The Montclair Jazz Festival is back for 2023, and includes even more acts and musical artists than last year’s festival. The family-friendly events started up in late July and span until September 9th — when the 2023 Downtown Jamboree will be held. With a history that dates back to 2010, local nonprofit Jazz House Kids has been hosting these events each year. Read on to learn more about the 2023 Montclair Jazz Festival.
The Details
This year’s festival, hosted by Jazz House Kids and presenting sponsor BDP Holdings, includes four jazz-themed events between July 27th and September 9th, all leading up to the Downtown Jamboree on that day. This final family-friendly event will feature five stages stretching down a ½ mile of Bloomfield Avenue from Lackawanna Plaza to Fullerton Avenue, food, merchandise, and more. In total, there will be over 250 artists and 50 musical acts involved.
Read More: The World Cup is Coming to MetLife Stadium in 2026: What to Know
View this post on Instagram
The headliners for the 2023 Downtown Jamboree include Regina Carter, Antibalas, Steve Turre, Melanie Charles, Person to Person with Eric Person and Houston Person, Edmar Castaneda, Vince Ector, Michael Mwenso and the Shakes, Jazz House Collective, and 8-time GRAMMY Award-winning bassist Christian McBride (who is also the festival’s music director and curator).
The schedule of events is as follows:
- Thursday, July 27th from 7PM-10:30PM — Soundcheck Series: Bruce Williams
- Saturday, August 12th from 12PM-8PM — 2023 Block Party
- Thursday, August 24th from 7PM-10:30PM — Soundcheck Series: Dr. Darrell Smith
- Saturday, September 9th from 1PM-9PM — 2023 Downtown Jamboree
You can find more details about the schedule of events on Montclair Jazz Festival’s website.
About Jazz House Kids
Located at 347 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, Jazz House Kids is the only community arts organization in New Jersey exclusively dedicated to educating children ages 8-18 through jazz. Both in-person and online classes are available here. The organization aims to ensure that every student has access to music, education, mentoring, and apprenticeship. Jazz House Kids participate in over 80 performances each year, and are the founders of the Montclair Jazz Festival.
To stay in the know about all of the local happenings, follow @themontclairgirl on Instagram and TikTok.
