Nanaimo International Jazz Festival

10/31/2025

Happy Flashback Friday!

The Mardi Gras style Second Line parade is always a festival highlight, we can't wait to see everyone's costumes today (Happy Halloween!) and at the parade every year.

PC HA Photography

10/24/2025

Happy Flashback Friday!

Every year as part of our Festival we have a Headliner show at The Port Theatre. Today we're looking back to 2023

PC HA Photography

09/22/2025

🎬 That’s a wrap! Thank you Nanaimo for dancing, listening, and making this the best Jazz Fest yet. An especially big thank you to our wonderful sponsors. Until next year...

City of Nanaimo Local Government
Government of Canada
BC Arts Council
BC Live Performance Network
HA Photography
Courtyard by Marriott
Long & McQuade (Nanaimo)
Budget Rent a Car

And thanks to the staff and management at:

Lighthouse Bistro & Pub
The Nanaimo BAR
Simonholt Restaurant
The Vault
The Queen's

09/22/2025

Thanks for your patience. It has been a very busy week for our talented photographer/sponsor HA Photography. We just received all the edited images from last week's festivities, as well as last night's show with Roy Styffe Quintet at Simonholt Restaurant. Check out all the awesome images from this year's festival. Thank you, Dirk, for capturing these memories.

Our 9th annual festival with our awesome headliner Holly Cole

09/21/2025

Don’t miss out on the grand finale of this year’s Jazz Fest — the Roy Styffe Quintet takes the stage tonight! The stage is set, the lights are up, and the music will be unforgettable.

🎟️ Grab your tickets now before they're gone: limited seats remain for what promises to be a spectacular evening.

Let’s make this finale one for the books!

📅 Date: Tonight!
📍 Venue: Simonholt Restaurant
⏰ Time: Doors open at 6pm

Join Roy (tenor & alto sax), Rob Cheramy (guitar), Dr. Genge (organ), Louis Rudner (bass) and Kelby McNair (drums) for an incredible night!

09/18/2025

Do you have your tickets yet? 👀

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/roy-styffe-quintet-tickets-1553459311619

09/16/2025

Catch the Roy Styffe Quintet at Simonholt Restaurant this Sunday!

Multi-instrumentalist Roy Styffe has been wowing audiences for over 30 years. He has played with the greatest names in Canadian jazz and has recorded two cd’s under his own leadership, and with Duncan Hopkins, Free Flight Big Band, and the Juno award winning NOJO Big Band.

Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/roy-styffe-quintet-tickets-1553459311619

Join Roy (tenor & alto sax), Rob Cheramy (guitar), Dr. Genge (organ), Louis Rudner (bass) and Kelby McNair (drums) for an incredible night!

09/14/2025

What an amazing day it was yesterday. So much talent, so much great music, and so many great people were involved in making yesterday a great success. Brilliant weather and a diverse talent of music made for a great day at our open air free concert at Maffeo Sutton Park.

And later that night at the The Port Theatre, Holly Cole and band  put on an amazing concert. She had the entire audience spellbound. What a great treat it was.

Here are some images from yesterday‘s performance, there’s still time to come to Maffeo Sutton Park to catch Madrid Gras Mambo. See ya soon

📷 Dirk Heydemann of HA Photography

09/14/2025

We're ready for a day of Jazz! Rain or shine we'll be in Maffeo Sutton from 1:00pm - 5:30pm 🎶

09/13/2025

“Huy ch q’u to Dave Spirit Wolf Bodaly of Snuneymuxw First Nations for starting our Jazz Festival off in a good way.

📷 by Dirk Heydemann of HA Photography