How to Attend the JVC Jazz Festival

Started in 1984, the JVC Jazz Festival is a series of events hosted throughout the country to celebrate the best of contemporary and classic jazz. With live concerts playing at large performing arts centers, cafes, jazz clubs and outdoor stages, you can easily find a JVC Jazz Festival event to attend, regardless of your location or musical preferences. Read on to learn how to attend the JVC Jazz Festival.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Decide which JVC Jazz Festival you want to attend. Depending on the time of the year, there are several all around the country, including those in: Concord,California; Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York and Los Angeles, California. There are also JVC Jazz Festivals in Europe, including those in: Warsaw, Poland; Paris, France; and Rotterdam, Netherlands.

2. Find out the day and time of the event you want to attend. The JVC Jazz Festival often tours around the city, holding concerts in both outdoor and indoor venues. In New York, for example, people wishing to attend the JVC Jazz Festival can go to St. Peter's Church or The Studio Museum in Harlem.

3. Get tickets in advance. Many of the shows are free and require no advance reservations or special tickets for the outdoor venues. The indoor venues, however, may require you to buy or obtain tickets, many of which may be limited or highly valued.

4. Make a day out of it. Some concerts are held during the early afternoon while others are held at night. Some concerts last several hours and feature opening acts, main singers, orchestras, exhibitions and popular presenters.

5. Be ready for anything, as some concerts offer seating while others count on the attendants to bring their own. In Chicago, the festival is a three-day extravaganza that receives much publicity while Miami's festival is more of a low-key series of events for the jazz aficionado. Prices, availability and quality vary significantly from place to place.

Tips & Warnings

• Many of the concerts are extremely popular, including the one held in Newport, Rhode Island. If you are planning to attend without tickets, arrive early and be ready to take your place long before the concert starts.
• Take a warm sweater. Outdoor concerts often keep going well into the evening and can be held near the water. Quick temperature changes are the norm.
• Expect breaks at frequent intervals if the concerts are long.
• For outdoors venues, you should consider taking snacks, drinks and a folding chair.