Unlike the Illinois Marathon, the final Illini Baseball regular season home game, and the most recent installment of Friday Night Live, Mother Nature did not shut down the 2015 Blues, Brews, and BBQ Festival, presented by Fluid Events. Held this year in Downtown Champaign, the free two-day event went off seemingly without a hitch. In store for visitors was great food, fantastic music, and much more.
Local motorcycle club the Dinosores were on hand, and treated guests to “biggest bike show in the state”. Awards in multiple categories were given out to select participants in the late afternoon. The Dinosores also sponsored the Make a Difference! Fundraiser, with proceeds going to various local Veteran’s organizations including the Thank You Veterans Run, which will be taking place in Champaign on September 26th, 2015.
There was no excuse for leaving the festival hungry as food vendors lined the closed off section of Walnut Street. In addition to many BBQ merchants, visitors had the opportunity to indulge in a wide variety of food and beverages available for purchase via ticket redemption.
Two musical stages were set up for both Friday and Saturday performances. The Future Stars Stage, near the Washington Street entrance, showcased the talents of many up and coming musicians while the Main Stage, located in the southern part of the parking lot behind the Orpheum, served as the venue for many established acts, both local and national. 2007 Blues Artist of the Year nominee Ana Popovic closed out the celebration on Saturday night.
