Lancaster’s annual Roots & Blues music festival is back this weekend for the first time since 2019.
With over 80 live concerts scheduled in Lancaster city over the course of three days, the festival that attracts music fans from across the United States will kick off this weekend with both local and national acts.
This year’s festival marks the return of the major Lancaster city event. Rich Ruoff, festival founder, canceled 2020’s festival to care for his late wife as she battled cancer. A 2019 investigation by LNP | LancasterOnline found the festival had an estimated $200,000 in unpaid bills to artists and vendors. As reported by LNP | LancasterOnline earlier this month, Ruoff says he’s settled outstanding debts and is ready to move forward.
“This is the biggest, best schedule we put together,” says Ruoff. “I booked a lot of bigger name national artists, more than I have in the past.”
This year’s lineup features rock, soul, R&B, blues, roots and bluegrass artists, among other genres. The complete lineup can be found here.
“It’s not just a local small music fest. It’s becoming a major festival,” Ruoff says, adding that he expects about 8,000 people to attend Roots & Blues. Before the pandemic, the festival attracted about 8,000-10,000 visitors annually.
Here’s what you should know before going to Roots & Blues this weekend.
The basics
Lancaster Roots & Blues kicks off Friday, Oct. 15 at Tellus360 with rockabilly band Martini Brothers. The festival will span from Friday at 5 p.m. to Sunday, Oct. 17 at 8:45 p.m. with duo Larkin Poe (direct descendants of Edgar Allan Poe) closing out the festival.
A one-day general admission ticket costs $64, a two-day ticket costs $120, and a weekend pass for general admission costs $170. Tickets can be purchased at home and printed at home or presented on a mobile device. Tickets purchased in 2020 will be honored for 2021’s festival.
The central hub for the festival will be at the Lancaster County Convention Center located within the Lancaster Marriott at 25 S. Queen Street in downtown Lancaster. Those who purchased tickets should go to the convention center before the event to get wristbands, which will allow access into the festival’s seven venues.
Here’s a list of all venues participating in Roots & Blues this weekend:
- The Village Nightclub, 205 N. Christian St., Lancaster
- Holiday Inn Lancaster, 26 E. Chestnut St., Lancaster
- Freedom Hall at the Lancaster County Convention Center, 25 S. Queen St., Lancaster
- Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse, 112 N. Water St., Lancaster
- Tellus360, 24 E. King St., Lancaster
- Trust Performing Arts Center, 37 N. Market St., Lancaster
- Elks Lodge, 219 N. Duke St., Lancaster
Lancaster Roots & Blues is a 21-and-over event.
COVID-19 protocols
All festival-goers are either required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or give proof of negative COVID-19 test results within 48 hours of the festival.
“This COVID peak was unanticipated and quite the drag, but we’ve managed to deal with it,” Ruoff says.
In an effort to streamline the process, Lancaster Roots & Blues will feature a COVID-19 rapid-test vendor called Curative. Ruoff says he got the idea from a bluegrass music festival in Colorado.
Curative will have a mobile site up outside the Lancaster County Convention Center during the following times, no appointment needed:
- Wednesday, Oct. 13: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 14: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Another effort to streamline the COVID-19 check-in process is to upload a photo of your vaccination card to Crowdpass, an app that acts as a “vaccine passport,” according to the Roots & Blues website. This is not required, but does help event workers process concertgoers faster, the website says.
Ticket holders who can not show proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the event will not be allowed to attend, Ruoff says.
Masks are not mandatory for the event, though Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse will require festival-goers to wear a mask, says Ruoff.
What’s new?
The venues have changed a bit from previous years, Ruoff says. Former Roots & Blues venue staples Federal Taphouse and Chameleon Club closed during the pandemic.
The Trust Performing Arts Center hosted some of the festival’s concerts in the past, though it has been a few years since the last time it was a festival destination. This year, it will host 11 performances through Friday and Saturday.
This year, Roots & Blues will have two stages in the newly renovated Holiday Inn in downtown Lancaster, one of which is called the Front Porch Stage.
“We literally have built a small stage - it looks like a front porch on a cabin in the woods - and that’s where we’ll host the predominantly acoustic performances,” Ruoff says. “It should have a good vibe.”
This year, the Roots & Blues festival also features a revamped Art Expo at the Lancaster County Convention Center, which will feature several vendors with ready-to-buy art.
“We’re trying to marry not only music, but the arts scene in this area,” Ruoff says. “We think that component of the festival will continue to grow from year to year.”
Ruoff’s picks
Ruoff readily calls himself a music enthusiast. After all, he’s been working in the industry for over 30 years.
We asked Ruoff which concerts he’s most excited to see at Roots & Blues this weekend.
“Asking me my favorite is like asking me who’s my favorite child: I hate answering it,” Ruoff says with a laugh.
Blues singer Robert Finley, performing at the Elks Lodge on Saturday at 8 p.m. and at the Holiday Inn on Sunday at 5 p.m., was Ruoff’s first pick.
“I’m super excited to see him,” Ruoff says.
He also noted soul-jazz group Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio as a favorite.
“They’re just so smokin’,” Ruoff says. The band plays at the Holiday Inn at 10 p.m. Friday.
“And my old friend Joan Osborne is coming back,” Ruoff says. “I’m super excited for Joan.”
Osborne is a multi-faceted, Grammy-nominated artist who is best known for her song “One of Us.” She will play at the Freedom Hall Main Stage on Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
For more information about Roots & Blues, visit lancasterrootsandblues.com.
