Congratulations, you made it—through a past couple of years that were unprecedented in our times, and during which you were never more aware of the power of live music. Having come through it all, you’re understandably beyond thrilled about the idea of gorging yourself.

Not on takeout and Netflix—you did enough of that in 2020 and 2021 to last nine lifetimes. Instead you’re all about getting out and seeing as much live music as possible. And there’s no better place to do that than festivals, which are not only back, but back with a recharged vengeance. In the coming summer months you can look forward to not only hanging out with friends and fellow music fans again, but doing so at outdoor concerts that have become as much a part of the city as the beaches of Kitsilano, the cobblestone streets of Gastown, and the majestic North Shore mountains.

See you in the front row.

TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival

From Dave Brubeck’s hypnotic “Take Five” to Thelonious Monk’s smoky “Round Midnight” to Miles Davis’s groundbreaking “So What”, sometimes music says more than words ever will. To that end, we could spend a good couple of thousand words trying to sum up the sprawl of this year’s TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Purists and adventurists will be thrilling to the likes of the Tord Gustavsen Trio, Brad Turner Quartet, and Immanuel Wilkins. Those for whom jazz will always mean the glory days of Blue Note and rainy nights in New York City are already looking forward to Jocelyn Gould and the Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio. And those for whom jazz is a state of mind rather than a strict label are stoked at the inclusion this year of Americana-oriented Lucinda Williams and Old Soul Rebel.
If you really want a one-stop primer on the range of talent and styles on offer at the 2022 edition of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, programmers Cole Schmidt and Jeremy Page have created a digital cheat sheet. Working with fellow jazz fans and associates, the duo has come up with a series of Spotify playlists that spotlight the over 700 artists and 200 shows that are part of this year’s festival. (Simply punch in “coastaljazzprog” on the streaming service). Music does indeed sometimes say more than words ever will.

Important details: June 24 to July 3 at various locations; visit coastaljazz.ca for the full schedule and ticket info.

Ambleside Music Festival

When introducing oneself to the world, it always pays to go big, and Ambleside Music Festival has done just that for its inaugural event. North American punk bands don’t come much bigger or more iconic that Southern California’s multi-platinum Offspring. Fellow headliners Mother Mother and Marianas Trench, meanwhile, have both long been genuine alt-pop royalty in their hometown of Vancouver.

Great festivals are also often all about the undercard, and Ambleside boasts one that includes neo-soul king St. Paul and the Broken Bones, indie-folk upstarts Walk Off the Earth, art-pop chanteuse Hannah Georgas, and blues deconstructionists the Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer.

And did we mention the setting, with Ambleside Park providing one of the most dramatic backdrops in all of the Lower Mainland? If you’re going to go, you go big, not to mention beautiful.

Important details: August 12-14 at Ambleside Park in West Van; go to amblesidefestival.com for the full schedule and ticket info.

Vancouver Folk Music Festival

Looking back over the years, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival has always had a somewhat liberal definition of what constitutes folk. Remember, if you will, D.O.A. playing the long-running fest back in 1988. And hip-hop visionary Michael Franti taking part in 2008. Flash forward to today, and this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival has once again come up with a lineup that honours the past while looking toward the future.

Folks who understand the genre is more of a mindset than a label will be all-in on indie kingpins New Pornographers and post-Americana duo Shovels & Rope. Forward-thinking traditionalists meanwhile will find themselves moved—profoundly—by the great Alejandro Escovedo, jazz-influenced revisionist Allison Russell, and Finnish experimentalists VILDÁ.

Factor in the famous workshops, artisan market, Whistler Brewing beer garden, and scenic setting, and you’ve got a good idea why the Vancouver Folk Music Festival is one of the most-loved events of the West Coast summer.

Important details: July 15 to 17 at Jericho Beach Park; visit thefestival.bc.ca for the full schedule and ticket info.

Khatsahlano Street Party

If there’s one thing that stands out from past Khatsahlano Street Party blowouts, it’s that 4th Avenue in Kits gets turned into what looks like a sea of beautiful humanity. And, after a couple of years of lockdowns and self-isolation, that couldn’t look more inviting in 2022.

This year’s headliners include DIY indie queen Hailey Blais (whose new single “Coolest Fucking Bitch in Town” somehow seems more like a statement of fact than bragging), and Actors (whose latest full-length, Acts of Worship, mixes nine-shades-of-black postpunk with neon-dazzled new wave).

As for the undercard, the 10th edition of Khatsahlano Street Party once again features a lovingly curated lineup of homegrown talent, the list ranging from garage-pop titans the Pack A.D. to theremin experimentalist Stephen Hamm to the nothing-less-than-legendary Pointed Sticks.

Important details: July 9 on West 4th Avenue; go to khatsahlano.com for the full schedule.

FVDED in the Park

Here’s something to tell your parents the next time they strongly suggest you pursue a career in law or medicine instead of music. As Eminem once said, you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it, which is how American DJ producer Illenium went from delivering sushi and coaching lacrosse to headlining Surrey’s endlessly loved FVDED in the Park.

Asked about a career that’s taken him from a Kelowna bedroom producer to Shambhala to a FVDED 2022 headliner, bass-obsessed Canadian Excision told Forbes recently, “Even after you’ve made your dreams come true, there are always more dreams to work towards.”

Certifiable rap legend Rick Ross once looked doomed to a life as a correctional officer, while his fellow FVDED in the Park main draw Don Toliver had zero musical experience before jumping into the game in 2017 at the ripe old age of 23.

And....actually, you get the idea, so above all else expect to leave the return of FVDED in the Park nothing less than inspired. And committed, once again, to the idea that you can do anything you set your mind to....

Important details: July 8 and 9 at Holland Park in Surrey; visit fvdedinthepark.com for ticket prices and full lineup.