About the Festival
33rd edition: June 28 - July 7, 2012
34th edition: June 28 - July 7, 2013
35th edition: June 27 - July 6, 2014
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!
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
Praise from the international press
« C'est le plus grand festival du monde. […] Le cœur du jazz bat à Montréal. »
– Sarah Doraghi, France 2
"The jazz festival is the premier reason to visit Montreal!"
– Alice Bridgewater, O Magazine
"The jazz festival, always held at the end of June and beginning of July,
is generally considered the king of the city's annual parties, and this year will be no exception."
– Raphael Sugarman, Calgary Herald
"Anyone who's ever been to the Montreal International Jazz Festival knows
there's nothing else quite like it in North America."
– Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR Music
"Festival season is here and there is no bigger music festival than the Montreal Jazz Festival."
– Shelly Runyon, Bay State Banner
« Le festival de jazz le plus important de cette planète. […] Cette gigantesque célébration estivale de la musique
se déroule durant 11 jours, de midi à minuit, en plein cœur du centre-ville de Montréal, dans un immense quadrilatère
fermé à la circulation automobile. »
– Laurence Aloir, RFI
"It was a tremendous start to the 32nd annual event, which truly ranks as one of the world's premier music festivals."
– Jim Harrington, Soundspike.com
« Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal est, depuis 1980, synonyme de passion musicale. »
– Alex Dulith, France Musique
"El festival de jazz más grande del mundo celebra su edición 32."
– Claudia Itzkowich, Esquire Latino America
The Festival
Ranked as the world’s largest jazz festival in the Guinness World Records, for the past 30 years the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal has been synonymous with a passion for music. Every year for 10 days, the French-speaking metropolis of North America becomes the venue where fans of all types of jazz-related music rub shoulders with aficionados of jazz in its purest form. The Festival hosts some 30 countries, 3,000 musicians and public entertainers, 1,000 concerts and activities—two-third of which are free—, 15 concert halls, 8 outdoor stages and welcomes more than 2 million visitors, from noon to midnignt! All on a unique site designed to meet festival-goers’ every need, right downtown in an area off-limits to car traffic! Montreal is without a doubt the true 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 34% of tourists and excursionists
400 accredited journalists
10 free outdoor stages
15 concert halls
2004 Guinness World Record World's Largest Jazz Festival