Big Bull Falls Blues Fest celebrates 35 years

For 35 years, the Big Bull Falls Blues Fest has brought groovy notes and deep Southern ties of blues music to Fern Island in the heart of Wausau. The festival stands as the longest-running blues music festival in Wisconsin, but its long history is also synonymous with the growth of the local nonprofit organization Wausau Events.

“The Big Bull Falls Blues Festival was our first festival,” said Brooklyn Hess, executive director of Wausau Events. “We started from one, and now we’re up to 11 events, but it began as just a really passionate, dedicated group of people who wanted to see a blues music festival thrive and succeed — and now here we are 35 years later.”

This year’s festival on Aug. 21-22 features a spicy lineup with top achievers in the blues music world, holding awards from regional and national award associations.

“Ronnie Baker Brooks is a nominee of the Instrumentalist Guitar Award, as well as being a winner of the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award, which is the top honor presented at the annual Blues Music Awards,” Hess said. “On Saturday, we are also welcoming Ana Popovic, and she is nominated currently for the Blues Rock Artist Award. Devon Allman, our Saturday headliner, is also a nominee of the Blues Rock Artist Award. That Blues Rock Artist Award is a prestigious recognition presented by the Memphis-based Blues Foundation. We have a lot of award winners and nominees in our lineup this year, and we’re really excited to share that with the Wausau community.”

Between these performances, food vendors, beverage tents and side stage bands bring entertainment. The fun-filled weekend gathering brings people together from all over the state for one common interest: the blues.

“This will be my fourth year working with Blues Fest and it’s one of my favorite festivals of the year to work because I love seeing people come in from far and wide,” Hess said. “They come to visit Wausau because we have this blues festival and that’s something pretty special because it’s not something that every town, especially our size, has. I see a lot of people coming to Wausau, and I see a lot of people who have lived in Wausau for a long time and have attended Blues Fest every year come back year after year. It’s kind of one of those things — you come once, you love it, and then you don’t stop coming.”

Because Wausau Events operates as a nonprofit organization, that means the festival relies on the generosity and goodwill of the local community.

“We have people from the community who come in and volunteer with us to make this festival possible year after year,” Hess said. “We are just incredibly thankful to anyone and everyone who donates their time to making this festival possible.”

As Aug. 21-22 nears, Hess suggests a few tips to ensure the proper Big Bull Falls Blues Festival experience.

“Bring your lawn chair, get ready to kick back and have some fun,” she said. “But my biggest tip is that you don’t want to miss this year. We’ve got a lot coming your way and we’re very excited to celebrate 35 years of Blues Fest.”

Daily admission tickets cost $15 for Friday, Aug. 21, and $75 for Saturday, Aug. 22. Full weekend tickets covering admission for both Friday and Saturday cost $80, VIP tickets cost $180. The festival will open at 4 p.m. on Friday and noon Saturday. A schedule of events and more details can be found at wausauevents.org.