The Montréal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. Thus, this event needs no introduction.
This festival impresses with its numbers: there are over 2 million visitors, 3,000 musicians, and 600 concerts on 20 stages. Every year at the end of June and the beginning of July, Montréal becomes the epicentre of the jazz world.
Due to the large number of locals and tourists that visit the festival, the main streets are closed to traffic throughout the festival so that jazz lovers can fully enjoy the atmosphere of the city. Indoor shows are located in concert halls at the Quartier des Spectacles, while many of the high-quality open air shows can be visited for free around the heart of downtown.
In the past 40 years, the Festival Jazz De Montréal has hosted Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Santana. Today, it gathers world-renowned stars of all genres from classical jazz to electro, blues, country, and even pop.
