Beaches International Jazz Festival
So this year, I decided to visit the Beaches International Jazz Festival. I haven’t been for a while but since this was the 25th anniversary and its a free festival – why not.
I used to get this festival confused with the TD Toronto Jazz Festival that happens in late June. But the beaches festival is really the common people’s Jazz festival – I think all of the acts are local to the GTA and its free. The TD Toronto Jazz Festival brings in the big names from around the world and admission is NOT free.
The Samba Squad
Dr. Draw
For 3 nights – Thursday, Friday & Saturday – Queen street east gets shut down to cars with a few north – south roads for the locals to get in and out. During this time, the common people take over the streets with music around every corner – not all of is jazz but just walk a few steps and there will be some other kind of music that may suit your taste better.
The Blackboard Blues Band
The Seagull AllStars
George Olliver
The Zed Head
This year – they added a Food Trunk night – I took my wife with me but she wasn’t that impressed with them – I think they upped the prices for the event – it didn’t seem like your usual food trunk prices – at least not from my memory of the Chinese food trunk in front of U of T’s Robarts Library.
If you don’t like crowds – I would recommend you come out during the day – the streets are open to cars and the crowds are much smaller – however there is still music at select areas – just not around every street corner.
Overall, I had a fun time and would recommend that people check it out next year.
I used to get this festival confused with the TD Toronto Jazz Festival that happens in late June. But the beaches festival is really the common people’s Jazz festival – I think all of the acts are local to the GTA and its free. The TD Toronto Jazz Festival brings in the big names from around the world and admission is NOT free.
The Samba Squad
Dr. Draw
For 3 nights – Thursday, Friday & Saturday – Queen street east gets shut down to cars with a few north – south roads for the locals to get in and out. During this time, the common people take over the streets with music around every corner – not all of is jazz but just walk a few steps and there will be some other kind of music that may suit your taste better.
The Blackboard Blues Band
The Seagull AllStars
George Olliver
The Zed Head
This year – they added a Food Trunk night – I took my wife with me but she wasn’t that impressed with them – I think they upped the prices for the event – it didn’t seem like your usual food trunk prices – at least not from my memory of the Chinese food trunk in front of U of T’s Robarts Library.
If you don’t like crowds – I would recommend you come out during the day – the streets are open to cars and the crowds are much smaller – however there is still music at select areas – just not around every street corner.
Overall, I had a fun time and would recommend that people check it out next year.
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