30th edition: July 1 to 12, 2009
31st edition: July 1 to 11, 2010
32nd edition: June 30 to July 10, 2011
The gigantic summer music celebration features 11 days of non-stop entertainment, from noon to
midnight, right in the heart of downtown Montreal. Several city blocs are closed to traffic,
as right of way is given exclusively to pedestrians, creating a festive and secure spot with
cafés and bistros, an art gallery, street performers and a musical park for children.
It’s the summer celebration par excellence for people of all ages and origins, a cultural
breath of fresh air, and a place for incredible musical discoveries with influence such as JAZZ, BLUES,
LATIN-JAZZ, BRAZILIAN, CUBAN, AFRICAN, REGGAE, CONTEMPORARY, ELECTRONICA ...
All these artists said:
“It’s the best in the
world!”
The Lonely Planet imprint is synonymous with all that is hip and groovy in the travel world, so we're thrilled to report that Canada has made the list of the Top 10 Countries for 2009 in LP's Best in Travel: 2009 - 756 of the World's Hottest Trends, Destinations, Journeys, and Experiences, cultural festivals include the world-famous Festival de International de Jazz de Montreal in Quebec.
A world-class rendez-vous:
3,000 artists from 30 countries
More than 650 concerts, including 450 free outdoor performances
Close to 2.5 million peaceful festivalgoers, including 34% of tourists and excursionists
400 accredited journalists
10 free outdoor stages
10 concert halls
2004 Guinness World Record World’s Largest Jazz Festival
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
Praise from the international press!
"June 26-July 6. Wow, what a festival. Taking over seemingly every club,
concert hall park and wide street in town are, among the 3,000 performers: Woody Allen (wow!), Leonard Cohen
(wow!), Omara Portuondo, Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Charlie Haden,
Return to Forever, Katie Melua and the “Saxophone Summit” of Joe
Lovano, Dave Liebman and Ravi Coltrane. Wow!"– New-York Times
"Uno de los festivales dedicados a la música sincopada más importantes
del mundo."
– Excelsior, Mexico
« Étant inscrit depuis 2004 dans le Livre des records Guinness comme étant
le plus important festival de jazz du monde, pas étonnant que Montréal
puisse attirer les plus grands noms… la programmation intérieure
de cette 29e édition… rend justice à ce titre. »
– Journal de Montréal
"It's my favorite Festival [...] the only one I make a point to come to every year."
– Andrey Henkin, editor All About Jazz
« Le Festival est de très loin le meilleur auquel je sois jamais allé. La programmation est irréprochable [...] la qualité des concerts gratuits ne doit en rien à celle des payants. Bref, je suis rentré époustouflé. »– Sacha Reins, Le Point
"The most unique and satisfying Festival experience I've ever had [...]. One of a kind, not to be missed!" – Russ Davis, XM Radio
"For years I'd heard that Montreal presented the world's finest jazz festival. Would the reality equal the hype? No. What we experienced there exceeded our wildest expectations." – Paul Freeman, Palo Alto
Daily News
« Ce qui frappe, c'est que Montréal est à la fois un festival gigantesque et intime, détendu et tenu par une organisation réglée à la seconde [...] c'est aussi un festival qui a su embraser le centre d'une grosse ville - un cas unique [...], le plus important festival de jazz au monde. » – Sylvain Siclier, Le Monde
"Many cities boast musical extravaganzas, but nowhere puts on a better show." – Paul Wade, Telegraph.co.uk
"Highly regarded as the best in the world by popular jazz musicians." – Kelly Moeller, ABC News
« Programmation de prestige, affluence massive, comptes équilibrés...un phénomène. [...] Et le festin de musique donne le tournis. »– Bertrand Dicale, Le Figaro.fr
"Uno de los festivales [...] más importantes del mundo."– Excelsior, Mexico
"[...] this 11-day extravaganza that draws nearly 2 million fans annually kicked off with a series of powerhouse shows on a downtown site that was bigger, brighter and more vibrant that ever." – Bob Young, Boston Herald
« Le festival [...] s'est avéré follement passionnant. » – Jean‑Claude Raspiengeas, La Croix
"The best urban music festival in North America."– Playboy Magazine
"Montreal is as close as there is to a one-stop shop for a panorama of jazz today, generously seasoned with world music, pop, and electronica." – Siddharta Mitter, Boston Globe
"[...] el más prestigioso del mundo." – AOL Latino
"Apart from being the biggest, it's also the best." – Bernard Perusse, The Gazette
« C'est probablement l'événement le mieux organisé en matière de gestion environnementale. »– Catherine Vézina du Consortium Écho-Logique
"Jamie Di Salvio and his BV3 crew turned St. Catherine Street into the world's biggest dance club. [...] The show felt triumphant." – Mike Doherty, National Post
"Tyner showed his strengths both as a pianist and an improviser, making it more than obvious why he was awarded this year's Prix Miles-Davis." – J.D. Considine, The Globe and Mail
"There is something that approaches perfection about the Montreal Guitar Show and Guitarmania." – Robert J. Lewis, Arts & Opinion
"I have never seen so many talented luthiers in one room ever before." – George Gruhn, Vintage Guitar
We hope to see you at the 30th anniversary of Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, July 1st to 12 2009!
The General Motors Grand Event: a free multimedia urban mega-production presented halfway
through the Festival and that is attended by more than 100 000 people!
Soleil de Minuit
A celebration of the 20th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil and the
25th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
- July 2004