Hyde Park Jazz Fest still free and still cool
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
For nearly two decades, Chicago's Hyde Park Jazz Festival has been a destination for performers and jazz lovers, all while remaining dedicated to its South Side roots.
The big picture: Hyde Park Jazz Society launched the fest to celebrate the diverse styles of the genre while honoring its tradition in the Black American experience.
- In addition to the festival, the group organizes the Back Alley Jazz, a throwback to the jam sessions that took place in the 1960s and '70s in alleys, and hosts symposiums.
Flashback: The Hyde Park Jazz Society hosted the first festival in 2007 with a full day of performances at museums, galleries and other venues across the neighborhood, and since then has expanded to the entire weekend, drawing up to 20,000 people, according to Hyde Park Herald.
Reality check: Financial hurdles, including higher post-COVID production costs and funding cuts, were casting fears on the festival's future, but HPJF executive and artistic director Kate Dumbleton appears undeterred, telling the Chicago Reader last year: "We are highly adaptive, as has been proven many times over the years."
What to expect: Musical performances from Ari Brown Quintet, Alyssa Allgood Quintet, Kenwood Academy Jazz Band.
If you go: The festival takes place 1pm-12am Saturday and 1-7pm Sunday at venues such as the Smart Museum, Hyde Park Bank and Logan Center and an outdoor stage at Midway Plaisance.
- Always free, but a $10 suggested donation.
- Free parking is available in the area, and attendees can bring their own chairs or blankets.