The Victoria Jazz Society is a professional arts organization committed to presenting the highest quality of jazz possible to our community, by presenting music in performance, with acclaimed musicians. Since 1981, through its innovative artistic vision, the VJS has attracted thousands of leading artists from around the world to perform in Victoria. Hundreds of thousands of fans have enjoyed many outstanding festival and non-festival performances that have featured the full spectrum of jazz and improvised music - from the traditional and mainstream, to the avant-garde, including worldbeat and the blues. The Victoria Jazz Society's primary activity is to produce two major multi-day music festivals in the summer, Victoria's JazzFest International and the Vancouver Island Blues Bash, as well as a series of concerts from September to May, all featuring international, national and regional jazz artists. Since 1985, the highlight of the VJS program year has been the production and presentation of JazzFest International, an annual event that begins at the end of June, featuring over 90 individual paid and free performances and workshops in downtown Victoria. JazzFest International presents all genres of jazz, blues and worldbeat music, and has grown into a ten-day festival that attracts over 350 musicians and is attended by over 40,000 people from Greater Victoria, Vancouver Island and around the world. The Vancouver Island Blues Bash, held annually over the Labour Day weekend since 1995, features festival performances by regional, national and international artists and has become one of Victoria's most popular outdoor events. The Blues Bash mainstage, situated in Victoria's Inner Harbour, has become a major showcase for both established and emerging blues and R&B performers.