Roots N Blues announces largest single-day attendance

COLUBMIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Organizers for the Roots N Blues Festival at Stephens Lake Park in Columbia said this week that this year's attendance nearly doubled last year's.

The festival went from Oct. 7-9 and included Wilco, Jon Batiste and Bleachers as headliners. Organizers said Oct. 8's attendance was the most-attended day in the festival's history with more than 10,000 concert-goers showing up.

More than 8,000 attendees were at the Oct. 7 and 9 shows.

“Over 10,000 people participated in a collective celebration of American Roots Music and wholeheartedly supported live music in mid-Missouri throughout the weekend,” Shay Jasper, co-owner and co-producer of the festival, said in a press release. “In hearing the accounts of our patrons and looking at the data collected, we are providing a more inclusive, safe and positive experience for the community and its visitors. Tracy (Lane, another co-owner and co-producer), myself and our incredible team are looking forward to further expanding our featured genres in 2023 while continuing an evolution into the best version of ourselves.”

The festival has already announced the dates for next year on its website: Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2023.