Photo credit; Wikipedia
The Montreal International Festival is an annual festival that takes place between June and July. Founded in 1980, it is the world’s largest jazz festival. It celebrates a rich history of jazz in Montreal and attracts millions of visitors each year.
The festival was conceived by Alain Simard, Andre Menard, Denyse McCann and Alain de Grosbois. The 1980 festival featured renowned artists like Ray Charles and Chick Corea, and attracted about 12,000 attendees.
Initially, the festival took place in several locations across downtown Montreal. It now takes place around Place des Arts, Montreal.
The festival has grown significantly and it earned the Guinness World Record for the largest festival in the world in 2004, with nearly 2 million visitors attending that year. The festival usually lasts 10 days featuring over 650 concerts, including 450 free outdoor performances. It showcases about 3,000 artists from around the globe.
The Montreal Jazz Festival is deeply rooted in the city’s jazz history, which dates back to the early 20th century. The city became a hub for jazz music, particularly during the Prohibition era in the United States, when many American jazz musicians performed in Montreal’s vibrant night clubs. Notable venues like Rockhead’s Paradise and Cafe St-Michel played significant roles in nurturing local talent, including legends like Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones.
The festival remains a vital part of the city’s cultural landscape, celebrating jazz music and its rich heritage while drawing fans and performers from around the globe each summer.
