Jersey City is gearing up for a citywide party — one of the largest jazz festivals in the tri-state area. Today, May 29th, the 11th annual Jersey City Jazz Festival kicks off at 6PM with live music performances following every day until Sunday, June 2nd. The festival, presented by Exchange Place Alliance and hosted by local nonprofit Riverview Jazz, is taking over various venues throughout the city on the weeknights and culminates in a two-day, three-stage party at the Exchange Place Pedestrian Plaza. Keep reading to learn more about the Jersey City Jazz Festival and the 2024 event schedule.
Photo Credit: Riverview Jazz
The Details
One of the largest jazz festivals in the Tri-State area, Jersey City Jazz Fest is a citywide event that features over 300 musicians performing on stages, in clubs, and parks. A large majority of the programming is free to the public, except for some of the weeknight club performances and the Ford’s Gin Row tented stage ($20/day advance) at the weekend event. You can find tickets to these events here.
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This year, the event runs from Wednesday, May 29th through Sunday, June 2nd. Food trucks, artisan vendors, bars, and VIP areas are available for all ages to check out. The schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, May 29
JCJF Opening Party
- Canopy Hotel 6PM – 9PM | 159 Morgan Street
- FREE with a reservation
Kenselaar Jam Session
- Cafe Corretto 9PM | 123 Newark Avenue
- $10 to attend
Thursday, May 30
Jerry Weldon Quartet with Joy Brown, Andrew Wagner + Alex De Lazzari Group
- Brennan Courthouse 7PM | 583 Newark Avenue
- $25 to attend
Milkman + Sons
- The Archer 7PM | 176 Newark Avenue
- FREE
Hot String Alliance
- Skinners Loft 7PM | 146 Newark Avenue
- FREE
Tim Berne Quartet
- Pet Shop 9PM | 146 Newark Avenue
- $20/25 to attend
Friday, May 31
Happy Hour with Nobuki Takamen Trio
- Canopy Hotel 5PM | 159 Morgan Street
- FREE
Johnathan Blake Trion, Mecadon McCune Band
- Nimbus Arts Center 7PM | 329 Warren Street
- $40/45 to attend
Jerome Jennings & ill Philosophy
- The Statuary 7PM | 53 Congress Street
- FREE, donations suggested
Jam Session
- Moore’s Place 7PM | 189 Monticello Avenue
- FREE
Exalted with Nick Masters
- Departed Soles 9PM | 150 Bay Street
- FREE
Saturday, June 1: Exchange Place Plaza
Ford’s Gin Row – $
- Champian Fulton Trio | 1PM
- Orrin Evans Trio | 3PM
- Trio HGH (Hébert, Garzone, Hart) | 5PM
- Dave Kikoski Trio feat. Billy Hart + Joe Martin | 5PM
Exchange Place Alliance Plaza Stage – FREE
- Riverview Jazz All-Stars feat. Lezlie Harrison | 12PM
- Lance Bryant & Shout! | 2PM
- Paris Monster | 4PM
- Nation Beat | 6PM
- Mambo Legends Orchestra | 8PM
City of Jersey City Pier Stage – FREE
- United Children’s Music Project Latin Ensemble | 1:30PM
- Rachel Therrien’s Latin Jazz Project | 3:30PM
- Winard Harper & Jeli Posse | 5:30PM
Hyatt House After Hours
- Tyreek McDole Jam Session on the Terrace | 9PM
- Moses Patrou Organ Trio on the Rooftop | 10PM
Sunday, June 2: Exchange Place Plaza
Bike JC Ward Tour
- Exchange Place 11AM
Jazz Brunch with Kate Curran + Ron Affif
- Hyatt House 11AM | 1 Exchange Place
- FREE with reservation
Ford’s Gin Row $
- Curtis Brothers feat. Craig Handy | 1PM
- George Coleman Quartet | 3PM
- Brianna Thomas Band | 5PM
Exchange Place Alliance Plaza Stage – FREE
- Yvonnick Prené Quintet “Listen” | 12PM
- Honk Family Band | 2PM
- Cyro Baptista’s Chama | 4PM
- La Excelensia | 6PM
City of Jersey City Pier Stage – FREE
- NJCU Jazz Combo | 12:30PM
- Alon Nechustan Quartet | 1:30PM
- Juanga Lakunza Quintet | 4:30PM
After-party
- Moore’s Place 7PM | 189 Monticello Avenue
See the full schedule on Riverview Jazz’s website here.
About Riverview Jazz
Riverview Jazz is a Jersey City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that began in 2013 as a community concert at the Riverview Farmers Market. In a few short years, Riverview Jazz was producing up to 100 events a year, free to the public. In 2019, the Riverview Jazz Festival rebranded as the Jersey City Jazz Festival and drew a crowd of 30,000 attendees, making it one of the largest jazz festivals in the NYC-tristate area. The nonprofit is dedicated to “building a self-sustaining audience for the arts by presenting various forms of Jazz to the community in a combination of traditional and non-traditional spaces,” per its website.
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