Important message to all fans of the Boquete Jazz&Blues Festival

[Hans-J. Lebuser]

Hello Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival Fans,As you know, the 2017 Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival will be held February 9th through the 12th 2017.We have already signed the “Low Rider Band”, “Carolyn Wonderland”, “Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hell Raisers” and “Maria Rivas”. We have five slots yet to fill. To that end we are negotiating to bring back several of your favorites. But that announcement will come later after the contracts are signed.What you need to know now is that ticket sales for the 2017 BJBF will begin on May 1, 2016.Before we begin sales, I want to explain some changes we have made to our schedule.The most significant of these changes is that we have added two additional shows at the Valle Escondido Amphitheater. Specifically, we will have a Friday performance starting at 5:30 pm and ending at 8 pm. The main reason for this to relieve the overcrowding we experienced at the Sabor Jam last year.How will this work? Advanced Sales General Admission Weekend tickets which cost $110 for the 2016 festival will sell for $120 and include entrance to the Friday night performances at the amphitheater. That means you get two additional performances for $10. That is five dollars a show. Remember in 2016 you paid $20 for entrance to the Sabor Jam. So you will actually be saving $10.Since there is plenty of room at the amphitheater, this solves the problem of the overcrowding at the Friday Jam. It also helps the festival in that we don’t have to move so much equipment around which is labor intensive, hard on the equipment, and ultimately very expensive.When you buy your ticket online you will have a choice to buy either a single day ticket for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Or, you may buy a weekend ticket that includes all three days.You will also be able to choose General Admission or VIP tickets. VIP tickets will include cushioned front row seats with an option to sit in a reserved shaded area at the top of the amphitheater. VIP tickets also include heavily discounted drinks and snacks.As to Friday night, I can tell you that nine member “Low Rider Band”, whose real name we can’t mention because of a ridiculous law suit, but who is famous for such hits as “Low Rider”, “Cisco Kid”, and “Spill the Wine” from the album “Eric Burdon Declares War”… THAT BAND will perform on Friday night. We have yet to sign the Jazz band that will open for them. But, I promise that whoever we do sign they will be great!For Boquete Residences, we will also start Boquete Residence ticket sales on May 1st. Please keep your eyes on the local social media pages for information about those tickets and instructions on how to get your Boquete Residents tickets.It is early. There will be other exciting news. Stay tuned!