AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival Announces End After 12 Years

The annual fundraiser event, hosted by the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, has ended due to inflationary pressures and soaring overhead costs

SAN DIEGO, May 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank has announced the end of the popular AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival after bringing together dozens of award-winning musical acts, blues lovers, volunteers, and Food Bank supporters to Embarcadero Marina Park North for the past twelve years.

The family-friendly event benefited the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and its North County Food Bank chapter for twelve years, but the combination of soaring inflation, supply-chain challenges, and skyrocketing overhead costs for event infrastructure and entertainment have forced organizers to announce the event's closure.     

Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank CEO Casey Castillo said, "Announcing the end of our beloved San Diego Blues Festival does not come easy, but after much consideration, the increased event costs, including equipment rental, staging, sound and lighting, service providers, and musical acts, forced our Board of Directors and Title Sponsor, Vince Kasperick of AimLoan.com, to announce the end of this major annual Food Bank fundraiser concert."

"I want to especially thank Vince Kasperick and AimLoan.com for twelve wonderful years of bringing fantastic musical entertainment to our local community," Castillo continued. "AimLoan.com's support of the Blues Festival was an integral part of the event's success from its inception, and we extend our deepest gratitude to Vince for his significant contributions and generous support of the San Diego Blues Festival and the Food Bank's critical hunger-relief mission."

Vince Kasperick founded the AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival in partnership with Event Producer, Michael Kinsman, and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank in 2011. For more than a decade, the event brought Grammy-award-winning musical artists to San Diego and raised over $1.3 million dollars and approximately 21 tons of food for the Food Bank.

Over the years, the AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival has attracted thousands of local and out-of-town visitors to the downtown San Diego waterfront to enjoy a day of renowned musical artists playing live on two stages from morning to sunset. The annual festival featured specialist local food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, amid breathtaking views of San Diego Bay and the downtown skyline.  

The AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival featured a host of award-winning headliners including Billy F Gibbons & Friends, Mavis Staples, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Tommy Castro & the Painkillers, Los Lobos, and Taj Mahal with the Phantom Blues Band. In addition, the festival has featured rising stars of the blues world including Big Jon Atkinson, Larkin Poe, Aki Kumar, and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram.

The festival also featured local, hometown blues musical acts including Whitney Shay, the late Candye Kane, The Paladins, Nathan James & the Rhythm Scratchers, The World Famous Jim Gibson, Blue Largo, Sarah Rogo, Chickenbone Slim & The Biscuits, Fred Heath, The Fremonts, Taryn Donath, Ben Powell and many more.

"On behalf of the Food Bank, I would like to thank the dedicated blues fest fans who attended over the years," said Castillo. "I'd also like to thank the Food Bank's staff and volunteers who worked the event, the wonderful musicians who played at the annual festival, and our Event Producer, Michael Kinsman."  

"And finally a huge thank you goes to our major corporate sponsors AimLoan.com and Baker Electric Home Energy for their many years of corporate support. I would also like to sincerely thank our stage sponsors and leading corporate and civic underwriters who were with us over the years, including Delta Dental, BCS, Wells Fargo Bank, ShopCore, US Bank, Health Net, Alaska Airlines, the City of San Diego's Commission for Arts and Culture, the County Board of Supervisors' Community Enhancement Program, the San Diego Convention Center, Centerplate, the Port of San Diego, and all our other many amazing sponsors over the years," continued Castillo. 

The Food Bank encourages San Diego Blues Festival attendees and supporters to continue supporting its mission through its other major fundraiser events including its annual Chefs, Cork & Craft Gala, its Drive Out Hunger Golf Tournament, and annual food drive campaigns including the School's Out, Hunger's Not Summer Food Drive and annual Holiday Food Drive. More details can be found at SanDiegoFoodBank.org.

About the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank
Established in 1977, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and its North County Food Bank chapter are a critical component to the welfare of San Diego County, providing food to people in need, advocating for the hungry and educating the public about hunger-related issues. Through a combination of programs and partnerships with over 500 San Diego County nonprofit charities, the Food Bank acts as a central repository and distribution point for donated food. The Food Bank distributed 44 million pounds of food in the fiscal year 2021-22 to individuals, families, and a network of nonprofit organizations that work to alleviate hunger throughout the county. Visit: SanDiegoFoodBank.org NorthCountyFoodBank.org

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SOURCE Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank