The Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival will be celebrating its 25th year on August 22nd, 23rd, and 24th at Esther Short Park in Vancouver. The Festival attracts an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people each year. In 2024, visitors from 12 states and from 127 cities attended the Festival. “For this 25th anniversary, our goal was to present a music lineup of GRAMMY-winning jazz, blues, and gospel icons, national acts, young talent, and stellar Northwest musicians. We hit that mark,” says Dr. Maria Manzo, Festival Director. “For 25 years, the Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival has been a cultural event where you can immerse yourself in great jazz, fine art, wine, food, community, and friendship in the beautiful Pacific Northwest summer” she added. The Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival has been recognized for its 25 years of excellence with recent grants and awards, including the Southwest Washington ‘2023 Event of the Year’ by the Washington Festivals and Events Association and also received a 2024 grant from the Paul G. Allen ArtsFund Foundation. “It is gratifying to see the Festival recognized as an important jazz and cultural arts event in the Pacific Northwest,” Dr. Manzo concluded. This years’ presenting sponsor of the Festival is ilani Casino & Resort.
The 2025 Festival features nationally acclaimed jazz, blues, gospel, and GRAMMY winning bands including: trumpeter and 10-time GRAMMY-winner Arturo Sandoval, vocal jazz and gospel icons Take 6, blues harmonica virtuoso Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Chicago blues singer Shemekia Copeland, GRAMMY-nominated jazz pianist David Benoit, jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan, The Rumba Kings, Seattle jazz singer Greta Matassa, jazz singer Halie Loren, Christopher Brown Quartet, Strange Pilgrims, Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle, Taylor Newville & The Riders, the Bridgetown Sextet, pianist Jasnam Daya Singh, and Oregon Hall of Fame blues guitarist Norman Sylvester Band. 18 concerts are scheduled for the 3-day festival.
Tickets include all-day admission. Wine, food, beverages, and art is purchased separately. Advance tickets are: $25 Friday, $35 Saturday, $35 Sunday. The 3-Day Pass is $110, and a 2-Day Pass is $90. VIP tickets are $250 and include reserved seating, catering, wine, logo wine glass, and more. Prices increase after August 1. Buy tickets at www.vancouverwinejazz.com or call the Box Office at 360-906-0441. Hours are 4 PM to 10 PM Friday; 11 AM to 10 PM Saturday; and 11 AM to 9 PM Sunday. The Festival is outdoor, general admission grass seating. Attendees can bring a blanket, lawn chair, or sand chair. Kids age 12 and younger are free with a paid adult.
The Festival also features professional fine artists who display and sell their art. Twenty artists from Washington, Oregon, and California will be presenting their art, which includes watercolor, acrylic, and oil painting, textiles, sculpture, photography, pottery, mixed media, and jewelry. Attendees can sample and enjoy more than 70 Northwest wines, including varietals from Wahluke Slope, Columbia Valley, and Walla Walla regions. Maryhill Winery is the official Festival Wine Sponsor. Attendees can sample wine in 1-ounce tastes or purchase a 5-ounce glass. Northwest Craft beers are on tap including Loowit Hazy IPA, Barrel Mountain Brewery, and others. Bull Run Whiskey, locally crafted in Portland, Oregon, is the Official Festival Whiskey.
Plenty of food options will also be available including Northwest crab cakes & seafood, Greek gyros, Turkish cuisine, southern BBQ, charcuterie, desserts, and more.
