Welcome to the Niagara Falls Blues Festival!
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The 16th Annual Niagara Falls Blues Festival will be held on Friday, September 12 and Saturday September 13, 2025 on Old Falls Street in downtown Niagara Falls, New York. This free event offers live performances by regional and national musicians, along with a variety of local food and drink vendors, all just steps away from the mighty Niagara Falls.
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In Memoriam of Toby Rotella – Niagara Falls Blues Festival Founder
Thomas Philip “Toby” Rotella, of Key Largo, FL and Ransomville, NY died after a long illness on March 12, 2023, at the age of 82.
Born April 11, 1940, in Niagara Falls, NY, Toby demonstrated his incredible entrepreneurial spirit when he opened the Imperial Garage in 1980, following a yearlong effort to rebuild a condemned building on Third Street in Niagara Falls.
This legendary venue hosted some of the greatest blues musicians to ever pick up an instrument, including John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, to name a few. During his time owning and operating the Imperial Garage, Toby became close with Muddy Waters after his mother’s spaghetti and sweet potato pie opened the door for this unlikely friendship.
For the past 14 years, Toby was the driving force behind the Niagara Falls Blues Festival, which grew out of a series of reunion concerts that memorialized the Imperial Garage’s legacy. Toby and his team were able to bring some of the world’s greatest blues acts to the stage in downtown Niagara Falls.
The festival attracted tens of thousands of people from all around the United States and Canada. The Blues Festival has made a lasting impact on the local economy, cemented Niagara Falls as a favorite destination for musicians, and prompted the mayor to provide Toby with the key to the City of Niagara Falls. Toby’s vision and connections to the music industry opened many doors that will remain a part of the Blues Festival for years to come.
For more about Toby's life, legacy and contributions to the Niagara Falls Blues Festival, click here.
Born April 11, 1940, in Niagara Falls, NY, Toby demonstrated his incredible entrepreneurial spirit when he opened the Imperial Garage in 1980, following a yearlong effort to rebuild a condemned building on Third Street in Niagara Falls.
This legendary venue hosted some of the greatest blues musicians to ever pick up an instrument, including John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, to name a few. During his time owning and operating the Imperial Garage, Toby became close with Muddy Waters after his mother’s spaghetti and sweet potato pie opened the door for this unlikely friendship.
For the past 14 years, Toby was the driving force behind the Niagara Falls Blues Festival, which grew out of a series of reunion concerts that memorialized the Imperial Garage’s legacy. Toby and his team were able to bring some of the world’s greatest blues acts to the stage in downtown Niagara Falls.
The festival attracted tens of thousands of people from all around the United States and Canada. The Blues Festival has made a lasting impact on the local economy, cemented Niagara Falls as a favorite destination for musicians, and prompted the mayor to provide Toby with the key to the City of Niagara Falls. Toby’s vision and connections to the music industry opened many doors that will remain a part of the Blues Festival for years to come.
For more about Toby's life, legacy and contributions to the Niagara Falls Blues Festival, click here.