Jazz it Up at DC JazzFest

Summer is winding down but you can still wind it up. Get into the swing of things at DC JazzFest, on from August 30-September 3.

As the largest and most diverse music festival in the nation’s capital, DC JazzFest reaches more than 100,000 visitors of all ages each Labor Day Weekend with performances in neighborhoods citywide at The District Wharf, Arena Stage, Union Stage, The Howard Theatre, Takoma Station, the Kreeger Museum, Eaton DC, Busboys and Poets Anacostia, and other area clubs and restaurants.

For ticket and schedule, visit www.dcjazzfest.org.

DC JazzFest will deliver a stylistically broad, artistically exceptional array of great talent to our nation’s capital, including Gregory Porter, Samara Joy; NEA Jazz Masters Charles Lloyd Kindred Spirits, Terri Lyne Carrington New Standards, Big Chief Donald Harrison and Dave Holland Trio feat Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland, among others.

DCJF will debut the inaugural GENERATIONS Series curated by DCJF Artist-in-Residence Orrin Evans featuring George Cables, Benny Green, Shamie Royston, Hope Udobi, Jazzmeia Horn, Jeff “Tain” Watts, & Kris Funn.

With dozens of performances in venues across the city, the annual DC JazzFest is one of the largest music festivals in the country.

DC JazzFest at the Wharf will highlight some of the finest talent on the regional, national and international jazz scene including Warren Wolf, Sunna Gunlaugs, The String Queens, Ludovica Burtone, Isabella Olivier, the Vinny Valentino Group feat. Marshall Keys, Frederico Peña, and Dennis Chambers; Brass-A-Holics, BIRCKHEAD, Leigh Pilzer Startet, Mark G. Meadows, JoGo Project, and Veronneau.  

2022 DCJazzPrix winner Julieta Eugenio Trio returns to perform on Transit Stage while Levine Music returns as a supporter of some of DC’s student ensembles on the Levine Stage featuring the Levine Adult Combo, Stuart Hobson Jazz Ensemble, and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Jazz Combo.

The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage will feature George V. Johnson Jr., Landon Paddock and AYO (Aug 30-Sept 1). A host of activities take place in neighborhoods across the city including Corcoran Holt Group feat. Marquis Hill, Lisa Sokolov, Jose Luis Martin, and Alex Hamburger in the Takoma DC neighborhood; and Langston Hughes II brings his band to Salamander DC.

The DCJazzPrix Finals returns to Union Stage on Saturday, September 2 with three bands, Birckhead; Ember; and New Jazz Underground, competing for a coveted $15,000 prize.

Opening Day will feature the JazzDC All-Stars directed by Allyn Johnson at Eaton DC and The String Queens and Sunna Gunnlaugs at the House of Sweden.

For the full lineup, visit DC JazzFest Lineup

For the daily schedule, visit: DC JazzFest Daily Schedule

For Frequently Asked Questions about DC Jazzfest at The Wharf, visit: DC JazzFest at The Wharf FAQ

Recognized as the largest and most distinctive music festival in the region, the DC JazzFest reaches more than 60,000 visitors of all ages to enjoy great music and explore our great city’s environs each and every year.

A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the DC Jazz Festival celebrates America’s unique original art form during this international event that attracts jazz lovers from around the world to the nation’s capital. The DCJF also presents year-round programs with performances featuring local, nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.

For more information about the 2023 DC Jazz Fest, including concert updates and ticketing information, stay connected to the DC Jazz Festival at dcjazzfest.org. 

The mission of the DC Jazz Festival is to present internationally renowned and emerging artists in celebration of jazz, unify diverse communities and enable connections between artists and audiences, advance jazz and music education, provide performance opportunities for DC-based musicians, and highlight DC as a major and vibrant center for jazz.