What is the Montreal International Jazz Festival?
For ten days at the turn of June and July, downtown Montreal closes its streets to cars and turns them over to music. The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal began in 1980, conceived by the promoter Alain Simard, with a first bill that included Ray Charles, Chick Corea and Gary Burton. In 2004 Guinness World Records recognized it as the largest jazz festival in the world, and it has kept that reputation since.
Its scale is remarkable. Each year the festival presents hundreds of concerts, around two-thirds of them free and outdoors, on open-air stages around Place des Arts and the Quartier des Spectacles, the city's entertainment district. It welcomes about two million visits over the ten days, and thousands of musicians from dozens of countries.
Jazz is at its heart, from legends of the genre to young improvisers, but the programme ranges widely: blues, soul, funk, Latin, world music, singer-songwriters and pop all have their place. The ticketed concerts take place in the halls of Place des Arts and in clubs and theatres around the city, and many of the festival's most famous moments have been recorded there for live albums, while the free outdoor stages draw huge crowds on warm summer evenings, from families in the afternoon to dancing crowds late at night.
The festival falls at the start of Montreal's long summer of festivals, around Canada Day on July 1 and just after Quebec's national holiday on June 24, when the city is at its most relaxed and lively.
What to expect
The festival runs for about ten days, with free outdoor music from midday until late in the evening.
Afternoons
Free stages and street bands
Small outdoor stages host free shows from the afternoon, and roaming brass bands and street performers work the crowds in the closed streets around the festival site.
Evenings
The big outdoor concerts
The largest free stages host headline shows in the evening, when tens of thousands gather in the squares of the Quartier des Spectacles. The ticketed concerts start in the halls nearby.
Late nights
Clubs and jam sessions
After the outdoor stages close, the music moves indoors to clubs and bars, where late shows and jam sessions run into the early hours.
A street brass band at the festival
Photo by Indrid__Cold / flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Planning your trip
Getting there
Montreal's Trudeau International Airport has flights from across North America and Europe, with a bus link to downtown. Trains connect the city with Toronto, Ottawa and New York. The festival site is above Place des Arts metro station, so the metro is the easiest way to get there.
Where to stay
Downtown hotels near the Quartier des Spectacles are the most convenient, but they fill early and charge peak rates during the festival. The Plateau, the Old Port and neighbourhoods along the metro lines offer more choice, including apartments and smaller hotels.
What it costs
The free outdoor concerts cost nothing, and indoor tickets range from modest club prices to expensive seats for the biggest names. Montreal is moderately priced by North American standards, but hotel prices rise around the festival and Canada Day.
Go like you know
- Grab a bagel from one of the city's famous bakeries and a poutine between concerts.
- Check the free programme each morning; some of the best discoveries are on the smaller stages.
- Stay for the late jam sessions in the clubs, where visiting musicians sometimes drop in.
- Bring a light folding stool or a blanket for the afternoon shows; the squares fill up and seating near the stages is limited.
- Explore beyond the festival site: Old Montreal, Mount Royal and the markets of Jean-Talon and Atwater are all easy to reach by metro.
- Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival, in July, is Europe's most famous jazz festival.
- For winter in Quebec, see the Quebec Winter Carnival, in February.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Montreal Jazz Festival?
For about ten days at the end of June and the start of July. The 2026 edition ran from June 25 to July 4. The 2027 dates are expected around June 24 to July 3, but the festival announces the official dates and programme in the spring.
Are the concerts really free?
Most of them. Around two-thirds of the festival's concerts are free and outdoors, on stages around Place des Arts and the Quartier des Spectacles. The indoor concerts in theatres, halls and clubs are ticketed, and the headline shows often sell out.
Is it only jazz?
No. Jazz is the core of the programme, but the festival also books blues, soul, funk, Latin and world music, singer-songwriters and pop. The free outdoor stages in particular mix genres, so there is something for every taste, from big bands to dance music.
