The 2010-2011 Ballard Jazz Festival series is quickly coming together and we're excited to be able to continue teaming with Seattle businesses and civic groups to produce one of the Northwest's truly unique cultural events.

Started in 2003 to highlight the thriving neighborhood of old town Ballard and Seattle's world-class jazz musicians, the Ballard Jazz Festival has grown into an internationally recognized festival featured worldwide in print and web publications. Our program for this season promises to continue on that path with more music than ever as we further our relationship with two uniquely Ballard institutions - the Nordic Heritage Museum and the Leif Erikson Hall.

For the months of November and April, all eyes and ears will focus on Ballard. Through 260 ads on our four sponsoring radio stations and with features in local print and TV media, it is the community of Ballard that shines by their support of the festival and it benefits from over 2000 attendees arriving for dining, shopping, music and mingling, along with the increasing number of out-of-state tourists who have made the Festival a destination event. In addition to all of the auxiliary spending by our attendees, 70-85% of festival revenue is pumped directly back into the Seattle economy.

With the support of our business and civic partners, we expanded from 2003's single night Jazz Walk with six clubs, to six days of music involving 15 performance venues, concerts, educational events, and more recently, the very popular jazz pancake breakfast. That many of our sponsors have been on board since the beginning is extremely gratifying, and together, we have created a unique and exciting event that the community can take great pride in.