Toronto festival shutting down street with hundreds of free concerts this summer

Make sure to mark your calendar, because one of Toronto's biggest summer festivals is just around the corner, promising nearly a month full of music, dancing, and concerts — all for free.  

The Beaches International Jazz Festival is a three-week-long music festival held each year in July, and is one of Canada's largest free jazz festivals with nearly one million attendees throughout its programs. 

Each year, the festival highlights internationally acclaimed jazz performers and local talent, including new generation jazz musicians. However, don't let the name fool you, because you can expect to hear a lot more than just jazz, with artists set to play genres spanning from hip hop to house, disco to funk, and ska to salsa. 

The festival takes place across multiple venues, including Woobine Park and Jimmie Simpson Park, as well as a two-kilometre stretch of Queen Street East during its annual StreetFest, which takes place on July 24 and 25 this year between Woodbine and Beech Avenues. 

The festival will kick off with the Sounds of Leslieville & Riverside between July 4 and 6 at Jimmie Simpson Park, where you can expect lots of diverse music, delicious food, free swing dance lessons, and performances from The Philcos, U.N. Jefferson, Tell it to Sweeney, Jerry Leger, and The Bomb (Tribute to the 80's). 

Between July 11 and 13, Woodbine Park will be buzzing for the Beaches Jazz Festival's Salsa on the Beach. Here, you'll be moving to the rhythms of salsa, merengue, and cumbia, with plenty of chances to refuel at the food trucks or kick back in the beer garden.

Between July 18 and 20, the TD Weekend Series will be taking over Woodbine Park, with three days full of free concerts, DJ sets, and a special tribute to 90s artists like Biggie, the Backstreet Boys, and Brandy. 

The festival comes to a close with the OLG Weekend Series, a free three-day festival featuring soul, funk, world, and house music. Performances will rewind the clock to the golden era of groove, and spin jams from Nirvana, TLC, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Tupac, Britney Spears, No Doubt, and Destiny's Child. 

The Beaches International Jazz Festival takes place between July 4 and July 27, and is completely free to attend.