Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival

Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival is an annual grand tasting festival held each August in Vancouver, Washington — now in its 26th year, it draws an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 attendees to Esther Short Park over 3 days. The 2026 edition runs August 21, 22, and 23, and since its founding in 1998 has welcomed visitors from 30 U.S. states, Canada, China, Europe, and Japan, with more than 150,000 total attendees recorded since inception. ABC TV's KATU 2 in Portland has called it "the largest festival of its kind in the Pacific Northwest."

The festival combines Northwest wines, live music, fine art, and local cuisine under a single outdoor event footprint at Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver, just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon. Music programming spans jazz, blues, gospel, and pop, with a track record that includes GRAMMY-winning and internationally acclaimed performers — past headliners have included Al Jarreau, Chick Corea, The Temptations, Mavis Staples, and more than 100 local and regional jazz bands over the festival's history. Fine artists and commercial exhibitors join winery and restaurant participants each year, making the event a multi-discipline cultural gathering rather than a pure wine tasting. The festival has been awarded "Event of the Year" for Southwest Washington by the Washington Festivals & Events Association and recognized as an "Outstanding Tourism Event" by Clark County.

The Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival is organized by Bravo! Vancouver, a Washington State 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization, and all proceeds support music, arts, and education programs. Ticket and schedule details for 2026 are forthcoming at the festival's official website. Visitors planning to attend from out of town should note that 68% of the audience historically comes from outside Vancouver, so hotel and parking reservations are advisable well in advance — the festival website provides direct links for both. The festival office can be reached at 360-906-0441 for sponsorship or event inquiries.

Vancouver, Washington sits at the northern edge of the Willamette Valley wine corridor and within reach of Columbia Valley AVA producers, giving the festival access to a broad range of Pacific Northwest wines. The region is known for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris from Oregon's side of the river, and for Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Riesling from Washington's Columbia Valley appellations — a geographic position that naturally shapes the festival's wine selection toward Northwest variety.