.

July 22 - 23, 2011 Redwood City Blues Festival

 June 24 -26, 2011  Monterey Bay Blues Festival  The DazzBand and The Barkays for some Friday night R & B Funky Flavor! Magic Slim & the Teardrops, Ruthie Foster, Charlie Jene, & Blues at Eleven, Millie Jackson, Bobby Rush, Chick Willis & Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Mavis Staples, Sharon Lewis & J.C. Smith Band, Men of Soul: Howard Hewett, Freddie Jackson, Peabo Bryson and Jeffrey Osborne for a day of Gospel and Blues closing with an R&B twist! montereyblues.com