Fort Langley Jazz Festival

The Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival is a music festival in the summer each year. Some of its events are free and others are ticketed.

This is one of our favourite festivals of the year and highly recommended. In 2024 the festival runs from July 25th to 28th with the amazing Cool Blues Show happening on the 26th. Headliner artists for that include Tom Lavin & the Legendary Powder Blues Band, Silent Partners, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, and Miss Emily.

Click the following links for information about the various topic events, visit fortlangleyjazzfest.com for the festival’s official website, or continue reading to learn all about the festival in 2024.

A Tribute to Duke Ellington with the Fred Stride Jazz Orchestra (on Thursday, July 25th, 2024)
Cool Blues Show (on Friday, July 26th, 2024)
Blues Brothers Revue Show & Dance (on Saturday, July 27th, 2024)
Youth Concert Series (on Sunday afternoons from May 26th to July 14th, 2024)
2024 Free Festival Lineup & Events (on July 27th & 28th, 2024)
JAZZ AWE Workshop (July 28th, 2024)

This article contains the following information about the festival:

The Fort Langley Jazz Festival

In 2024 the Fort Langley Jazz Festival runs from Thursday, July 25th, until Sunday, July 28th. There are both indoor and outdoor venues with free and ticketed shows. As many as 20,000 people usually attend over the course of the festival.

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

Where and When

The Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival takes place in the heart of Fort Langley. This year’s main venue is 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.

The first event of 2024 was the Tribute to Motown and More at the Community Hall. It happened on May 3rd, so a couple of months before the actual festival. It’s an early fundraiser that helps support the rest of the festival in the summer.

The Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival in 2024 runs from July 25th to 28th. On the second day (July 26th), there’s the Cool Blues Show at Fort Langley Community Park. It’s a ticketed event with live music, food trucks, a beer garden and more.

The festival has free live music outdoors throughout the Saturday and Sunday. There are two stages in front of the Community Hall, in addition to vendors and other activities nearby.

Free & Ticketed Festival Events

Below is information about the festival’s various events taking place in 2024. Some are free and others are ticketed.

Pre-Festival Events

Prior to the actual festival on the last weekend in July, there are a few events earlier in the spring and summer to help people get warmed up and ready for the main events. There is a Tribute to Motown and More event in May as well as the Youth Concert Series Showcase on Sundays between late May and the middle of July. See below for details about each of these.

Tribute to Motown & More

In 2024 the Tribute to Motown and More event happened at the Fort Langley Community Hall on Friday, May 3rd. The event ran from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm and featured a silent auction and live music by Big City Soul. All proceeds from the auction helped support the festival. Admission to the event cost about $35 per person.

For more information, visit the Fort Langley Jazz Festival website.

Youth Concert Series Showcase

In 2024 there’s the Youth Concert Series Showcase leading up to the festival. It runs on Sundays between May 26th and July 14th outside the Fort Langley CNR Station. On the weekend of the festival, there are two stages with free live music outside the Fort Langley Community Hall.

To learn more, click Youth Concert Series Showcase.

A Tribute to Duke Ellington

On Thursday, July 25th in 2024, there’s another ticketed concert at the Fort Langley Community Hall. It takes place in the venue’s ballroom from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The show is a tribute to the legendary Duke Ellington.

Music is performed by the Fred Stride Jazz Orchestra and tickets cost $25 per person. There’s limited seating at the venue so make sure to get tickets early if you want to go!

To learn more about the event, see the Fort Langley Jazz Festival website.

Cool Blues Show

There are also ticketed concerts at the 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.

Last year, the Cool Blues Show happened over two days. In 2024 it’s just a one-day event on Friday, July 26th. At the park are back-to-back concerts with Blues & Roots music. There are also food trucks, a beer garden and an artisan market.

Headlining acts in 2024 include Rick Estrin and The Nightcats, Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues Band, Miss Emily, Silent Partners, and Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne.

Admission to the Cool Blues Show costs $65 for adults (ages 19+) and $30 for youth. Kids ages 12 and under enter for free when attending with a paying adult.

For more details, see the official Cool Blues Show page.

Jake & Elwood’s Blues Brothers Revue

One more ticketed event is for fans of the Blues Brothers. It’s a night of dancing and live music by Jake and Elwood’s Blues Brothers Revue. The tribute concert takes place from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm on Saturday, July 27th, 2024. It’s held in the ballroom of the Fort Langley Community Hall. Tickets cost about $40 each.

Those in attendance are encouraged to dress up in their best Blues Brothers-inspired attire as everyone gets their photo taken for free in a photobooth.

To learn more about the event, visit the Fort Langley Jazz Festival website.

Festival Art Zone

On the weekend of July 27th and 28th, there’s also a Kidz Zone featuring face painting, a colouring contest, origami art and other activities. The weekend also offers an Art Market along Mary Street, with beautiful art to see and buy.

There are free art workshops for all to enjoy. Advanced registration is required for each. The first workshop is the Summer Florals Watercolour Workshop with Julie Yep. It runs on the Saturday from noon until 1:00 pm. Then, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm, the same artist hosts a Polaroid Landscapes in Watercolour workshop.

On both the Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm, there are one-hour Mehndi (Henna Art) workshops with Baljeet Kaur. After practicing on paper, participants get the opportunity to apply their designs onto their own hands. Sichen Grace Chen also hosts Metallic Object (Acrylic) workshops on the Sunday from noon to 1:00 pm and from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. Participants get to learn how to paint metallic objects.

Another art-related activity at the festival is the Opus Outdoor Painting Challenge. It’s a chance for artists to paint a new piece and have their work put on display. Festival attendees then vote for their favourite pieces. Prizes are available for the winners.

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

2024 Free Concerts on the Weekend

There are free outdoor performances in front of the Fort Langley Community Hall on the Saturday and Sunday of July 27th and 28th.

There are two stages at the 2024 event. The Conwest Main Stage features the headlining acts of the free festival. In between those performances, there are also young and Indigenous artists performing on the Rising Spirit Stage. Schedules for both stages are below.

Conwest Main Stage Schedule

Saturday, July 27th, 2024

11:00 am – Ensemble Gergana
12:15 pm – Hutchinson Andrew Trio (HAT)
1:30 pm – Hilario Duran Trio
3:00 pm – Dino and The Sound of Soul

Sunday, July 28th, 2024

11:00 am – Maureen Washington Quartet
12:30 pm – South Van Big Band
1:45 pm – John Korsrud
3:00 pm – Wild Blue Herons with Horns

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

Rising Spirit Stage Schedule

Saturday, July 27th, 2024

11:45 am – Jaiden Christie (the Secondary School Rising Jazz Star Winner)
1:00 pm – Norine Braun
2:15 pm – Hayley Wallis

Sunday, July 28th, 2024

12:00 pm – Steven Rutherford (the Post-Secondary Rising Jazz Star Winner)
1:15 pm – James Vickers Band
2:30 pm – Pat Calihou

In addition to the above, there’s also the Mardi Gras Strolling Parade on the Saturday, from 9:30 am until 10:00 am. It goes from the site of the Fort Langley Farmers Market at St. Andrew’s United Church and makes its way down Glover Road to the Community Hall. Participating in the parade in 2024 is the RazzMaJazz Ensemble.

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

JAZZ AWE Concert

Closing the festival is the JAZZ AWE Concert at the United Church at 9025 Glover Road. The event features live music mixed with a Sunday church experience. It begins at 4:30 pm on Sunday, July 28th, with performances by the Maureen Washington Quartet. Tickets for this event are available online by donation. The event is an “Alternative Worship Experience (AWE)”.

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

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 beginning in 2018, the festival took place as a live event in its first two years and then 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 back with lots of in-person activities each year.

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

Jazz Festival Video

To give you an idea of what to expect, check out the following video that features the sights and sounds of the festival from a past year. As you’ll see, there is lots of live music as well as 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 by the main stages in front of the Community Hall. Walk around and explore the area and all the activities on offer.

TIP #5: So long as they’re 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 #6: The festival venue is a smoke-free environment. That extends to vaping as well as other products recently legalized in Canada.

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