About the Festival
37th edition: June 29 - July 9, 2016
38th edition: June 29 - July 8, 2017
39th edition: June 28 - July 7, 2018
All these artists said: “It’s the best in the world!”
Internationally celebrated musicians on our stages:
Prestigious prizes awarded each year by the Festival to honour great jazz artists!
The Ella Fitzgerald Award rewarding Vocal talent
The Miles Davis Award acknowledging International Jazz Careers
The Oscar Peterson Award rewarding exceptional contribution to Canadian Jazz
The Antonio Carlos Jobim Award rewarding an artist in the domain of world music
We hope to see you at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal!
Place des Festivals – July 2012
Praise from the international press
“Montreal […] is one word that causes the pulse of jazz fans to run
a little quicker, anticipating all the good times and great music that are to be
had at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. […] This festival is absolutely
loaded with talent.”
– Jim Harrington, SoundSpike
“Francophone Canada's cultural metropolis hosts its grand prix: the Montreal
International Jazz Festival.”
– Simon Rentner, A Blog Supreme (NPR)
“To limit Montreal’s Jazz Festival to its namesake musical genre is to not
give it justice. The events that play out each year are a combination of myriad
forms of artistic expression converging on the streets of Montreal.”
– Shelly Runyon, Bay State Banner
“A compelling summer destination far from the politicized American dream,
the multicultural and cosmopolitan nature of Montreal is reflected in the festival’s
diverse programming, showing a great respect for music, the artists and culture
in general.”
– Mitch Myers, The Hollywood Reporter
“The event has brought together dedicated jazz aficionados for what is understood
to be the biggest and most diverse celebration held to date.”
– Chanel Townsend, BBC
“Hard to pick the perfect superlatives to describe the Montreal International
Jazz Festival: electrifying, exhilarating, energizing, inspiring and perhaps even
dizzying.”
– Tom Huntington, The Rutland Herald
“The Festival International de Jazz de Montreal is a journey that can make
you feel like you're a world away.”
– Jeremy Goodwin, The Weekly Advocate
The Festival
Ranked as the world’s largest jazz festival by Guinness World Records, the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal has been synonymous with a passion for music for
over three decades. Every year, North America’s French-speaking metropolis welcomes
global music fans to 10 days of jazzcentric celebration, where fans of all
types of jazz-related music rub shoulders with aficionados of the genre in its purest
form. The Festival hosts some 30 countries, 3,000 musicians and public
entertainers, 1,000 concerts and activities—two-thirds of them free –
in 15 concert halls and on 8 outdoor stages, welcoming more than 2 million visitors
to the city, from noon to midnight! And it all happens on a unique site designed
to meet festivalgoers’ every need, in the heart of Montreal’s downtown core, in
an area off-limits to car traffic! There’s no doubt – Montreal is the heartbeat
of Planet Jazz!
A world-class rendez-vous:
3,000 artists from 30 countries
More than 1,000 concerts, of which 2/3 will be free outdoor performances
Close to 2 million peaceful festivalgoers, including 26% of tourists and excursionists
400 accredited journalists
10 free outdoor stages
15 concert halls
2004 Guinness World Record World's Largest Jazz Festival
