PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Waterfront Blues Festival was successful in its 32nd year bringing major acts and local talent together and collecting donations for families in need.
The festival started with a bang on the Fourth of July with more than 25,000 people coming to see opening night artists and the fireworks show.
More than 81,000 people attended over the 4-day festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
The festival was a fundraiser for the Sunshine Division and in addition to cash donations, there were canned food donation bins at each entrance.
“The summer months present challenges for food relief organizations like Sunshine Division. It’s a struggle to raise funds and collect food this time of year and many families that rely on school meals for their children are in need of a little extra help,” said Kyle Camberg, executive director of Portland Sunshine Division. “The ability to raise thousands of pounds of food and connect with so many people at the Waterfront Blues Festival is extremely important to us. We are so grateful to have been part of such a wonderful Portland tradition.”
Waterfront Blues Festival by the numbers:
- More than 5 tons of non-perishable food
- $40,000 in cash donations
- Nearly 34,000 meals for families in need
- 25,000 opening night attendees
- 81,000 total attendees
- 80 acts, 120 performances