Growing since 2009
About Us
&
Our Charities
About Us
Welcome to the site of the Blue Suede Music Festival, held in northern Alberta, Canada, at the Ag Grounds in Westlock, Alberta. This festival was started to keep the memory of Elvis and his music alive and to allow tribute artists to pay homage to the King of Rock and Roll in a non-competitive setting. It takes place outdoors in a province that has the most Elvis fans in Canada!
The festival was born in 2009 out of the idea of having a few of our tribute artist friends come to our acreage in August to perform a show for our friends and neighbours in a casual “house party” atmosphere. Because the performers were donating their time, we asked for a Food Bank donation to get in. Over 100 people showed up, and the night was filled with great music, singing and dancing!
The next day, we discussed things and decided that Alberta needed a non-competitive Elvis festival- the Blue Suede Music Festival was born!
Because of yearly growth and the Festival doubling in size each of the first 3 years, we quickly outgrew our acreage, so in 2012 we moved it to the Busby Sports Grounds and kept it there for 8 years, with the last year there being 2019.
Over 4,600 POUNDS of food were donated in 2019 (the last Festival before Covid!) by Elvis fans who came from all over the world to celebrate the music of Elvis Presley! Over $4700 was given directly to the Food Banks at the gates by those who forgot a food donation; this also included $3500 raised by raffling off a handmade quilt. After the bills were paid, the Festival gave another $10,000 to the Food Banks.
Since moving to Westlock in 2022, the Festival has donated over $40,000 to local Food Banks and over 10,000 pounds of non-perishable food items. This does not include cash given in place of food items.
Thank you for being so generous and helping our less fortunate!
The Festival
Elvis was incredibly charitable, and nothing made him happier than helping people in need. Blue Suede has also always been all about giving back.
Right from the very first year in 2009, a Food Bank donation was required to get into the Festival. As the Festival grew and expenses rose, an admission fee was added, but a Food Bank donation was still required to gain entrance. If non-perishable items are forgotten, the Food Banks are very happy to accept a cash donation.
The Food Banks in Morinville and Westlock are our charities. After expenses are paid, they get a cheque from Blue Suede to add to the non-perishable food donations and cash that comes in at the gate. From 2011 to present, those cheques total close to $100,000!!! Over 50,000 pounds of food have been donated so far! Your generosity has helped sooo many families in the area.
The Busby Lions Club and Alcomdale Community League benefit from running 50/50 raffles throughout the weekend, and in the past, the Busby Firefighters raised over $50,000 through 50/50s that went towards building their new fire hall.
We keep entry fees low so people can still help the Food Banks, and everyone can afford to attend this fun-filled, family-oriented event.
In keeping with Elvis’s love for charities, Blue Suede will continue to be a charity event.
Our Charities
Morinville Food Bank
Westlock & District Food Bank
