The Odlum Brown Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival is set to feature more than 60 concerts and 300 performers on eight indoor and outdoor stages, making it the organisers’ largest music festival to date.
The four-day annual jazz and arts festival kicked off July 21 with a free community concert and a ticketed gala event on the opening day of the event.
The free concert will take place at the Fort Langley Community Hall featuring a performance by the Rugcutter Dance Orchestra, a 15-piece ensemble specializing in original arrangements in the style of the great dance orchestras of the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s.
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Taking place at the Fort Langley Community Hall, the ‘Great Gatsby Gala’ will begin with an outdoor reception featuring live music, food stalls and passed wine. The outdoor atmosphere will be 1930s grand and glamorous with Great-Gatsby/art deco-themed decor and a New Orleans-inspired band. Attendees will then transition into the indoor ballroom, which will be reminiscent of a 1930’s prohibition-style speakeasy club, once again featuring the Rugcutter Dance Orchestra and food and beverage services.
Tickets for the gala are available at fortlangleyjazzfest.com/gala-event.
The event includes the festival marquee event, the All-Star Blues Show on Friday, July 22 and a four-night jazz concert series at Chief Sepass Theatre from Thursday to Sunday, July 21 – 24, with two headlining ticketed shows each night.
“The event will include the most extensive free stage lineup in the history of the event, making it as inclusive and diverse as possible,” said Karen Zukas, festival co-founder and executive director.
“Featured free events and performances on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival will include a wide array of artists who will deliver something for everyone, regardless of their musical taste or age,” she added.
In addition to headline acts by national and international artists and other fun festivities, the festival will feature a Kwantlen Art and Cultural Exhibition. The public will be able to stroll through the free exhibited area to learn about Indigenous art, culture and history while enjoying Indigenous music and food.
Two Kwantlen First Nation siblings, Elinor and Noah Atkins will present a collaborative ‘paint by number’ art mural to mark Canada’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is also a wonderful opportunity for us to practice the traditional intergenerational transfer of knowledge and it is a way that us as Kwantlen youth can engage with the surrounding community and share a little bit about us as Kwantlen people, “said Elinor.
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Zukas shared that TransLink shuttle bus services will be offered to visitors to hop around all the six outdoor stages and two parking areas located throughout the village – allowing visitors to experience all the fun and festivities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival (July 23 and 24).
Overflow parking will be available at the Lions Club Hall, located at 88th Avenue and Glover Road, as well as the orchard area beside the Fort Langley Historic Site.
Other family fun activities include kids’ entertainment, a kids zone, a parade, and an outdoor painting challenge.
The Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival is a not-for-profit cultural organization that offers jazz music and arts programming to a wide variety of audiences through the presentation of year-round concerts and events and an annual music and arts festival.
For tickets, full lineup and other details, people can visit www.fortlangleyjazzfest.com.
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