Jazzing Things Up in Nanaimo
Nanaimo, BC It takes a lot to build a spot on a map into a festival destination, and the nine volunteer members of the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival have sure put their heart and souls into jazzing up this harbour city.
On a recent visit, I scored the opportunity to experience a bit of this seaside Vancouver Island community to learn from one of the Jazz Fest's board members what it takes to keep a festival thriving, now nine years strong.
For those fortunate enough to make the fest, happening through September 2025, festival seekers can expect a ton of unexpected surprises.
"Jazz is more than just the cliché known from the 1950s and 60s. Our goal is to show diversity in this music genre," explains Dirk Heydemann, vice president of the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival Society (festival producers).
"This city is home to its own symphony orchestra and tons of cultural programs, we are a city growing to see more niche experiences than you'd see in other larger-scale communities."
Of the 17 performances that make up this September's Jazz Fest, Hydemann recommends checking out "the New Groovement"—a hybrid 10-piece musical act that crosses over between hip-hop and jazz.
Preview your Jazz Fest experience
Check out this track, "The Wave" by The New Groovement, one of the artists performing at the 2025 Nanaimo International Jazz Festival.
Or how about the Joshua Holloway Celeste drag/jazz show happening on Sept 12 (at the Nanaimo Bar)?
"The Jazz Fest likes to keep things as local as they can and it's cool to see how many hidden gems come forward every year—not only the view potentials given how beautiful this place is, but also the artists who show up off say one of the Gulf Islands to play and blows the roof off the place," says jazz drummer Graham Villete whose quintet opens the festival on Sept 6 at the Lighthouse Bistro.
Jazz up your fall
Head to Nanaimo for a harbour scene full of surprises
Festivals build community, and what they are doing here in Nanaimo validates this statement. The September Jazz Fest offers 17 performances over the four-week run across nine venues.
"And next to musicians showing up to play, we have a variety of venues who are saying "yes we want you to play here" and who are building space within their venues for year-round live music opportunities," says Heydemann.
Heydemann suggests a series of Nanaimo venues that will provide some special surprises. Of course, Nanaimo is home to the Nanaimo Bar, with Tourism Nanaimo offering up the Nanaimo Bar Trail, which will take you around the city sampling a variety of spins on one of Canada's top sweet treats.
Live music venue The Nanaimo Bar takes its name from the sweet icon, and serves up some live music with your dessert. Or there's the eclectic Vault Café, suggests Heydemann.
The Lighthouse Bistro also serves as a Jazz Fest venue, offering great views of Nanaimo's harbour while the jazz sooths any soul.
The heart of the Nanaimo Jazz Fest happens Sept 12-14 including a partial take-over of the Maffeo Sutton Park with a series of FREE jazz shows.
Score your tickets now for headliner Holly Cole, whose show is happening Sept 13 at Nanaimo's Port Theatre (as of Aug 15, the show is already half sold out).
Want to pay it forward with a little community investment of your own? Why not throw your jazz hands into volunteering for the festival? "Volunteering for another Jazz fest led me into this year-round volunteer board position with our Jazz festival," says Heydemann.
Pair your jazz with an Island Getaway
Within your Nanaimo vacation, running through Thanksgiving long weekend is the Saysutshun Ferry, sailing from Maffeo Sutton Park (downtown Nanaimo) to Saysutshun Island (formerly known as Newcastle Island)
There is something special about going from one island to another island. With my two-hour Saysutshun visit (which included a stellar 11km trail run around the island) I really felt coming back to Nanaimo—via this 10-min passenger-only, dog-friendly ferry ride—that I had been somewhere unique.
Queue up some time during the Nanaimo Jazz Fest for a Saysutshun visit, "one of the best walking destinations in Canada," says Tom Peterson, a Nanaimo resident.
Or keep your Nanaimo getaway unique, and hop BC Ferries, again from downtown to Gabriola Island for their Gabriola Island Studio tour happening Thanksgiving long weekend, Oct 11-13.
Tour the island and its huge array of artists where they all open their studios for visitors to connect up close and personal with a ton of great artistic producers.
When you go
Tickets for the Nanaimo Jazz Fest, outside of the free shows happening at Maffeo Sutton Park, can be purchased here.
The October Gabriola Studio tour is FREE, but you can score more detail here.
Getting to Nanaimo is super easy: walk on the Hullo passenger ferry from downtown Vancouver to downtown Nanaimo. You don't need a car here, everything is walking distance including a bustling downtown core full of funky, eclectic shops.
BC Ferries offers regular service from Horseshoe Bay.
Or for a unique trip, hop Harbour Air for a 20-min flight, again connecting downtown Vancouver to downtown Nanaimo.
Tourism Nanaimo offers a roundup of accommodation options here, making your festival planning easy.
Let us know what you discover, include the hashtags #explorenanaimo and #festivalseekers in your posts so we can engage and possibly share your wins on our social channels.