The living room blues festival Blues bij de Buren on Sunday, June 20 is NOT GOING.

Despite the announcement of relaxing the rules in the press conference on Tuesday, May 11, there are still too many restrictions to make the organization of Blues bij de Buren possible: 1,5 meters distance and 6 visitors per living room (government roadmap) are playing tricks on us. In addition, the many human movements, about 600 people per break, cause additional contamination risks. Safety and health of participants and visitors is paramount and forces Blues in Wijk to move the event again.

During the preparations of the festival we have again noticed that among the participants, both the hosts/women and the musicians, the enthusiasm to participate is very high. We are therefore definitely planning to organize the event again but under “normal” circumstances. Sometime in the spring of 2022, we will make room in our programming for the third edition of Blues at the Neighbors. When the pandemic restrictions are behind us we will pick a date and let you know as soon as possible. Too bad, but that’s just the way it is.

BLUES at the Neighbors was in 2016 and 2018 an enormous success with dozens of bands in as many living rooms in Cothen and Wijk bij Duurstede.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel the 2020 edition due to Corona. On Sunday afternoon, June 20, 2021, we will try again. Twenty bands and living rooms have already signed up. In May it will be announced which acts will play in which living rooms. In the meantime, we will keep a close eye on the news reports concerning the Corona measures and at the end of May/beginning of June we will decide whether the 3rd edition will take place or not.

The living rooms will be transformed into real ‘Juke-Joints’ where everyone can listen from 13:00 to 17:00 hrs. to special performances by blues musicians, who will perform 3 times for 45 minutes. A unique blues event for the Netherlands! Admission in all living rooms is free. The bands play without a fee. During each set a hat is passed around in which you can make a donation.

The living rooms (or, weather permitting, in the garden) are distributed throughout the municipality of Wijk bij Duurstede. In Langbroek there are two addresses on the Langbroekerdijk, in Cothen three addresses, in the Wijk outer area three places along the Amerongerwetering, in the Wijk inner city three addresses and nine addresses spread over the residential areas.

Bands that are present in any case: Ralph de Jongh, Gumbo & the Monk, Charles Adrian Band, Ramshackle Bluesband, the Caverns, Ticket West, S-uzi’s Crew, The Square Keys, Blues and Bones, the Old Boys, Big Daddy, Carolina and the Bluesmen, Basic Station, the Vaults, Muddy Ground, Without Johnny, Kozzeltof, Vintage Brothers, Blues After Seven and Rock-As.

Information for living room owners.

• • In principle, anyone who lives in the municipality of Wijk bij Duurstede can apply.
  • Almost all living rooms are suitable, big or small. As long as there is a suitable musician for you.
  • You can also play in your own living room, the important thing is that besides you there are at least two people who take on the role of host and/or hostess.
  • When you participate in Blues bij de Buren you open your doors to enjoy the Blues musicians together with other inhabitants of the city without any financial barriers. If your living room is full during a performance, you can indicate this outside with a rotating sign, which you or the host/hostess can hang on your window.
  • After registration you will receive a message from BluesinWijk for a home visit. This will assess if your living room is suitable enough. At the beginning of April we will match the selected musicians to the selected living rooms. You will receive a message whether your participation is definite or not. In the beginning of June there will be an information meeting.
  • In principle, BluesinWijk will not provide anything in terms of equipment for your performance at Blues bij de Buren. The band has to take care of this themselves.
  • Of course you can also arrange a blues musician yourself.  Please register the musician via the mail info@bluesinwijk.nl

Information for musicians: 

• • Blues at the Neighbors is open to all musicians with a clear link to blues music, all blues music styles are welcome. You do need to have a certain level of experience. It should be fun for everyone to listen to you.
  • You can also play in your own living room, the important thing is that besides you there are at least two people who take on the role of host and/or hostess.
  • If you know someone who would like you to play with her/him, that is more than fine. That living room has to sign up first. Please indicate this clearly in the mail.
  • Preference is given to a (semi) acoustic performance. Complete amplified Bluesconcert in consultation. Tell us in the mail what you can do, who knows we can find a living room where you can play at full strength.
  • You take care of the technology yourself. 
  • As much as we believe that musicians should get all the credit, you can imagine that with so many acts Blues bij de Buren becomes unaffordable. However, you can claim for the travel expenses you incur.  
  • Per living room we will go around with the hat for the benefit of the blues artist. We will of course include you in all our publicity and will also highlight a number of artists in the run-up to the festival.
  • You will be informed whether you have been selected within two weeks after applying. At the beginning of April we will make the link (match) with the living rooms. Only then will we know whether your participation is final.
  • To get a good idea of who you are and what kind of music you make, it is useful to have a Facebook page or website. This way we can also make a good match with a living room. Without a link to your music, we cannot judge you. You can also send us a CD.  
  • With Blues bij de Buren, we want to give the local and regional blues a boost. Therefore, we prefer artists from the Utrecht region. Not from the area near Duurstede? No problem, just sign up. No you can’t, yes you can!
  • Over 90% of the performances at Blues bij de Buren are semi-acoustic. It is therefore preferred that the artist adjusts his performance accordingly. Often the semi-acoustic character fits the intimate setting of the living room very well.
  • You can promote your own performance via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, flyers, posters…and so on! Want to know more? Please contact: info@bluesinwijk.nl