Big Blues Bender
Big Blues Bender operates an annual four-day blues music festival at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, selling all-inclusive lodging and festival packages directly to blues enthusiasts and resort vacationers seeking a captive, climate-controlled festival experience.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLas Vegas, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Big Blues Bender does
Big Blues Bender, operated by Bender Presents, is a Las Vegas-based non-profit organization that has produced an annual four-day blues music festival since 2014. The organization hosts its flagship event at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, where five stages run continuously over four days and nights within a single four-star resort property. The festival targets dedicated blues music enthusiasts and resort vacation seekers who purchase all-inclusive vacation packages bundling four nights of on-site hotel lodging with full music access, replacing the discomforts of outdoor festivals (port-a-potties, weather exposure, distant accommodations) with an elevator-accessible resort experience marketed as 'Everything, An Elevator Ride Away!'.
The company's product portfolio centers on tiered festival-lodging packages spanning ten accommodation categories — from Signature Room and Luxe Room through Studio Suite, Lanai Suite, North 1 Bedroom Suite, Poolside Lanai Suite, 1 Bedroom Villa, Park Suite, Napa Suite, and Single Occupancy — supplemented by a music-only 4-Day Wristband for attendees who arrange their own lodging. A separate add-on revenue stream includes the VIP Upgrade (premium stage-front seating), the Big Daddy Baller Upgrade (exclusive Baller area, unlimited premium beverages, daily meals, concierge, and massages), unlimited beverage wristbands ($294 premium / $78 soda-water), Bender Extender nights (from $129/night), and the HART PARTY pre-event ($55). Distribution is direct-to-consumer exclusively through bigbluesbender.com with an integrated Rezmagic reservation system, and the company maintains a small 1-10 employee footprint consistent with its founder-owned, non-VC-backed status.
The 2026 (13th annual) edition is scheduled for September 10-13, 2026 and is currently sold out with a cancellation waitlist. The 2026 lineup features 40+ artists including Bonnie Raitt, TajMo, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Tab Benoit, Booker T. Jones, and 2026 International Blues Challenge winners Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers and Weary Ramblers. Venue partnerships have evolved over time — from Riviera Hotel (2014), The Plaza (2015-2018), Hard Rock Hotel (2019), a virtual pivot for 2020 ('Homebound Bender'), and consolidated at Westgate Las Vegas since 2021 — with the current Westgate relationship designated as the flagship venue enabling the all-inclusive resort festival concept.
Big Blues Bender firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Big Blues Bender
- Legal name
- Bender Presents
- Website
- https://bigbluesbender.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Big Blues Bender operates an annual four-day blues music festival at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, selling all-inclusive lodging and festival packages directly to blues enthusiasts and resort vacationers seeking a captive, climate-controlled festival experience.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Big Blues Bender industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Festival
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars (THAFAEAH)
Keywords
Where Big Blues Bender is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Las Vegas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Big Blues Bender business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Festival Package Sales: Primary revenue from all-inclusive vacation packages that bundle 4 nights of hotel lodging with 4-day music festival access across 5 stages. Packages available in multiple tiers from basic wristbands to luxury villa suites.
- Add-On Upgrades and Wristbands: Upsell revenue from premium add-ons including unlimited beverage wristbands (premium spirits $294/person, soda/water $78/person), VIP upgrades, Big Daddy Baller luxury upgrades, and Bender Extender hotel nights ($129+/night).
- HART PARTY Pre-Event: Additional revenue from HART PARTY add-on event at $55 per person, official pre-party event held before the main festival.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Unlimited Premium & Imports Wristband |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Unlimited Soda & Water Wristband |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Bender Extender |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | HART PARTY |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Big Daddy Baller Upgrade |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | VIP Upgrade |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Big Blues Bender product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Blues Bender produces an annual four-day blues music festival hosted at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, featuring 5 stages of world-class blues music. The organization sells all-inclusive packages that bundle four nights of on-site lodging with full festival access, plus optional add-ons such as premium beverage wristbands, VIP seating upgrades, and pre-party events.
Product overview
Big Blues Bender is an annual four-day blues music festival held at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, featuring 5 stages of world-class blues music with on-site lodging packages. The core product is the festival itself, offered through various accommodation packages (Signature Room, Luxe Room, Studio Suite, Lanai Suite, North 1 Bedroom Suite, Poolside Lanai Suite, 1 Bedroom Villa, Park Suite, Napa Suite, and Single Occupancy) that include 4 nights of on-site lodging and all music access. The 4-Day Wristband offers music-only access. Add-on products include the Big Daddy Baller Upgrade (premium seating and unlimited beverages), VIP Upgrade (stage-front seating), Unlimited Premium & Imports Wristband, Unlimited Soda & Water Wristband, Bender Extender (additional hotel nights), and HART PARTY! (pre-party event).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Big Blues Bender Festival Package
- Four-Day Wristband
- Big Daddy Baller Upgrade
- VIP Upgrade
- Unlimited Beverage Wristbands
- Bender Extender
- HART PARTY!
Quantifiable outcome
- Sold out event status
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Big Blues Bender
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Big Blues Bender technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Big Blues Bender partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Westgate Las Vegas Resort & CasinocorePrimary venue partnership for Big Blues Bender events. The Westgate Las Vegas serves as the host resort providing hotel accommodations, conference facilities, casino, dining, and entertainment venues across 5 stages. This is the flagship venue relationship enabling the all-inclusive resort festival concept.
- StarVistaminorListed as a partner in the footer of the website. Appears to be associated with the Big Easy Cruise brand, suggesting potential cross-promotional or joint event marketing relationship.
- International Blues Challenge (IBC)coreFeatured partnership with IBC winners. Annual showcase of International Blues Challenge winning artists including 2026 IBC Winner Band (Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers) and 2026 IBC Winner Solo Duo (Weary Ramblers). Provides platform for emerging artists.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Big Blues Bender competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Telluride Blues & Brews Festival: Telluride Blues & Brews is an annual destination blues festival combining live music with craft beverage experiences in a resort-town setting, serving the same dedicated blues audience with a multi-day festival format comparable to Big Blues Bender.
- Monterey Blues Festival: The Monterey Blues Festival is a long-running annual blues festival offering multi-stage programming over several days, comparable to Big Blues Bender in scale, genre focus, and dedicated blues audience.
- The Blues Cruise: The Blues Cruise is a chartered music vacation cruise featuring multiple stages of live blues across several days, closely matching Big Blues Bender's all-inclusive lodging-plus-music format for the dedicated blues enthusiast segment.
- Byron Bay Bluesfest: Byron Bay Bluesfest is one of the largest annual blues festivals in the Southern Hemisphere, a multi-day destination event featuring top blues and roots artists—directly comparable to Big Blues Bender in format and genre curation at a larger international scale.
- Beale Street Music Festival: Beale Street Music Festival is an annual Memphis destination music festival with strong blues and roots programming, sharing Big Blues Bender's blues-centric multi-stage festival format and dedicated blues audience.
- Chicago Blues Festival: The Chicago Blues Festival is one of the largest free blues festivals in the world, a multi-stage annual event held in Grant Park, sharing Big Blues Bender's blues-genre focus and multi-stage multi-day format.
- Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise: The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise is a blues-themed music vacation at sea offering multi-night packages that bundle performances with lodging, dining, and amenities—directly mirroring Big Blues Bender's all-inclusive destination festival model with similar genre focus and package-based pricing.
Broad incumbents
- Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival: Bonnaroo is a major multi-stage destination music festival combining on-site camping/lodging with multi-genre programming over four days, broadly comparable to Big Blues Bender's all-inclusive multi-stage format but at significantly larger scale and broader genre.
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival: Jazz Fest is a major destination music festival combining multiple stages with cultural programming over multiple weekends, comparable to Big Blues Bender's resort-tied multi-stage format but at much larger scale and broader genre scope.
Others
- The Blues Foundation: The Blues Foundation is a non-profit that organizes the International Blues Challenge (a featured Big Blues Bender partner) and supports the blues music ecosystem; comparable as a fellow blues-focused non-profit and key pipeline for emerging blues artists featured at the Bender.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Big Blues Bender social profiles
Digital presenceBig Blues Bender financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Big Blues Bender leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Big Blues Bender funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Big Blues Bender M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Big Blues Bender
What does Big Blues Bender do?
Big Blues Bender produces an annual four-day blues music festival hosted at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, featuring 5 stages of world-class blues music. The organization sells all-inclusive packages that bundle four nights of on-site lodging with full festival access, plus optional add-ons such as premium beverage wristbands, VIP seating upgrades, and pre-party events.
Is Big Blues Bender a public or private company?
Big Blues Bender is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Big Blues Bender founded?
Big Blues Bender was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Big Blues Bender based?
Big Blues Bender is headquartered in Las Vegas, United States, in the North America region.
How does Big Blues Bender make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Festival Package Sales are the primary driver. The others are add-On Upgrades and Wristbands and HART PARTY Pre-Event.
Who are Big Blues Bender's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, Monterey Blues Festival, The Blues Cruise, Byron Bay Bluesfest, Beale Street Music Festival, Chicago Blues Festival and Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Broad incumbents are Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The Blues Foundation is listed as an others.
Does Big Blues Bender have an API?
No public API is recorded for Big Blues Bender.
What industry is Big Blues Bender in?
Big Blues Bender's product category is Music Festival. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAH, Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 7900.