The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is BC’s largest music festival. It attracts over a thousand artists and as many as half a million Jazz enthusiasts.

In 2024 the festival runs from June 21st to June 30th. It’s an amazing event that draws musicians and Jazz fans from around the world!

One of the headlining performers this year is Grammy Award-winning rapper Killer Mike on June 29th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Other headliners include Veronica Swift, Julian Lage, SUMAC and Moor Mother. (The artist’s profiles are featured in the above photo.)

For full details about the festival, see the Coastal Jazz website.

Vancouver Jazz Festival

In 2024 the Vancouver International Jazz Festival celebrates its 39th anniversary! The festival features a series of concerts and other events during the last couple of weeks in June. There are usually a couple of hundred concerts at two dozen or more venues over a 10-day period.

The Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs from June 21st until the Sunday of the Canada Day Long Weekend. A hub of the 2024 festival is Granville Island, where there will be lots of ticketed and free shows at the Revue Stage, Performance Works and other venues. There are also shows at other venues around Vancouver, including at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Other venues are normally clubs and restaurants as well as theatres, public plazas and parks in Vancouver and the North Shore. There are lots of free outdoor concerts every year. There are absolutely amazing ticketed indoor ones too! At this festival, you’ll see and hear some of the best of the best!

Ticketed Concerts

This year, one of the festival’s headliners is Killer Mike. The 2024 Grammy Award-winning artist performs at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday, June 29th. Ticket prices range from $69 to $99 each and the show begins at 7:30 pm.

Other headliners in 2024 include SUMAC with Moor Mother, Veronica Swift and Julian Lage. Poet and musician Moor Mother opens for the post-metal group SUMAC on June 21st at the Fortune Sound Club. At the Vancouver Playhouse, singer Veronica Swift performs on June 24th and Jazz guitarist Julian Lage plays on June 25th.

Artists and bands playing ticketed shows at Performance Works on Granville Island include Irreversible Entanglements on June 22nd, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis on June 23rd, and aja monet on June 26th. Lakecia Benjamin and Phoenix hit the stage on June 27th, followed by Ulysses Owens Jr’s Generation Y on June 28th and We All Break on June 29th. These are going to be amazing concerts! They all begin at 7:30 pm and tickets cost $37 per person.

For a list of free concerts see our article about the Jazz Concert Line-up.

For full details about the festival, see the Coastal Jazz website.

Free Jazz Concerts

In addition to the Jazz performances at bars, restaurants and night clubs throughout Metro Vancouver, there are also free concerts. Some take place outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, on Granville Island and at David Lam Park most years. They happen in other places too.

Arguably the biggest and most impressive free concerts are usually the ones at David Lam Park. Thousands of people turn out with their blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the music, market stalls and beer garden. It’s amazing!

The David Lam Park concerts are impressive, making them one of Vancouver’s best places to be on a sunny day. Also of considerable size are the free concerts outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on Georgia Street and Robson Street. Free concerts also happen on Granville Island on the Canada Day Long Weekend.

For a list of free concerts happening this year, see Jazz Concert Venues.

For full details about the festival, see the Coastal Jazz website.

Tips & Advice

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

TIP #1: If going to David Lam Park for the free concert, if it’s an especially hot day, you might want to take an umbrella as shade is at a premium. That said, there is conveniently lots of shade and covered areas at the beer garden.

TIP #2: David Lam Park is right on False Creek which is one of Vancouver’s best places to walk or cycle along. Consider going for a stroll or bike ride along the Seawall either before or after your time at the Jazz festival. Parking in the area will be at a premium, so parking further away and walking a bit is a great idea, unless you’re carrying lawn chairs and lots of picnic materials.

TIP #3: The free concerts at the festival are awesome! If you like Jazz though, you’ll also want to check out the ticketed events. Some pretty amazing musicians are in town and worth paying to see!

JAZZ FESTIVAL IN FORT LANGELY

The Vancouver International Jazz Festival isn’t the only festival of its kind in the Lower Mainland. The Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival is another exceptional event, although much smaller. The Fort Langley festival features both ticketed and free concerts as well as public art displays. It happens on July 26th to 28th in 2024. Check it out too!

If you like Jazz, you’ll want to attend both of these festivals! They are amazing!

About Coastal Jazz

The Coastal Jazz & Blues Society is the organization behind the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. The non-profit has been operating since 1985. Today, the organization is the biggest not-for-profit music presenter in British Columbia. The Vancouver International Jazz Festival, meanwhile, is one of the largest and most prestigious events of its kind in North America.

Fun Trivia Fact: The Vancouver International Jazz Festival was originally called the Pacific Jazz & Blues Festival.

Other Free Summer Music Venues

If you like outdoor live bands, other venues offering various genres of music at different times in the summer include the following:

• Friday evenings with music and other entertainment in July and August at North Vancouver’s Civic Plaza, Lynn Valley Village and Parkgate Plaza as part of that city’s Summer Concert Series.
• Friday evenings from early May until late September at the Shipyard Night Market in North Vancouver.
• Nightly in late August and early September at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE).
• Click Free Summer Concerts for a list of even more free music venues in July and August.

Coastal Jazz puts on other concerts and live music events at other times of the year too. For a list of what’s coming up, see the Coastal Jazz website.

Other Information

For a list of free concerts organized by location, see Jazz Festival Concert Venues.

For a chronological list of free concerts during the Jazz Festival, see Jazz Festival Concert Schedule.

To learn more about the festival, see the Coastal Jazz website.