OTTAWA, Ontario (CelebrityAccess) — On Thursday, Mark Monahan, the longtime executive director of Ottawa’s RBC Bluesfest, announced that for the second year in a row, the festival has been canceled due to coronavirus.
“For those of you who don’t know, I have been at the helm of the RBC Bluesfest since its inception in 1994. This last year has been a tough time for all of us, so today I’m announcing some good news, along with some bad news. The bad news first: we are not going to be able to proceed with the July, 2021 festival. We’ve been working hard at trying to figure out a way to put on this year’s event, but we’ve simply run out of time, so we’re just going to have to move on,” Monahan said.
Monahan leavened the bad news with some good however and revealed that the festival is scheduled to return in 2022 and announced that the reformed Rage Against The Machine have been confirmed as headliners for the festival next year.
“The good news is that we have confirmed Rage Against The Machine. They are going to headline the 2022 festival on Friday, July 15, with Run The Jewels as support. RATM is one of the most anticipated headliners we have ever booked, so we’re delighted that they will, in fact, be performing in 2022,” Monahan said.
As well, Monahan said multiple artists have already expressed interest in joining the lineup for 2022.
“There are many exceptional acts that are showing interest in touring in 2022 and taking part in the RBC Bluesfest. This is very encouraging. We are working on the 2022 lineup right now, in preparation for one of our best years ever,” Monahan said.
Fans who loyally held on to their tickets hoping for a return of the festival this year will be eligible for a full refund but can choose to roll their tickets over in hopes of a better situation in 2022.
“Last year, when we announced the cancellation of the 2020 event, it was hard to be optimistic. The pandemic blindsided us and we weren’t sure what we were getting into. With vaccines rolling out, Health Authorities expect most people to be vaccinated by the end of this year, so the prospects for 2022 are quite promising,” Monahan added.
