This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Ottawa Jazz Festival, one of the city’s premier live music events and Canada’s second oldest jazz festival. Despite the ever-changing (and expanding) nature of the festival, however, one thing has remained the same since its inaugural season in 1980: A prime downtown location.
Officials say the event’s central location – perfect for tourists and others who want to come downtown and see multiple shows in one night – has been crucial for securing sponsorships and driving attendance.
“It’s incredibly important,” explains Executive Director Petr Cancura. “Jazz is an urban music and to be in the middle of downtown, the whole downtown becomes so vibrant. It’s really one of the few festivals where you can come in from out of town and see multiple shows in one centralized area.”
The downtown core: A crucial venue for sponsorships and attendance
Held at Major’s Hill Park in its first year, the Ottawa Jazz Festival’s Main Stage has called Confederation Park – in the heart of Ottawa’s downtown core – home for nearly four decades. The park is walking distance from the festival’s other venues, enabling concertgoers to attend multiple shows a night.
“Confederation Park feels intimate,” Cancura explains. “You can sit under the trees and enjoy the music. It allows us to put on music on different stages at the same time without having any noise bleed between venues.”
It’s also close to hotels, restaurants, pubs, and clubs, providing accessible accommodation and varied dining and entertainment options, along with popular landmarks such as Parliament Hill and the ByWard Market.
Festival organizers and sponsors alike say its location adds to the vibrancy of the downtown core, along with providing a boost to Ottawa’s nightlife.
“You can come out of your hotel room and be directly at the venue, and then, before you go, you can walk around ByWard Market,” adds Cancura. “The whole experience is really important for Ottawa. And it’s a very unique experience compared to other festivals.”
An economic impact of nearly $40 million in 2024
Nearly 200,000 people attended the festival last year, including more than 20,000 tourists – an increase of 10% over the year earlier. Its economic impact was $37 million in 2024, including $21 million from locals and $16 million from tourists.
Those numbers haven’t gone unnoticed by sponsors, who say the location is supremely important.
“The downtown location of the venues has been vital to its success. The festival brings people from diverse backgrounds to experience live music in Ottawa, adding liveliness to the downtown,” says Maria Papadakos, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Lord Elgin Hotel.
A sponsor since 1998, the hotel also benefits from increased room reservations during the festival. The hotel’s Forty One restaurant hosts late-night jam sessions featuring local artists playing alongside visiting and international musicians.
The CAA North & East Ontario, also a sponsor, agrees that the downtown venue is crucial. “The festival offers an intimate, community vibe. I’ve seen the festival grow in popularity over the years, and its potential is unlimited,” says President and CEO Jeff Walker.
The festival partners with several other venues in and around downtown Ottawa such as Irene’s pub, Minotaure, the Brookstreet Hotel, and Beyond the Pale Brewing Co.
A mutually beneficial relationship with downtown businesses
Cancura says he’s focused on further developing year-round programming to promote jazz in the capital, such as the Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival. But he says funding is always a challenge.
“Although we are grateful for all the funding and sponsorships we receive, it hasn’t kept up with rising inflation,” says Cancura. “Post-pandemic, it’s been really hard to attract big sponsors, as everyone has become more cost-conscious.”
Beyond sponsorships, however, Cancura says the success of the festival is about the people behind it – along with its convenient urban location, which has helped foster a mutually beneficial relationship with downtown businesses of all stripes.
“We’re still working hard to rejuvenate the downtown core post-COVID,” explains Cancura. “It’s important for local businesses and for the vibrancy of the downtown core.
“Having deep roots across the entire community, when you consider the easily accessible location by public transportation, and the number of local venues, it would make it possible for us to present music year-round – given the fiscal opportunity.”
This year’s event will feature a slew of new additions, including an expanded space at Marion Dewar Plaza, a revamped VIP Jazz Lounge at Confederation Park, and an artist Q&A series at the National Arts Centre. Set for June 20-29, the festival will feature more than 100 popular international and Canadian artists.
