FREE EVENT: 31ST ANNUAL CENTRAL AVENUE JAZZ FESTIVAL 2026
About the event
Join me at the 31st Annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival. It's a great day listening to music, eating, checking out arts and crafts, and people watching. I've been going since 2004 and it's always a great vibe. AND IT'S FREE!
Date: Saturday, September 19 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Price: $0.00! No tickets required! Just show up! (They threaten to double the price every year)
Location: Central Avenue between MLK Blvd. & Vernon Ave., centered around Central Avenue Jazz Park on E. 42nd St., Los Angeles Google Maps: *https://goo.gl/maps/hE9n6L4hdUWNEwcr6.*
Give yourself lots of time to park
I will post my location when I get there!
3 Stages of music, lots of food, arts and craft, and a very cool vibe
Festival FAQ page, including parking info: *[https://centralavejazzfest.com/know-before-you-go/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/know-before-you-go/)*
The best place for updated information is their Instagram page: *[https://www.instagram.com/centralavenuejazz/](https://www.instagram.com/centralavenuejazz/)*
Festival Website: [https://centralavejazzfest.com/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/)
From Wikipedia: *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Avenue_Jazz_Festival](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Avenue_Jazz_Festival)*
1996 documentary video: *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA8NcUgLtgI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA8NcUgLtgI)*
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE HERE: *[https://centralavejazzfest.com/performances/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/performances/)*
Set times will be posted when/if available
Performers:
• Sheila E (headliner) [https://centralavejazzfest.com/sheila-e/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/sheila-e/) • Jazzamerica [https://centralavejazzfest.com/jazzamerica-2/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/jazzamerica-2/) • Jason Marsalis Quartet [https://centralavejazzfest.com/jason-marsalis-quartet-ft-vanisha-gould/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/jason-marsalis-quartet-ft-vanisha-gould/) • Fresha [https://centralavejazzfest.com/fresha/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/fresha/) • Endea Owens & Cookout [https://centralavejazzfest.com/endea-owens-the-cookout/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/endea-owens-the-cookout/) • Isaah Collier Plays Coltrane [https://centralavejazzfest.com/collier-plays-coltrane/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/collier-plays-coltrane/) • World Stage Big Band [https://centralavejazzfest.com/the-world-stage-big-band-featuring-almita-delone-dwight-trible/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/the-world-stage-big-band-featuring-almita-delone-dwight-trible/) • Fernando Pullum [https://centralavejazzfest.com/fernando-pullum-community-arts-center-jazz-band/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/fernando-pullum-community-arts-center-jazz-band/) • Tatiana Tate [https://centralavejazzfest.com/tatiana-tate/](https://centralavejazzfest.com/tatiana-tate/)
A look back at the 28th annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival: *[https://youtu.be/0cmBQZ2Hbdo?si=BT44QcNfZ9qFOcan](https://youtu.be/0cmBQZ2Hbdo?si=BT44QcNfZ9qFOcan)*
Central Avenue, after which the area is named, was in the 1930s and 1940s a vibrant center for jazz. At this time the infamous covenant line along Washington Boulevard demarcated the areas where African Americans were allowed to live. Even the giants of jazz music, such as Duke Ellington were allowed to play in Hollywood and other areas, but they could not stay there. They often stayed at the now-historic Dunbar Hotel. The Dunbar Hotel featured a nightclub called the Club Alabam, where the jazz greats would play after hours. All around the hotel there were numerous other clubs featuring jazz and blues, which were the launching point for the careers of many well-known musicians. One of the aims of the festival is to raise funds for the preservation of the Dunbar Hotel.
The festival takes place on several blocks of Central Avenue, south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which includes the Dunbar Hotel. There are many booths with food, arts and crafts, as well as community outreach programs. The festival is…
