Founded in 1985 and incorporated as Coastal Jazz & Blues Society in 1986, Coastal Jazz is a community-based, not-for-profit, charitable music arts organization that has worked diligently to establish Vancouver as a centre for creating and exchanging sounds and ideas between local, national, and international music communities. Its mission is to increase music appreciation and strengthen the arts community by developing special projects, artistic exchanges, partnerships, educational initiatives, community programs, and collaborations that further the art form. Ranked as one of BC's largest not-for-profit music presenters, Coastal Jazz produces the annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival, as well as presents local, national, and international musical artists throughout the year. It has a long-standing commitment to music education through its youth music programs and workshops. Coastal Jazz is proud to be a significant part of Vancouver's and B.C.'s economic engine and tourism industry, attracting over 100,000 people to its annual festival and generating an estimated $20 million in economic impact.
