With concert a at the City Hall patio polish musician Magda Piskorczyk opened the 3 day festival. Later the Corner Band represented the local Blues scene that night. The star of the first Blues night was vocalist Maggie Bell - once called the English Janis Joplin - together with Dave Kelly.

Part of the festival opening was also the awarding of the President’s medal for Lise Wiik, Mayor of Notodden in Norway. She got the medal for her merits to Suwalki City, a big distinction for her close long-term cooperation with Suwalki. “As a token of appreciation for establishing partnership between Notodden and Suwalki cities, personal commitment in its constant development, for inspiration, patronage and help in organizing Suwalki Blues Festival, for implementation mutual projects, and especially for kindness, promotion of Suwalki city in Norway as well as liking and support in actions with mutual cultural discoveries in view”, stated Czeslaw Renkiewicz, President of Suwalki City. (Picture right:  Czeslaw Renkiewicz, Lise Wiik, Ewelina Suchocka and Runar Lia, director of the Notodden Blues Festival - left to right)

Although it was only the 4th time Suwalki became city of Blues the word about the festival has already spread around the world. Maybe it is because great artists from around the world rock the stage or it is just the music which is universal, because Blues is not only for oldsters as some might think.

The organization team showed that there is no time limit when it comes to music. Along the lines “Blues around the clock” different pubs and restaurants invited the guests to start the day with a Blues breakfast. With concerts in the city center with scenes at the town hall and in the park of the Constitution of May 3^rd Suwalki became a city of Blues.

 There were a lot of great artists like Martyna Jakubowicz with "Żona Lota" ("Lot's Wife") group or Juwana Jenkins, who hypnotized the audience with her wonderful voice. Furthermore, Grzegorz Markowski, a musician who is more assigned to Rock performed with the "Perfect" group in Suwalki. In the city centre "The Blues Band" as well as the impulsive and enchanting "B.B & The Blues Shacks" made the crowd cheering and Shakin' Dudi and Julian Sas introduced the audience to high spirit. They all turned the fourth edition of the festival into another successful event. Highlight of the last day was Serbian vocalist and guitarist Ana Popovic, a talented woman who is also known as the feminine embodiment of Jimi Hendriks.

It does not happen too often that such a big crowd pours out on the streets of Suwalki to spend some time together eating and drinking and of course listening and dancing to the sound of Blues - and all this without any aggression. People who came to Suwalki were positively surprised that it is such a nice and safe place. 

For all those who missed Suwalki Blues Festival 2011: Save the date for next year. And all others: Look forward to the fifth edition of the SBF in July 2011!

And the ones who cannot wait that long: Check out Notodden’s Blues Festival.