JAZZ
August 3 -7, 2011
Jazz Festival Venue Information
The Jazz Venue
The Oakville Jazz Festival takes place on 6 outdoor stages located in Downtown Oakville, Ontario. It is a perfect place for a jazz festival with outdoor patios, shopping, great restaurants, pubs and street vendors. The ambience perfectly fits the event. Friday night, Saturday and Saturday night the streets are closed . At night the trees are lit with funky lighting giving the place a special feel. The area is home to several heritage buildings and it is a very quick walk to the waterfront. Also in 2011 there will be 2 perfomances at The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts by Johnny Winter and Alfie Zappacosta.
Stages
There is a large stage located at both Centennial Square at the corner of Navy and Lakeshore, and in Town Square on Lakeshore at the bottom of George Street. Both these stages operate on Friday night, Saturday afternoon and evening as well as Sunday afternoon. Saturday afternoon will see a youth component in Town Square where children have an opportunity to play. This can be a fun and surprising event.
There are 4 other stages located along Lakeshore as well. One is located at Lakeshore and Thomas, a second at Dunn and Lakeshore, a larger stage at Reynolds and Lakeshore and a fourth at Allen and Lakeshore. These stages have a variety of programming Friday and Saturday nights, as well as Saturday during the daytime. Lakeshore Road will be closed all day Saturday to allow for the event.
See the map below.
Where to Stay
There is a small hotel along Lakeshore as well as many major chains in the Oakville area. At most it may be a $25.00 cab ride from any of them, but there is also reasonable public transportation. If you arrive early enough, you may even be able to park in the immediate vicinity. There is also bus service from the Oakville GO station. See the Oakville Jazz Festival shuttle bus service schedule here. Oakville is about a 45 minute train ride from Downtown Toronto.
What to Bring
Other than weather related dress, we would recommend you bring comfortable portable seating as seating is not provided at any stage. There is the occasional garden wall and bench around, but these spots are often claimed early. Refreshments are readily available in the area as it boasts quite a number of good restaurants, pubs, bakeries, and street vendors selling sandwiches, ribs and lots more. A favourite stop for many is the butcher shop on Lakeshore at Thomas.