LOVED

TD Toronto Jazz Festival: Free Concerts

June 18, 2015

12 days. Over 350 concerts. More than half a million fans. Yup, TD Toronto Jazz Festival is back in town (June 18th to June 29th). And with over 1,500 musicians performing at 40 locations across the city, it’s no wonder the event is known as one of North America’s premier jazz festivals.

I’ve already confessed my love for this fest in other posts so I won’t bore you with that. Instead, I’m here to share a bit of news (which, to my surprise, not many people know about); although there are some incredible, ticketed performances (I can’t wait to see The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra™), there are dozens of free concerts sprinkled around town during the festival. Yup, FREE! I went through the full list of acts and narrowed it down to my top 10 (you can find the full schedule here):

1. Friday, June 19th @ 9 pm – Nathan Phillips Square (Toronto Star Stage) – George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic – You’ll need a wristband for access inside the marquee (they will be free and distributed at 4:00 pm on the same day in the square). No wristband? No problem: a high-res screen will broadcast the performance so everyone can get their groove on. Get your dancing shoes ready for this one!