Every summer, music lovers from around the world flock to downtown Montréal for the incomparable Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.
While its guiding genre remains firmly rooted in jazz, music lovers can also enjoy an array of other influences, ranging from rock to pop and electronica to hip-hop, during the 10 or so days of this mood-boosting, toe-tapping, grandiose festival.
Some 3,000 performers and musicians from over 30 countries treat audiences to more than 500 concerts (2/3 of which are free!) on the car-free streets of the Quartier des spectacles, in elegant concert halls or cozy cabarets, turning Montréal into a vast creative cosmos otherwise known as Planet Jazz. Each summer, a whopping 2 million people come out to enjoy shows on 20 indoor stages and two major outdoor stages, dancing, singing and swaying together in a concert area covering 70,000 m2.
And the year 2019 will be even more special than ever because the FIJM turns 40! For the occasion and in keeping with its mission of bringing music to the people, it will be branching out by adding a festival hub on Wellington Street in the borough of Verdun.
If you like history...
The FIJM, a non-profit organization, was founded by four passionate Montrealers—Alain Simard, André Ménard, Denyse McCann and Alain de Grosbois—who were inspired to give people the chance to discover the best musicians from around the globe.
Its first edition on Île-Sainte-Hélène in 1980 attracted around 12,000 festival goers to enjoy the talents of some 100 artists that included Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Vic Vogel and Ray Charles. In 1982, it moved to Saint-Denis Street and in 1986, with a line-up that included over 1,000 artists, it launched its first and signature free outdoor event. The festival’s official home became the area around Place des arts in 1988, and in 2004, with over 2 million people in attendance, it celebrated its 25th anniversary and made it to the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest jazz festival.
Spurred by an insatiable love of music, larger-than-life creativity and a strong sense of community, the FIJM continues to be a major Montréal attraction and a springboard for outstanding musical talent from here and afar.