The Chicago Blues Festival is one of the largest of music festivals in Chicago. "Blues Capital of the World" is celebrated for three days straight on four stages that in the past hosted Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles, B.B. King, the late Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Shemekia Copeland, Gary Clark Jr, Rhiannon Giddens, and Bobby Rush.
The Festival lineup includes old blues favorites and the up-and-coming. It is focused on blues, soul, jazz blues, and blues-rock acts. The event is organized every June by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Since 2017, the festival has been held in the Millennium Park.
Chicago has a rich history with blues that goes back to the Great Migration from the South and the Mississippi Delta. The festival was founded in 1984, a year after the death of McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters) who was called "the father of Chicago blues".
