Canadian Destinations

Jazz festivals taking place coast to coast

Planning to do some travelling in Canada this year? If you are a jazz fan you might want to tailor your touring plans to take in a festival or two. There are jazz festivals scheduled across the country from early spring into the fall, and most major cities have one. They range from the mammoth Festival International de Jazz de Montreal which in 2001 attracted 1.7 million visitors, to modest events is smaller communities.

Following is a calendar of most of the Canadian jazz festivals being put on this year. Other communities which have staged ongoing jazz festivals in the past include Oakville, Ontario, St. John, New Brunswick and Orillia, Ontario, which has had a festival in October, but no information for 2002 was available when this calendar was compiled. Most festivals have yet to determine their performer lineups. Check the listed websites for further information.

Canadian jazz festival calendar

July

Atlantic Jazz Festival
Halifax is the location of the Atlantic Jazz Festival, July 5 to July 13. The festival enters its 15th year with a line-up of jazz, avant garde, blues, world-beat, and urban-groove music from noon until 2 a.m. in bars and clubs throughout the city, with free performances in a tented venue in the heart of Halifax. Held in conjunction with the festival is the Creative Music Workshop, an intensive two-week event bringing emerging and professional musicians together with world-class improvisational artists. Information: www.jazzeast.com. Phone 800-567-5277.

Beaches International Jazz Festival
Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood bordering Lake Ontario is the home for this event, which began in 1989. And has attracted yearly crowds of more than 650,000. The 14th Annual Beaches International Jazz Festival, July 18 - 21, will feature a street festival as well as main stage concerts. Information: www.beachesjazz.com. Phone (416) 698-2152.

Ottawa International Jazz Festival.
The 2002 jazz festival in the nation’s capital takes place July 19 to 28. Information: www.ottawajazzfestival.com. Phone (613) 241-2633.

August

Kaslo Jazz Festival
The historic British Columbia mining town of Kaslo, on Kootenay Lake, surrounded by mountains, is home to an annual jazz festival. The 2002 festival will be held August 3 to 5. Main performances are held in Kaslo Bay Park. Information: www.netidea.com/~kaslojazz. Phone (250) 353-7538.

Markham Jazz Festival
The villages of Markham and Unionville, part of the Toronto metropolitan area, have hosted a summer jazz festival for the past several years. The 2002 edition takes place August 15 to 18. Information: www.jazzfest.markham.on.ca. Phone (905) 471-5299.

Rimouski Festi Jazz International
Each summer Rimouski, located on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec’s Gaspé region, is the site of Rimouski Festi Jazz International, billed as “the biggest of the smallest jazz festivals.” This year’s festival, the 17th, runs from August 29 to September 1. Information: www.festijazzrimouski.com.
September

Guelph Jazz Festival
The Guelph Jazz Festival, September 4 to 8, presents free or affordable performances of jazz and creative improvised music, alongside complementary arts and literature. Performances are held around downtown Guelph in squares, parks, restaurants, churches, the university and anywhere else they can fit a musician. Information: www.uoguelph.ca/~jazzfest/. Phone (519) 763-4952.

Pentastic Jazz Festival
The Climax Jazz Band, WOW, Cats ‘n’ Jammer, the Desperation Blues Band and the Wild Rose All Stars will be among the performers at the Pentastic 2002 jazz festival in Penticton, September 6 to 8. Performances will take place at six different venues. Information: www.pentasticjazz.com. Phone (250) 770-3494 or 1-800-663-1900 for tickets.

Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival
The Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick is Atlantic Canada’s biggest celebration of jazz and blues and the largest festival of its kind north of Boston and east of Montreal. This year’s edition of the festival, September 11 to 15, will feature more than 100 performances, workshops and appearances in twenty venues, all within easy walking distance. Information: www.harvestjazzblues.nb.ca. Phone 888-622-5837.

Pender Harbour Jazz Festival
The Pender Harbour Jazz Festival takes place each year during the third weekend of September in the community of Madeira Park on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. The sixth annual festival is September 20 to 22 and will feature concerts, entertainment in the resorts and pubs, and possibly a bree (foot) berry on which to travel venue-to-venue while enjoying a beautiful tour of the harbours and bays. Past events have attracted thousands of music fans from as far away as Alaska and California. Information: www.phjazz.ca.