A parent’s guide to the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Jun 17 2016, 12:12 am

Coastal Jazz has been a longtime advocate for young people in the arts — just check out their TD High School Jazz Intensive or their Costal Sound Stage programs — so, it comes as no surprise that the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival would provide plenty of opportunities for little ones to enjoy the music, too. With afternoon concerts, free performances, and venues that offer ample space to both dance and run around in, there’s certainly much fun to be had from June 24 to July 3.

Parents, here are the answers to some burning questions you may have regarding the upcoming festival.

There are lots of concerts that begin in the evening. Are there any afternoon events that I can bring my child to?

Absolutely! In fact, apart from a small handful (the Marquee Series and the Vogue Theatre Series, for example), most of the concert series feature performances that are held throughout the afternoon.

I have a big family. Are there any concerts that are easily accessible and accommodating to a large group?

All of the concerts in the Downtown Jazz Series are held in public spaces, like Robson Street and Georgia Street. David Lam Park, the site for the David Lam Park Jazz Weekend, is a fantastic family-friendly area, as are many venues in the Granville Island Jazz Series and North Shore Jazz Series, including the West Vancouver Memorial Library, Lynn Valley Village, and Civic Plaza.

Are there any free or affordable performances?

There are plenty. Most of the concert series each feature at least a couple of free performances. Check out the Arnt Arntzen Quintet at noon on July 1 at the Ron Basford Park Stage during Granville Island Jazz for a foot-stomping fusion of traditional jazz, old time country, and blues, and the 24th Street Wailers, delivering their brand of smooth electric blues and boogie rock, at the David Lam Park Main Stage on July 3 at 5:15 pm.

As for affordable concerts, Ron Samworth’s Dogs Do Dream, an original project that seeks to understand the inner world of our four-legged friends, is a must — $10 a ticket and running at the Performance Centre in the Roundhouse Community Centre on July 2 at 3:15 pm.

Are there any concerts geared specifically towards youth?

At the TD High School Jazz Intensive with Tomeka Reid, held at the David Lam Park Stage on July 3, audiences will get to enjoy a performance by young players who have just completed a focused series of music workshops led by Chicago jazz cellist and composer Tomeka Reid. Also, the Rossi Gang, a quintet whose ages rages from late teens to early twenties, will surely inspire any budding musicians when they perform at the Public Market Stage in Granville Island on June 24.

Is there anywhere that I can change my baby?

There are baby changing facilities located at both the Robson Square Stage (Downtown Jazz Series) and the Roundhouse Community Centre (David Lam Park Jazz Weekend).

 

Daily Hive Vancouver is a proud media partner of TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Yasmine ShemeshYasmine Shemesh

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