Doheny Blues Festival: What Happened to Dana Point’s Blues Weekend

The Doheny Blues Festival is not on any calendar, and nothing has been announced: Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats list no upcoming shows. The last edition ran May 18–19, 2019, at Sea Terrace Park in Dana Point, not on the lawn at Doheny State Beach.

Omega Events launched the festival in 1998 at Doheny State Beach and kept it on the waterfront grass through 2017. California State Parks notified organizers in 2017 that the event had to relocate. After talks with the City of Dana Point, it moved in 2018 to Sea Terrace Park, just north of the beach at 33501 Niguel Road. Rich Sherman, president of Doheny Blues Festival, Inc., called Sea Terrace a good home for those two years.

On January 17, 2020, organizers postponed the 2020 festival (planned for May 16–17) while they looked for a 2021 venue. It never returned. A smaller “Weekend of Music” was floated for mid-May 2020 around Dana Point venues; that did not become a replacement festival.

Headliners and Crowds

In its run, it was one of the better-known blues weekends on the West Coast: two days, multiple stages, food vendors, and a vendor village, drawing around 30,000 people to Dana Point. Headliners over the years included B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, John Fogerty, Etta James, The Black Crowes, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brian Setzer, Aaron Neville, Keb’ Mo’, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

The 2019 bill was topped by Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals and Lindsey Buckingham, with Taj Mahal Quartet, Robert Cray Band, Jonny Lang, the Marcus King Band, John Mayall, Vintage Trouble, the Allman Betts Band, and North Mississippi Allstars.

The beachfront festival slot at Doheny State Beach now belongs to Ohana Festival, Eddie Vedder’s three-day event. Ohana marked its 10th anniversary there September 25–27, 2026 (Pearl Jam closed Sunday). Dates for a 2027 return have not been posted. For a day at the beach without a ticketed festival, Doheny State Beach is open for day use and camping at 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive.

Doheny Blues Festival FAQ:

Is the Doheny Blues Festival coming back in 2026 or 2027?
No. The last festival was May 18–19, 2019. No dates or tickets are on sale.

Where was the last one held?
Sea Terrace Park, Dana Point, not Doheny State Beach. The beach years ended after 2017.

What replaced it at Doheny State Beach?
The Ohana Festival is held in late September.