The New York State Rhythm & Blues Festival, held each summer in Syracuse, celebrates its twelfth season in 2003. The longest-running downtown festival in Syracuse history, it has an economic impact of well over $1 million a year. The festival features artists from every style of Blues in both free and paid performances. Both city and state governments and an impressive collection of local business and private supporters sponsor it. It has also donated over 500 CDs to Syracuses local library system, making their Blues collection one of the largest in the country.
