Fort Langley Jazz Festival

The Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival in July is one of Metro Vancouver’s best music festivals. Some of its events are free and others are ticketed.

This is one of our favourite festivals of the year. We can’t recommend it enough. The festival returns in 2026 and runs from July 23rd to 26th with the Cool Blues Show running on July 24th and 25th.

Click the links below to jump to information about specific topics, visit fortlangleyjazzfest.com for the festival’s official website, or continue reading to learn all about the festival.

This article contains the following information about the festival:

The Fort Langley Jazz Festival

In 2026 the Fort Langley Jazz Festival runs from Thursday, July 23rd until Sunday, July 26th. At the festival, there are both indoor and outdoor venues with free and ticketed shows. As many as 20,000 people attend over the four days of the event.

Click Fort Langley Jazz for the festival’s official website.

Fort Langley Jazz Festival

Where and When

The Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival takes place in the heart of Fort Langley. The main venue is usually the Community Hall which is located at 9167 Glover Road.

The community of Fort Langley itself is located on the Fraser River in the northern part of the Township of Langley on the opposite side of the river from Maple Ridge.

Not all details for the 2026 Fort Langley Jazz Festival have been announced. However, at the time of writing, the 2026 Cool Blues Show has been confirmed and takes place on Friday, July 24th, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, and on Saturday, 25th July, from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

The Cool Blues Show is a ticketed event with live music, a beer garden, food trucks, and, new for 2026, a wine tasting. The festival has free live music outdoors on Saturday and Sunday. There are two stages in front of the Community Hall, with vendors and other activities nearby.

Last year, another event was the Cuban Jazz Dance Party Fundraiser at the Community Hall. It happened on May 30th 2025, so a couple of months before the actual festival. The early fundraiser helped support the rest of the festival in the summer. Hopefully, another fundraiser like this will happen in 2026, but it is yet to be confirmed.

Continue reading to learn more about the festival’s ticketed and free events.

Fort Langley Jazz with Christine Jensen

Free and Ticketed Festival Events

Full details for 2026’s events are not yet confirmed. Below is the schedule for 2025’s festival. Some events were free, and others were ticketed.

Go to the Fort Langley Jazz website for the most up-to-date details and to buy tickets.

Pre-Festival Events

Prior to the festival on the last weekend in July, there are usually a few events in spring and summer to help people warm up and get ready for the main events. In 2025, there was a Cuban Jazz Dance Party event in May, as well as the Youth Concert Series Showcase on a couple of Sundays in July. See below for details about each of these.

Cuban Jazz Dance Party

The Cuban Jazz Dance Party event happened at the Fort Langley Community Hall on Friday, May 30th, 2025. The event ran from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm and featured a silent auction, salsa dance lessons, and live music by Julio Avila Cuban Band. All proceeds from the auction helped support the upcoming July festival. Admission to the event cost about $40 per person.

Visit the Fort Langley Jazz Festival website for more information about this event.

Youth Concert Series Showcase

In 2025 there was the Youth Concert Series Showcase which led up to the festival. It ran on the Sundays of July 13th and 20th outside the Fort Langley CNR Station. On the weekend of the festival, there were more performances featuring youth bands too.

Click Youth Concert Series Showcase to learn more.

Members of the Fort Langley RazzMaJazz Ensemble

Big Band Concert and Swing Dance

One of the ticketed events this past year was a pair of big-band jazz concerts with the Vancouver Legacy Jazz Orchestra. The performances took place from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm and from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm on Thursday, July 24th, 2025. It was held in the ballroom of the Fort Langley Community Hall. Tickets cost about $25 for the afternoon session and $35 for the evening session.

From 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (before the evening concert), there was a swing dance lesson in the ballroom for an extra $10. Special guest Tom Arntzen also performed with the orchestra in the second performance.

Visit the Fort Langley Jazz Festival website to learn more about this event.

Fort Langley Jazz Festival

Cool Blues Show

There are also ticketed concerts at Fort Langley Community Park, located at 9089 Nash Street. It’s just a block or two from the Fort Langley Cemetery and St. Andrew’s Church.

In 2026, the Cool Blues Show happens on Friday, July 24th, and Saturday, July 25th, from 7:00 pm until 10:00 pm and 4:00 pm until 10:00 pm respectively. At the park, there are multiple concerts with Blues & Roots music. There are also food trucks, a beer garden and an artisan market.

In 2026, eight bands are performing over the two-day event. The first headliner announced for this year is Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar. Other bands include Blackburn Brothers, Big Dave McLean, and Them Ordinary Things.

Single-day admission starts at $75 for guests ages 12+. Those under the age of 12 enter for free. Regular admission becomes more costly as the event date approaches.

See the official Cool Blues Show page for more details.

A Tribute to Aretha Franklin

On Saturday, July 26th, 2025, there was a ticketed concert at the Fort Langley Community Hall. It took place in the venue’s ballroom from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. The show was a tribute to the legendary Aretha Franklin.

The Siobhan Walsh Group performed, and tickets cost $50 per person. There was limited seating at the venue, and concert-goers were advised to purchase tickets early.

See the Fort Langley Jazz Festival website to learn more about Aretha Franklin’s Legendary Music event.

Jazz AWE

The closing show of the 2025 Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival took place on Sunday, July 27th. It was a Jazz Alternative Workshop Experience (Jazz AWE) featuring Darlene Cooper.

The show was a musical edition of a Sunday church experience. It was held at St. Andrews Chapel at 9025 Glover Road. Admission was by donation, and advanced registration was required.

Click Jazz AWE for more information about this event.

Festival Art Zone

On the weekend of July 26th and 27th, 2025, there was also an Art & Culture Zone. It was a combination of the Kidz Zone and the Art Zone from past festivals in a single area. It featured face painting, various art workshops for all ages, Indigenous cultural demonstrations, and more. The weekend also offered an Art Market along Mary Street, with beautiful art to see and buy.

In 2025, the workshops were free. There was an Acrylic Painting Workshop with Eric Holz from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. There was also a Mehndi Workshop with Baljeet Kaur from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Click Fort Langley Jazz for the festival’s official website.

Jazz Festival Crowds in Fort Langley

Free Concerts on the Weekend

There were free outdoor performances in front of the Fort Langley Community Hall on Saturday and Sunday, July 26th and 27th, in 2025.

There were three stages at last year’s event. The Conwest Main Stage featured the festival’s headlining acts. In between those performances, local and Indigenous artists performed on the Art & Culture Stage, and up-and-coming artists performed on the Youth Stage.

The schedules for two of the 2025 stages are listed below for an idea of what to expect in 2026.

Conwest Main Stage Schedule

Saturday, July 26th, 2025

11:00 am – Andrea Superstein
12:15 pm – Material Culture Project
1:15 pm – Monica Siu
2:15 pm – John Nicholson Quintet
3:15 pm – Last Ark Out

Sunday, July 27th, 2025

10:00 am – M. Jimenez & Lara Wong
11:00 am – Blues Kazam
12:00 pm – John Bentley Quartet
1:00 pm – Eva van Gunsteren Quintet
2:00 pm – Julio Avila Cuban Sextet
3:00 pm – Feelin’ Alright: A Tribute to Joe Cocker

Click Fort Langley Jazz for the festival’s official website.

Noxious Obs Society Band at Fort Langley Station — Noxious Obs Society at the CNR Station

Youth Stage Schedule

Saturday, July 26th, 2025

12:30 pm – Sadie Koshan (the Post-Secondary Rising Jazz Star Winner)
1:45 pm – Banter Quartet
3:15 pm – 538st

Sunday, July 27th, 2025

12:30 pm – Jose Guilles (the Secondary School Rising Jazz Star Winner)
1:45 pm – J Plays J: The Music of John Scofield
3:15 pm – The Cowboy Bebop Bebop Band

In addition to the above, there was also the Mardi Gras Strolling Parade on Saturday, from 9:00 am until 10:00 am in 2025. It started from the site of the Fort Langley Farmers Market at St. Andrew’s United Church and made its way down Glover Road to the Community Hall. Participating in the parade each year was the RazzMaJazz Ensemble.

Click Fort Langley Jazz for the festival’s official website.

Jazz Musicians Outside Fort Langley Train Station — Mardi Gras Parade Outside the Station Museum

History of the Jazz Festival

The Fort Langley Jazz Festival is a fabulous event. It’s fun, family-friendly and affordable, and it takes place in a beautiful setting. It also features amazing Jazz musicians and concerts.

Since its founding in 2018, the festival has been held as a live event in its first two years and as a primarily virtual event in 2020. In 2021, it ran as a hybrid festival with a mix of pre-recorded, live-streamed and in-person concerts and events. Since 2022, the festival has been fully back with lots of in-person activities each year.

Click Fort Langley Jazz for the festival’s official website.

Jazz Festival Video

Check out the following video, featuring the sights and sounds of the festival from a past year, to give you an idea of what to expect. As you’ll see, there is lots of live music, art displays, and food to enjoy.

Featured in the video are Mike Vaneyes (in the distance), Blues Hoodoo, the local Rotary Club (at the pancake breakfast), and the Conga Cartel.

Tips & Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your Fort Langley Jazz Festival experience.

TIP #1: You can park for free on various streets in the town of Fort Langley. Go early, though, to improve your chances of finding a spot that doesn’t require you to walk too far. Parking is also available at 8870 Glover Road (in the parking lot of the Fort Langley Evangelical Free Church) and at 9095 Glover Road (at Living Waters Church).

TIP #2: Take your own blanket or chair to sit on.

TIP #3: If it’s a sunny day, don’t forget to take a hat and sunscreen. Bottled water is a good idea, too.

TIP #4: Don’t spend all your time at the main stages in front of the Community Hall. Walk around and explore the area and all the activities on offer.

TIP #5: Dogs are allowed at the festival as long as they are on a leash. You are also welcome to bring your own food. There are food trucks, though, so you can buy your meals and snacks on-site or around town, too.

TIP #6: The festival venue is smoke-free. That extends to vaping and other products legalised in Canada.

TIP #7: While you’re in the area, consider visiting the Fort Langley National Historic Site. It’s a very interesting place.

TIP #8: Instead of travelling back and forth to the festival each day, consider staying at the Fort Camping campground at Brae Island Regional Park. An alternative experience is renting oTENTiks at the Fort Langley Historic Site.

Click Fort Langley Jazz for the festival’s official website.