The Vancouver International Jazz Festival offers numerous FREE concerts in downtown Vancouver, on Granville Island, in Yaletown and on the North Shore.
Free Jazz concerts take place at the venues listed below on various days between around the third week of June and Canada Day most years. In 2024, the festival runs from June 21st until June 30th (so ending one day before Canada Day).
For the festival’s official website, visit coastaljazz.ca.
This article contains information about the following 2024 venues:
Georgia Street Stage | Granville Island Locations
Venues with free concerts in previous years included the following:
Tom Lee Music Hall | The Western Front | North Shore | Robson Street
Click on any of the above links to jump to a specific location, or continue reading to learn about all the different concerts across Vancouver in 2024. Or, for a list of this year’s free concerts organized by date, click Jazz Festival Music Lineup.
Vancouver’s Free Jazz Venues
The Vancouver International Jazz Festival takes place from June 21st to June 30th in 2024.
Below you’ll find a list of free performances taking place in 2024 (organized by location). To see a list of free concerts sorted by date, see the Jazz Music Lineup.
For more information on the festival in general, see the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Note: Concert dates, times, performers and other details are subject to change.
Georgia Street Stage
Location: In the north plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery at the corner of Georgia Street and Hornby.
Note: Since 2018, the plaza’s official name is šx????n?q Xwtl’e7énk Square (where the Indigenous word is pronounced, very approximately, Hootlacken). šx????n?q Xwtl’e7én is used in the local Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish First Nations’ cultures for places where important cultural gatherings like weddings and funerals take place. Shows in 2024 are listed below.
- The Jason Winikoff Hot 5 – June 22nd, 2024 (12:30 pm).
- Parlour Panther – June 22nd, 2024 (2:15 pm).
- Itamar Erez Quartet – June 22nd, 2024 (3:45 pm).
- Juana Molina – June 22nd, 2024 (5:30 pm).
- Kassa Overall – June 22nd, 2024 (7:30 pm).
- The Peggy Lee Band – June 23rd, 2024 (12:30 pm).
- Blue Moon Marquee – June 23rd, 2024 (2:15 pm).
- George – June 23rd, 2024 (3:45 pm).
- Y La Bamba – June 23rd, 2024 (5:30 pm).
- Odario – June 23rd, 2024 (7:30 pm).
Granville Island Locations
Free Jazz concerts take place most days on Granville Island during the 2024 Vancouver International Jazz Festival at a few locations. There are three different stages with free music on select days this year.
Ocean Art Works Stage Concerts
An outdoor pavilion with a roof overhead, Ocean Art Works is located at 1531 Johnston Street on Granville Island. The location made its festival debut in 2021 and has quickly become a much-used venue. Shows that are free to attend at the venue this year are listed below.
- DJ Paisley Eva – June 21st, 2024 (10:30 pm).
- Biboye Onanuga Quartet – June 22nd, 2024 (4:00 pm).
- Odario Williams Afterdark – June 22nd, 2024 (10:30 pm).
- Sister Jazz Quintet – June 23rd, 2024 (4:00 pm).
- Odario Williams Afterdark – June 23rd, 2024 (10:30 pm).
- Cat Toren / John Korsrud Quintet – June 26th, 2024 (4:00 pm).
- Sam Wilson Trio – June 27th, 2024 (4:00 pm).
- Taras Luka Sextet – June 28th, 2024 (4:00 pm).
- DJ O Show – June 28th, 2024 (10:30 pm).
- Chris Gestrin Celebrates Shirley Scott – June 29th, 2024 (4:00 pm).
- DJ O Show – June 29th, 2024 (10:30 pm).
- Sharon Minemoto Quartet – June 30th, 2024 (4:00 pm).
- DJ O Show – June 30th, 2024 (10:30 pm).
Performance Works Stage Concerts
Performance Works is located at 1218 Cartwright Street. It’s in the far southeast corner of Granville Island not far from Ron Basford Park. 2024 performers are listed below.
- Kjetil Mulelid Trio – June 26th, 2024 (2:00 pm).
- Konrad Agnas Rite of Passage – June 27th, 2024 (2:00 pm).
- Raagaverse – June 28th, 2024 (2:00 pm).
Revue Stage Concerts
Located at 1601 Johnston Street, the Revue Stage features free shows from June 28th to 30th in 2024. This year’s performers are listed below.
- Brian Horswill, Karlis Silins, Gard Nilsson – June 28th, 2024 (11:00 pm).
- Sakina Abdou, Shahzad Ismaily & Dan Gaucher – June 29th, 2024 (11:30 pm).
- Earth Ball – June 30th, 2024 (11:30 pm).
For the festival’s official website, visit coastaljazz.ca.
Tom Lee Music Hall
(Note: Details about free performances at this venue in 2024 are to be confirmed.)
Located at 728 Granville Street, the Tom Lee Music Hall was unique in that the events that took place during the Jazz Festival were different workshops rather than proper concerts. The workshops ran from June 26th to 30th last year and featured the following artists:
- Alvaro Rojas – June 26th, 2023 (1:00 pm).
- David Blake – June 27th, 2023 (1:00 pm).
- Meredith Bates – June 29th, 2023 (1:00 pm).
- Jessica Ackerley – June 30th, 2023 (1:00 pm).
The Western Front
(Note: Details about free performances at this venue in 2024 are to be confirmed.)
The Western Front is located at 303 East 8th Avenue. Free workshops scheduled for this venue last year included the following artists from June 27th to 30th:
- Sona Jobarteh – June 27th, 2023 (3:00 pm).
- Farida Amadou & Zoh Amba – June 28th, 2023 (3:00 pm).
- Pura Fe & Jesse Zubot – June 29th, 2023 (3:00 pm).
- Raven Chacon, John Dieterich & Marshall Trammell – June 30th, 2023 (3:00 pm).
For full details about the festival, see the Coastal Jazz website.
North Shore Jazz Concerts
In 2023 there were free Jazz concerts at the Public Library in West Vancouver, outdoors at the City of North Vancouver’s Civic Plaza, the Shipyards in Lonsdale, and at Lynn Valley Village in the District of North Vancouver. There were also free shows at Capilano University.
West Vancouver Memorial Library
(Note: Details about free performances at this venue in 2024 are to be confirmed.)
Location: 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver.
- Charly Lowry – June 23rd, 2023 (7:00 pm).
North Vancouver Civic Plaza
(Note: Details about free performances at this venue in 2024 are to be confirmed.)
Location: Outdoors at the North Vancouver Civic Plaza at 141 West 14th Street
- Nazih Borish and Joutou/Silk Road – June 24th, 2023 (1:00 pm).
- Krystle Dos Santos – July 2nd, 2023 (1:00 pm).
Lynn Valley Village
(Note: Details about free performances at this venue in 2024 are to be confirmed.)
Location: 1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver.
- Steelin’ in the Years – June 25th, 2023 (1:00 pm).
For tickets and full details about the festival, see the Coastal Jazz website.
The Shipyards
(Note: Details about free performances at this venue in 2024 are to be confirmed.)
Location: 125 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver.
- Scott Smith & The Evil Ways – July 2nd, 2023 (7:00 pm).
BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts
(Note: Details about free performances at this venue in 2024 are to be confirmed.)
Location: BlueShore is on the Capilano University campus at 2055 Purcell Way.
- Molly Johnson – June 24th, 2023 (8:00 pm).
- Daniel Hersog Jazz Orchestra featuring Noah Preminger and Scott Robinson – June 26th, 2023 (8:00 pm).
- Sumrrá – June 27th, 2023 (8:00 pm).
For full details about the festival, see the Coastal Jazz website.
Robson Street Sounds of Youth Stage
(Note: Details about free performances at this venue in 2024 are to be confirmed.)
Location: Outside the Vancouver Art Gallery at the corner of Robson Street and Howe.
- Magee Senior Secondary Jazz Ensemble – June 24th, 2023 (12:00 pm).
- Holy Cross Senior Jazz Ensemble – June 24th, 2023 (1:15 pm).
- Lord Tweedsmuir Senior Jazz Ensemble – June 24th, 2023 (2:30 pm).
- École Salish Senior Jazz Ensemble – June 24th, 2023 (3:45 pm).
- Semiahmoo Grade 11 Jazz Ensemble – June 24th, 2023 (5:00 pm).
- Gleneagle Senior Jazz Ensemble – June 25th, 2023 (12:00 pm).
- Robert Bateman Senior Jazz Ensemble –June 25th, 2023 (1:15 pm).
- Gladstone Senior Jazz Ensemble – June 25th, 2023 (2:30 pm).
- White Rock Christian Senior Jazz Ensemble – June 25th, 2023 (3:45 pm).
- Langley Fine Arts Jazz Ensemble – June 25th, 2023 (5:00 pm).
JAZZ IN FORT LANGLEY
Another awesome music festival is the Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival. In 2023 it took place from July 20th to 23rd. Artists at the festival included the Ruthie Foster Band, The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer, My Son the Hurricane, Five Alarm Funk, Crystal Shawanda, and other bands. In 2024 the festival in Fort Langley returns on the weekend of July 26th to 28th.
If you like Jazz, you’ll definitely want to check out this festival. It’s always impressive!
Other Information
Both free and ticketed concerts take place at other venues too. For the complete list of concerts and performance venues, especially for ticketed shows, see the Vancouver Jazz Festival website.
The list above, for convenience, is listed by venue. For a list of free concerts in chronological order, see Jazz Music Lineup.
For a list of other free concerts in the Lower Mainland, click Free Summer Concerts.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Festivals & Events Calendar
- Vancouver Summer Activities
- June Events Calendar
- July Events Calendar
- Vancouver Shows & Entertainment
