The Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival is a music festival on the last weekend in July each year. Some of its events are free and others are ticketed.
Fort Langley Jazz Festival
Back for its second year, the event in 2019 was even bigger and better than ever. In its first year it was just a one-day event. In 2019 it ran for three days, featured multiple stages and showcased over two dozen performances. The event in 2020 will again be extensive.
Click Fort Langley Jazz for the festival’s official website.
Where and When
The Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival takes place at a number of venues in Fort Langley. The main venue is at the Community Hall which is located at 9167 Glover Road in the heart of the village. Other stages are scattered around the town. See further below for details.
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.
In 2019 the festival took place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of July 26th to 28th. In 2020 it’s scheduled to happen on the weekend of July 24th to 26th.
Jazz in the Fort
Concerts at the Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival take place on a couple of outdoor stages in front of the Fort Langley Community Hall as well as on a number of smaller stages at various locations throughout the village.
In addition to the live music performances, in 2019 there was also a Community Dance, a Kidz Zone and an “All That Jazz” art exhibit.
Most of the festival’s activities are free. Ticketed events in 2019 included the Blues Concert on the evening of July 26th, the Community Dance on the evening of July 27th and the Gospel & Soul Choir Concert on the 28th.
2019 Concerts and Venues
Live music performances take place at various venues around town during the festival. There is a ticketed event each evening and concerts on the lawn in front of the Community Hall on the Saturday and Sunday.
Other smaller venues featuring live music over the course of the weekend include the Bedford Plaza Stage, Fort Park Stage, CNR Stage and River Stage.
2019 Ticketed Events
The three ticketed events in 2019 were the following:
- All-Stars Blues Show – a night of Blues music hosted by Jim Byrnes and featuring the Mud Bay Blues Band, Steve Kozak Blues Band and a variety of other musicians including Harpdog Brown and Murray Porter. The show took place at the Fort Langley National Historic Site from 7 until 10 pm on Friday, July 26th.
- Frank Sinatra Big Band Swing Dance – a night of music for folk ages 19+ featuring Steve Maddock and the 10-member band Swing Aggregation indoors at the Fort Langley community Hall. Other vocalists at the event included Tom Arntzen and Theresa Riley. Dance lessons ran from 7 until 8 pm and the dance went from 8 until 11 pm on Saturday, July 27th.
- Gospel Show – an evening of Gospel music with The Sojourners and the Marcus Mosely Chorale at Chief Sepass Theatre at 9096 Trattle Street from 7 until 10 pm on Sunday, July 28th.
Community Hall Outdoor Concerts
Free concerts took place on a couple of stages outside the Fort Langley Community Hall on the Saturday and Sunday in 2019. Performances included the following:
Saturday, July 27th, 2019
- 10:30 am – RazzMaJazz Ensemble
- 11:00 am – VSO Jazz Faculty Ensemble
- 12:00 pm – Wild Blue Herons
- 1:00 pm – Coco Jafro
- 2:00 pm – Deanna Knight & the Hot Club of Mars
- 3:00 pm – Mike Van Eyes Big Band
- 4:00 pm – Harpdog Brown & the Uptown Blues Band
- 5:00 pm – Jodi Proznick Quintet with Christine Jensen
Sunday, July 28th, 2019
- 10:00 am – Celso Machado
- 11:00 am – James Danderfer’s The Hummingbird Brigade
- 12:00 pm – Doc Fingers Band
- 1:00 pm – Maya Rae Band
- 2:00 pm – Julian Borkowski Quintet
- 3:00 pm – R&B Allstars
- 4:00 pm – Jen Hodge All Stars
- 5:00 pm – Jill Townsend Jazz Orchestra
Pop-Up Stages
Live music also took place on a number of smaller stages around the village in 2019. Crowds at these venues were generally small, but the music was all very good.
Bedford Plaza Stage
The Bedford Plaza Stage was located by the Lelem Cafe beside the river at 23285 Billy Brown Road. This venue seemed to attract the smallest crowds (at least when we were there). It was also the venue with the least shade (so fairly warm in the sun).
Performances on the Bedford Plaza Stage in 2019 included the following:
Saturday, July 27th, 2019
- 10:30 am – Ashley Pater Duo
- 1:30 pm – Tony Tavares & Ricky Escueta
- 3:30 pm – Lisa Dunn Trio
Sunday, July 28th, 2019
- 10:30 am – Max Holmes
- 1:30 pm – Noxious Obs Society Band
- 3:30 pm – Gibson & Gretch
Fort Park Stage
The Fort Park Stage was on the lawn by the Fort Langley National Historic Site‘s parking lot across the street from the Langley Centennial Museum. It was a pretty setting with shade under the trees.
Performances on this stage in 2019 included the following:
Saturday, July 27th, 2019
- 10:30 am – Pedro Moto
- 1:00 pm – Jazz Links
- 3:00 pm – Noxious Obs Society
- 3:30 pm – Russ Rosen
Sunday, July 28th, 2019
- 10:30 am – Ashley Pater Band
- 1:00 pm – Sandy Geddes Trio
- 3:30 pm – Will Clement Quartet
CNR Station Stage
The CNR Station Stage was in front of Fort Langley’s CNR Heritage Station located at 23240 Mavis Avenue.
In 2019 live music at this venue included the following:
Saturday, July 27th, 2019
- 10:30 am – Jeep Jazz Band
- 1:30 pm – Edan Stasiuk Trio
- 3:30 pm – Tony Tavares & Ricky Escueta
Sunday, July 28th, 2019
- 10:30 am – Edan Stasiuk Trio
- 12:00 pm – Noxious Obs Society
- 1:00 pm – Tony Tavares & Ricky Escueta
- 3:30 pm – Jessica Barbour
River Stage
The River Stage was by the water across the street from the Fort Pub & Grill. This last venue was set up as an outdoor patio beer garden which made it especially nice.
Performances here in 2019 included the following:
Saturday, July 27th, 2019
- 11:00 am – Ilhan Saferali Trio
- 1:00 pm – Max Holmes
- 5:30 pm – Al Foreman Duo
Sunday, July 28th, 2019
- 11:00 am – Nick Apivor’s Latin Flavours
- 1:30 pm – Ju Trio + One
In addition to the above, live music also took place at various times at other venues including at area pubs and restaurants.
Fort Langley Jazz Festival Activities
In addition to the various Jazz performances, other activities at the festival in 2019 included an All “That Jazz Art” Exhibit and a Kidz Zone area for children.
All “That Jazz Art” Exhibit
The All “That Jazz Art” exhibit featured a display of Jazz-themed paintings at the Fort Langley Community Hall between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm on the Saturday. Admission was free.
Note: If you missed the All “That Jazz Art” Exhibit at the festival you could see it later at the Aldergrove Kinsman Community Centre when the art was again on display between July 31st and September 17th.
The Festival Kidz Zone
As the name suggests, the Kidz Zone was an area with child-friendly activities. In the Kidz Zone there was a selection of workshops that involved music, crafts and other activities.
Some of the workshops in 2019 included the following:
- Composers Corner (for preschoolers)
- Make a Musical Instrument Workshops
- Instrument Petting Zoo to Paint by Sound
- Indigenous Drum Making Demonstrations.
In the Kidz Zone there was also live entertainment, face painting and other activities at various times. It was a nice area for young families to hang out.
Tips and Advice
Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most out 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 – Go early and be sure of finding a good place to park. Then kill time by going for a walk along the river and then find a cafe, enjoy a coffee and relax until show time.
TIP #3 – Take your own blanket or chair to sit on. Seating is available at the Saturday dance and Sunday’s Soul & Gospel Choir Concert, but not at the other events.
TIP #4 – If it’s a sunny day, don’t forget to take a hat, sunscreen and bottle of water.
TIP #5 – Don’t spend the whole time by the main stages in front of the Community Hall. Walk around and explore the area. Great bands play at the other venues too!
TIP #6 – So long as he or she is on a leash, dogs are permitted at the festival. 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 #7 – The festival venue is a smoke-free environment. That includes vaping as well as other products recently legalized in Canada.
TIP #8 – If you like Jazz, be sure to also check out the Vancouver Jazz Festival (in late June). A few Metro Vancouver churches also offer free Jazz performances on Sunday afternoons. Click Vancouver Jazz Vespers for details.
Other Information
For more information about the event see the Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival website.
To learn more about the area, see our articles about Fort Langley and the Fraser Valley.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Vancouver’s July and August Calendars
- Lower Mainland Festivals & Events
- Vancouver Shows and Entertainment
- Free Summer Outdoor Concerts
