The longest-running multi-day music festival on Vancouver Island, TD Victoria International JazzFest is back for its 36th year and gearing up for 10 packed days of musical performances.

TD Victoria International JazzFest 2019 will be taking place from Friday, June 21st to Sunday, June 30th. It is a celebration of jazz, blues, and world music featuring a diverse array of acclaimed Canadian and international musicians. Festivalgoers can also take part in educational jazz workshops hosted by some of the artists.

Victoria JazzFest is comparable in size to much larger music festivals held in larger cities across Canada, making it a truly worthwhile experience to attend. An estimated 40,000 people are expected to visit the festival this year, which will be held on eight different stages throughout downtown Victoria. Over 300 musicians from a total of 68 bands are scheduled to put on more than 80 performances.

The festival headliners for JazzFest 2019 are Raul Midón and Lionel Loueke with Laila Biali, Joey Alexander Trio, The Suffers, Jacob Collier, Jesse Cook, Patricia Barber Trio, and Gregory Porter. The headliners will be appearing at the Royal Theatre and McPherson Playhouse as part of the festival’s Marquee Series. There will also be a Presentation Series taking place at Herman’s Jazz Club, Hermann’s Upstairs, and Victoria Event’s Centre. Featured artists include Marquis Hill Blacktet, Maureen Washington, The Shuffle Demons, Donny McCaslin, and Alex Pangman.

During both festival weekends, you can head down to Hermann’s Jazz Club for the Late Night Open Jam Sessions, which are scheduled to begin at 10:30 pm. Over the course of the festival, you can also enjoy the stylings of talented jazz musicians while you dine at the Pacific Restaurant in Hotel Grand Pacific or Vista 18 at Grand Hotel Victoria. There will be free performances held in Centennial Square every day at noon starting on June 22nd as well.

In addition to these performances, JazzFest will be hosting four free-to-attend workshops at Hermann’s Jazz Club over the course of the festival. Come see the Heavyweights Brass Band on June 24th to learn a bit about brass band technique and history, Amina Figarova on June 25th for a masterclass on building a tune, Eric Alexander and Eric Reed on June 27th for an introduction to jazz improvising, and Melissa Aldana on June 29th to learn how to be more confident in your improvisational technique. Each workshop is scheduled to begin at 4 pm.

Making all of this possible is the Victoria Jazz Society, which has produced and presented the festival every year since its inception. The Victoria Jazz Society also holds the Vancouver Island Blues Bash at the end of summer as well as concert series from September to May. Thanks to their tireless efforts, the TD Victoria International JazzFest only continues to grow and get better every year.

For a fun way to kick off the official start of summer on Vancouver Island, come check out Victoria’s beloved JazzFest. Whether you treat yourself to the full experience or just an afternoon, every day of the festival offers something to see or do.