Shania Twain headlines opening night of Ottawa Bluesfest

Canadian country superstar Shania Twain will headline opening night at Ottawa Bluesfest Thursday as the summertime festival kicks off its 'Summer of 23' edition.

Executive Director Mark Monahan previously told CTV News Ottawa that the "Queen of Country Pop" was booked for opening night because her show requires a few days of set-up time.

"It really needed to be at the front end of the festival in order to handle all of her production," Monahan said.

Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, Weezer, Death Cab for Cutie, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss along with rapper Pitbull are among the acts playing the main stage over the course of the festival which runs from Thursday, July 6 to Sunday, July 9 and from Wednesday, July 12 to Sunday, July 16.

Travel on OC Transpo is included in the price of tickets. The city says you can ride the bus, LRT or Para Transpo to and from the festival starting three hours before the event and up to two hours after the end of the event on the day your pass is valid.

There are concerns about whether the Pimisi LRT station can handle the large crowds after the station was closed for a few hours on Canada Day with police saying that "thecurrent design of Pimisi Station does not facilitate the efficient handling of substantial crowds."

"Bluesfest and Canada Day are very different events and require distinct event management strategies," officials said in a statement. "Bluesfest is a ticketed event, with an expected number of attendees. Canada Day crowd numbers are unpredictable and can swell to more than 100,000 people."

The city said Pimisi station is safe and will be fully operational for upcoming large events including Bluesfest, adding "OC Transpo and OPS have been planning and preparing for Bluesfest and will be monitoring the event closely and will make adjustments as required to ensure the safe flow of people to and from the event site."

Here's the full lineup: 

Thursday, July 6: Shania Twain, Lindsay Ell, bbno$, Dax, Son Little, John Németh, Brea Lawrenson, J.C; Melissa Lamm, Mikhail Laxton, Mimi O'Bonsawin.

Friday, July 7: Weezer, Thundercat, Billy Talent, PUP, Tank & The Bangas, Jupiter & Okwess, Southern Avenue, Digging Roots, Emily Jean Flack, Melo Griffith, The Jesse Greene Band.

Saturday, July 8: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, BADBADNOTGOOD, Blackie and The Rodeo Kings ft. Daniel Lanois and Suzie Vinnick, Raul Midón, Sugaray Rayford, The Texas Horns, Aspects, Nesrallah Artuso Project, Steven Taetz.

Sunday, July 9: Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara, Alan Doyle, Bran Van 3000, Moonlight Benjamin, Jack Barksdale, Youngtree & The Blooms, Guy Belanger, East Coast Experience, Emmanuelle Querry.

Wednesday, July 12: Foo Fighters, White Reaper, MONOWHALES, Black Joe Lewis, Lime Cordiale, My Son The Hurricane, River City Junction.

Thursday, July 13: Mumford & Sons, The War On Drugs, Declan McKenna, Sudan Archives, Cam Kahin, Lloyd Spiegel, Loviet, Amos The Transparent, Angelina Hunter Trio, Ash Ravens, Avery Raquel.

Friday, July 14: Charlotte Cardin, FLETCHER, Fleet Foxes, Allison Russell, Rich Aucoin, Sauce Boss, Sussex, Amanda Jordan, Pony Girl.

Saturday, July 15: Pitbull, Ludacris, Julia Jacklin, HOROJO Trio, TJ Wheeler, Abby Stewart, Drew Nelson, GRAE, Joe McDonald.

Sunday, July 16: The Smile, Koffee, Alvvays, Miss Emily, Eazy Finesse, Megan Jerome, Steph La Rochelle