The busy summer festival calendar in B.C. will have one less event on it this year, as a long-running music festival has announced it is closing for good.
Pentastic Jazz Festival Society (PJFS) announced earlier this week that it is cancelling the annual Pentastic Hot Jazz & Music Festival due to a “combination of insurmountable challenges.”
“Significant issues related to U.S. band travel across the border, a decline in grant funding, rising operational costs, and an aging demographic were all major factors considered in reaching this conclusion,” said PJFS in an announcement on its social media channels.
Pentastic Hot Jazz & Music Festival
The Penticton-based music festival is still advertising its dates of Sept. 11 to 13, 2026, on its website, proclaiming the 28th annual event is just around the corner.
Pentastic Hot Jazz & Music Festival has been entertaining fans for three decades with a mix of zydeco, rockabilly, western swing, funk, country, and of course, jazz.
Last year’s performances were held at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and the Elks Club, with thousands in attendance.
Pentastic Hot Jazz & Music Festival
“For 30 years — aside from a two-year hiatus during COVID-19 — the festival has brought economic and social vibrancy to our Community. Its legacy is one of joy, music, and connection, and it will be remembered as a key economic driver for the region,” added PJFS.
“We bring the festival to a close at a time when local sponsors, the City of Penticton, and many loyal patrons remain supportive and planning to return. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond our control have made this the responsible decision for the society.”
Fans expressed their sadness with the B.C. music festival closing for good online.
“This is sad news,” wrote one supporter. “My wife and my grandson and I attended the festival many times and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great bands and music, and more importantly, wonderful volunteers who worked so hard to make it work.”
“In a declining society, the arts are the first to disappear,” added another commenter. “It is understandable, but at the same time, a huge sadness befalls a city when this happens.”
Pentastic Hot Jazz & Music Festival
Beth Campbell with PJFS said that it was a hard decision to end the beloved community event, “but, unfortunately, the math didn’t make sense.”
“The cost of organizing these events has made it very challenging to deliver a quality product, and we couldn’t settle for less,” added Campbell. “We owe that to our patrons who have enjoyed the festival for decades.”
The Pentastic Hot Jazz & Music Festival isn’t the only summer music staple in B.C. that was forced to cancel this year.
Victoria Jazz Society (VJS) announced on its website and social media that it had made the “difficult decision” to cancel the 2026 edition of the Harbour Blues’ n Roots Festival, formerly known as the Vancouver Island Blues Bash.
“The loss of vital corporate sponsorships and increasing logistics, supplier and labour costs since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have created a concerning financial situation for many B.C. festivals, and sadly, the Harbour Blues’ n Roots Festival is among them,” said the society in its post.