Winnipeg BBQ and Blues Festival Tickets

We went to see Curtis twice and were sorry to see the act end both times. Now we are looking for venues to see him again. We were impressed with the whole event and hope that is becomes an annual event. We sat in lawn chairs for the main stage and found the seating arrangement adequate. We were disappointed to find that smoking was allowed in the seating area as we unfortunately experienced a chain smoker with a cigar for most of the Saturday night show and some of the Sunday show.

Having experienced southern BBQ at the hands of a South Carolina grill master I was looking forward to the type of BBQ we don't get in Canada, and some good music to wash it down. The music was great but the food was a BIG disappointment. If I want to eat local BBQ I will drive to Lovey's St. Boniface or Tony Roma's for that matter. There should have been an opportunity to try food from the grill masters, even though some were local. I did however pick up some Kick A** smoked trout from a company based in Warren and some funky sauces, again from a local company so it wasn't a total bust... On the bright side, Winnipeg needs more festivals and stuff like this. Good first try.

The talent line up was amazing for a very low price. We only attended on Saturday and mainly because of Jimmy Vaughn and he did not dissapoint. He did a great long set that covered a lot of history that was appropriate for an inaugural visit to Winnipeg. The other talent was a bonus great local acts and high quality main stage performers were an incredible value for $25. The BBQ was only slightly interesting. We took in a workshop session that did very well at explaining the concept of the competition. Knowing that there would never be any wares available for consumption was a little disheartening as we attended a "peoples choice" event in the US that was a very good idea. The real downside then was the vendors they were always running out and if they had food the line up was very long. The quality of the food at the vendors and the quantity for the price was not good at all. A++ for the talent line up and D- for the food vendors.

First off, $25 seamed a fair price, n/c parking a pleasant surprise. Want to walk in with our own water. Sure absolutely ( unlike the G D bombers front office ). My budy and I first headed over to the competitors area ( smart setup ) and were treated to some delicious samples from a number of the friendly folks WOW. The MC handing out the awards was very good and congrats to the weekend warriors all the way from Mtl. Had a nice chat with the fish farm guy. Good to see our two levels of Gov. supporting that industry. Handful of vendors, beer, lemonade, Luvie's. For me the tato and jewelry gave it more of a flea market feeling ( could do without that ). We only heard four acts, The Perps are always great, Romi Mayes good, Jim Byrnes was a little different but I loved it, goin' back a few decades with some tunes and his three man back up were fun. Big Dave should always be included but to finish up maybe somebody of Jimmie Vaughan's power. Overall, YES can't wait for next year.

we enjoyed the whole weekend. The music was worth the price of admission..Our favorite was the cooking demos on saturday. we were disappointed with the burger wars. who puts a shrimp on a burger. next time post signs for people who are allergic. We will attend next year event when it returns

This was a great festival. There were some amazing blues artists and some awesome food. I just would like to see more food vendors as on Saturday the lines were very long. Also a vendor selling coffee in the evenings would be great. I will definitely go again.

As a fan of the Blues I was excited to see a Blues dedicated event in Winnipeg. I was only able to attend on Sunday and did enjoy the Sojourners at the "gospel" breakfast. Due to other commitments I was not able to stay for the full line up. The local groups are okay to good and I have enjoyed Big Dave McLean in the past. If possible the organizers might want to consider events with similar timing, e.g. Edmonton Blues Festival, to attract some of the more "popular" and "big name" groups. And tell Romi Mayes that Blues and country are NOT the same.

BBQ and Blues is a good idea and overall the event was well done. Eddie Shaw is what the Blues is all about. Jimmy Vaughn is not his brother; although the mainstage area filled quickly at the beginning of his set an awful lot of people left part way though it. Little Miss Higgins is entertaining but country is not blues. I watched the woman with the shoulder length brunette hair at the information booth act snotty to a few people with legitimate questions.

We had a great time!!! Hope they will do another one next year

The venue was good for this event. Line-ups for everyrhing but the washrooms were brutal. The musical line up was great. Good to see local talent showcased. The BBQ event was informative, the trade booths were appropriate, the WFD cook-off and demonstrations were interesting and most vendors were overwhelmed. The Saturday entertainment was great and you could bring back Jimmy Vaughn anytime !!!

NEED NON ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES .5 BEER!!!! ALSO, NEED A VARIETY OF OTHER ALCOHOL: OTHER COOLERS, RUM, ETC. NOT EVERYONE DINKS JD OR BEER. OVERALL IT WAS VERY GOOD I HAVE RECOMMENED THIS EVENT TO PEOPLE I TALK WITH AND ALSO WILL ATTEND FOR THE ENTIRE WEEKEND NEXT YEAR. GREAT FIRST YEAR. NEVER DID LOCATE WHERE TO BUY CD'S.

Enjoyed all. Do it again next year but barbecuers need more stock on hand - we never did get a taste of the ribs. We know this was a first and the weather was perfect as was the music. Especially enjoyed the Perpetrators. We will be first in line for tickets next year.

We were disappointed with the event on Saturday. We thought that we would be able to sample some of the contestant's BBQ fare, but nothing was offerred. We read in Mondays paper that some was available on Sunday. Had that been identified or advertised, we would have opted for Sunday tickets. However, the entertainment was great and the trucking display was fantastic

This was the first year, so attendance was too high for them to keep up to the food needed etc. Other than that, music was good - only complaint there was that as good as Jimmie Vaughn was, the girl that joined him onstage to sing was horrible.

food vendors were unprepared. why are the lawn chairs relegated to the side. poor location.why gouge everyone for the price of beer and food. should hold the event by the river where everyone can attend. however eddie shaw and jimmie vaughn were great. state side festivals are very well organized check out fargo, urbana, and the mississippi valley fests.

Great food! Great music! What could be better! Firefighter cook off was very interesting...great recipes! The perfect way to enjoy a lazy summer weekend in Winnipeg! If there was one area of improvement it would be to have more BBQ Food Vendors. The lineup for 1.5 hours for food was ridiculous.

Overall a good first year for this event. More demand then supply for the first year but I think in future years they will address this. As the years go by I am guessing they will expand also as the BBQ culture in Winnipeg increases I think the number of vendors and the overall festival will expand to meet the demand. I think a lot of people didn't read the information provided on the website etc. as there were a lot of comments about what people expected vs. what was actually available which I felt was spelled on quite clear on the website. Thank you for putting on a great event, will hopefully see you next year with an expanded festival to meet the demand.

THE Red River Ex was a great choice to hold the event. The music and stage set up accomodated those who wanted to sit in the shade or the sun or get food or drink. The music could be heard from many locations. The food was good. The ribs were great. Only thing missing was some good coffee. I enjoyed walking around the site, checking out the cooking events and the Big Rigs. More artisans might be added next time. The parking was good and I appreciated that it was included in the ticket price.I I felt safe walking throughout the site and going to my car alone . I am looking forward to next year's festival.

Went on Saturday night. Music was great, location was ok (no bus access), choice of food vendors and lineups for food was horrible! We waited over an 1 hour 30 min for cold pork on a bun! A few of the vendors were out of food too and other lines had even longer wait times. Dissapointing to have to miss the music just to try and get something to eat. Also disappointed in lack of choice for beer and only whiskey for hard liquor. Couldn't even get a cup of coffee. We had to drive to Tims at the end of the road, and once again, miss the music. I paid $25 to see the bands, not the back of someone's head in line for food. Very dissapointed in organization of food for event.....didn't get much BBQ at the BBQ and Blues fest! Would have been faster to drive to Tony Roma's on St.James for ribs and come back. Hopefully things change if the event runs next year.

Well if we have it here again next year i hope it is organized better , not enough BBQ food vendors , ( i could make hot dogs at home ) we waited in Line for 1 1/2 hours at Loveys for food ( which was yummy ) But they ran out of ribs this was about 6:30 sat evening and the Line up was huge , The other BBQ Place ( cant think of the name ) right at the end of the food area ran out of food , and had a sign up they would have more at 8:00 but while standing in line people i guess where getting pulled pork from there .Ran out of Diet Pepsi by about 8:30 , NO COFFEE into the evening anyway .Really not enough for me to spend the weekend there it was hard enough to spend Saturday there waiting to see Jimmie Vaughan, I relize it is the first year and hopefully it gets better , Better food , Better Bands better Stands selling things, Samples would have been nice of the BBQ food Etc .and there was no security when you walked in just gave us our arm bands .