About us

The Heritage Music Blues Festival began in 2001 when Bruce Wheeler envisioned a Blues music festival in a newly constructed water front park on the bank of the Ohio River in downtown Wheeling. The fact that Wheeling had no blues scene or even a blues club, band or solo artist did not deter Wheeler from developing a festival. Promoted as A Weekend of Award-Winning Blues, the Festival today gets raves from coast to coast. Wheeler's festival features two stages, a Main Stage with Blues Music Award Winners and up and coming IBC solo duo and band winning acts, and a Second Stage dedicated to local and regional artists, from WV, OH, PA, and MD.

 Heritage Music BluesFest began in 2001 when Bruce Wheeler had a vision to bring music to the newly constructed waterfront park on the bank of the Ohio River in Wheeling, West Virginia.

The festival is coordinated by Wheeler, but his family advises and assists. You can find Bruce’s wife Phyllis Sigal and daughter Amanda Seidler holding down the MainGate; son Leland Wheeler serves as MainStage manager; son-in-law Chris Seidler and daughter-in-law-to-be Jiin Choi also offer invaluable helping hands.

That BluesFamily feeling spills over to the audience, members of which have traveled to Wheeling from 28 states and four countries over the years for the annual August event.

Promoted as “A Weekend of Award-Winning Blues,” the festival gets rave reviews from coast to coast. Award-winning acts as well as up-and-coming IBC winners grace the festival’s MainStage, while the SecondStage features local and regional acts.

The festival has the distinction of receiving The Blues Foundation’s 2010 Keeping the Blues Alive award — festival category. Welcome to the BluesFest family! We’re glad you’re here.

HERITAGE MUSIC BLUESFEST 2024
Heritage Port Amphitheater
Wheeling, WV

8/09/24 - 8/11/24

PLAN FOR ANOTHER YEAR OF AWARD WINNING BLUES.