08/10/2026
Black-eyed & Blues Festival IS SAT 9.12.26 From 3-9 pm
The 26th Annual Black-Eyed & Bluesfest @ The Riverfront
NEW LOCATION- Mortensen Riverfront Plaza 300 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford, CT
There will be a food tent by Black-Eyed Sally's, a beer & wine tent, Ben & Jerrys, and the Connecticut Blues Society tent with all our swag. Free entry!!!
3pm: Hartford's Young Hannah & Crew
This is Hartford's youth Blues band produced by the legendary XY Eli
4pm: The Chicago Dawgs
The 2025 Connecticut Blues Society challenge winner
5pm: Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze
The 2019 Connecticut Blues Society challenge winner
6pm: Amani Burnham
Blind Pigs Records recording artist from Middleton CT. Guitar World says "Burnham is blowing minds with his fretwork"
7:30pm: GA-20
Since its inception the accolades continue to roll in for GA-20. American Songwriter says the band plays “rough and tumble, relentless blues” with “maximum intensity rocking.” UK tastemaker magazine MOJO says GA-20 makes “a joyful noise,” and the Guardian UK writes, “If you care to know how a rowdy 1950s Chicago juke joint sounded, GA-20 are here to help. They keep things simple and fierce…scything, growling riffs, driving grooves, blistering boogies and defiant vocals”.
Parking:
Free parking for this event is available on-street on both sides of the river. Paid, convenient parking is available in the Connecticut Convention Center Garage – park on the fifth floor and use the exit on the north side of the garage, allowing direct access to the Convention Center, Connecticut Science Center, and Mortensen Riverfront Plaza.
Allowed Items
• Lawn chairs and portable folding seats
• Blankets and ground tarps
• Small personal bags or soft coolers
Prohibited Items & Restrictions
• No outside alcohol -beer and wine will be sold by approved vendors on-site
• No glass bottles or metal cans
• No unauthorized tents, canopies, or large personal umbrellas
• No illegal drugs or weapons of any kind
• Pets must be leashed and cleaned up after at all times under Hartford park regulations
Rain or Shine
Line-up subject to change
For more info
https://riverfront.org/
