Jazz festival moves to June to hook into circuit

This year's P.E.I. Jazz and Blues Festival will be in June instead of August, which the organizers will say will help it better connect with touring artists.

The late August schedule, while it hit maximum tourist time, was a problem for attracting artists.

"It presents several challenges for the festival to be in what we could call the jazz festival circuit, with respect to how artists tour the country," said festival committee chair Jim Power.

That circuit timeframe is from about mid-June to mid-July.

A new partner

TD will continue to be a major sponsor for the festival, and organizers have also hooked up with HUKA Entertainment, which is connected to music festivals across the continent.

"They're very enthusiastic, very energetic," said Power.

"They have a tremendous amount of experience and background in event management."

In 2018 the festival is making plans to coincide with the Canada Day weekend.

The festival will announce some of the acts coming in 2017 soon.

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