Two popular Ottawa festivals will return to the city for two back-to-back weekends in September with a crowd expected to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
RBC Bluesfest and CityFolk will offer condensed lineups at Lansdowne Park in September after the summer festival season in Ottawa was largely shut down for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CityFolk kicks things off from Sept. 16 to 18 with a lineup including Our Lady Peace, Dean Brody and Charlotte Day Wilson.
Bluesfest goes the next weekend from Sept. 23 to 25. Headliners for those shows include Barenaked Ladies, Jann Arden, Half Moon Run, Tokyo Police Club and Tom Cochrane.
A one-day presale for tickets opens Wednesday at 10 a.m., with the regular sale starting the following day.
All attendees will be expected to bring proof of double COVID-19 vaccination, in the form of either a physical or digital record. A single shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is also accepted.
Anyone with a religious or medical exemption to the vaccine will need to present proof.
Masks are mandatory for the entire outdoor concert experience, except when eating or drinking.
Organizers also ask attendees to attest that they have not experienced symptoms of COVID-19 in the 48 hours before the show, or been exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus or travelled internationally in the preceding two weeks.
A full list of the Ottawa Fall Festivals health FAQ is available on their website.