The Blue Suede Music Festival looks like it will be bigger and better than ever this year, with more than 3,200 people expected at the Busby Sports Grounds.
This is the sixth year for the festival, which takes place Aug. 22-24, and organizer Trudy Taphorn said this will be a defining year for the celebration of Elvis Presley.
“This will be the year that determines whether I can continue to leave it wide open or if I have to go to ticket sales,” she said.
Admission to the festival has been a food-bank donation for the past five years, with all the proceeds going to food banks in Westlock, Barrhead and Morinville. Considering the expected turnout this year, and Taphorn suggested 3,200 is a pretty conservative estimate, there’s a risk of outgrowing Busby.
“I don’t want to outgrow those grounds. The whole community is so behind it and the whole county is behind it. I don’t want to move from Busby,” she said.
When she started the festival six years ago, she never thought it would balloon so quickly into an internationally popular event. Whereas during that first year she had to cold-call tribute artists to get them to perform, she now has a waiting list and has to turn away artists from far and wide, including the deep south of the United States.
Taphorn has refined the format over the years, and this year is no different. She has 15 performers booked, and all will play three sets each day.
“Their sets will be shorter; it will only be four songs that they’re each doing, but they’re going to each go on three times,” she said. “It will keep things fresh and keep things rolling along really good.”
She has also added on-site security this year, although she’s not concerned about any sort of misbehaviour among the crowds — despite the comparisons have drawn between the Blue Suede Music Festival and the infamous Boonstock festival formerly held in Sturgeon County, a comparison Taphorn sees as laughable.
“That’s like comparing Elvis to AC/DC, ZZ Top or Metallica,” she said. “It’s not even in the same realm.”
Taphorn said she’s also added another food vendor this year — although nobody had to wait in line for too long last year, she doesn’t want to take any chances.
And to complete the Elvis experience for the audience, the main concession on site will once again be making the King’s personal favourite snack: a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.
“We could hardly keep up last year with making them,” she said. “They just love them, and chances are nobody goes home and makes them themselves, but when they get to that festival we can’t keep up making those sandwiches.”
But while the music and the food are enough to attract anyone to the festival, Taphorn said what really makes the experience special is the camaraderie. Most of the artists take part in Elvis tribute competitions throughout the year, and thoroughly enjoy the relaxed atmosphere Taphorn has created.
“They can let their hair down and it’s neat to see that these guys will go encourage each other, cheering for each other, they’re in the crowd giving standing ovations, taking pictures of each other — that’s not done ever at a competition,” she said. “It’s a weekend they look forward to all year.”
For more on the festival visit www.bluesuedemusicfestival.com.
