Erie's Blues and Jazz Fest Sept. 24 - 26

Contributed Photos

Kahil El'Zabar (left) and Larry McCray lead headlining bands on Saturday and Sunday

Friday, Sept. 24 - 26

Sometimes good things are worth the wait. As August came and went, one weekend remained in question: Erie's Blues & Jazz Festival. As any jazz musician knows though, you need to pay attention to the changes. 

Presented by Highmark Health and AHN Saint Vincent, Erie's Blues & Jazz Festival will return for its 29th year on Friday, Sept. 24, running until Sunday, Sept. 26. All this will take place – once again – at the lovely Frontier Park. 

Eager Erieites can rest easy knowing that the festival is not gone, and has every hope of continuing on well into its third decade. While the festival has traditionally taken place the first weekend in August, a slot at the end of September will do the trick, with the 2022 festival finding itself back in early August. 

John Vanco, the longtime artistic director of the festival, noted that "sponsors have stepped up and said, 'we're glad you're doing this; the community needs this event.' You know, it's good for the mental health of the community."

Friday night will mark the screening of the first Erie Dance Film Festival, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Both Saturday and Sunday will see performances and workshops by Squonk Opera, whose innovative, elaborately constructed performances some may remember from 2018. 

The local organization Our Air, Our Water, Our Rights will be sponsoring an electric vehicle show on Saturday, located along West Sixth Street.  

The outdoor event will be similar to years past, with the main stage for performances and other events and interactive workshops going on throughout Frontier Park, in tandem with the concurrently running Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier (LEAF) Festival. – Nick Warren

Weekend Lineup

Friday, Sept. 24

7:00 to 7:30 p.m. - Intro to Erie Dance Film Festival with live performances

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Screening of First Annual Erie Dance Film Festival

Saturday, Sept. 25

1:30 to 2:30 p.m. - SQUONK Hand to Hand performance 

2:30 to 4:00 p.m. - King Solomon Hicks Band

6:00 to 7:00 p.m. - SQUONK Hand to Hand performance 

7:00 to 8:30 p.m. - Larry McCray Blues Band

Sunday, Sept. 26

2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. - SQUONK Hand to Hand performance 

3:00 to 4:30 p.m. - Chris Dempsey Group

5:00 to 6:30 - Chautauqua Jazz Revival

7:00 to 8:30 p.m. - Kahil El'Zabar's Quartet

Saturday Demos

All day: Ansumana Gbembo (African tailor), Armando Reyes
(Woodworker and drum maker), Meryem-Zina (Arabic Calligraphy),
Fatima Athow & Afaf Kormouna (henna)
2:00 to 4:00 p.m. - NPAA Figure Drawing with Live Model (at the McCain
Outdoor Classroom.) All are welcome to sit in and draw.
2:30 to 3:00 p.m. - Fredy Huamán Malqui: Wood Carving Demonstration
3:00 to 5:00 p.m. - Esther Hong: Asian watercolor
5:00 to 6:00 p.m. - Courtney Pettis: drawing

Sunday Demos

Ansumana Gbembo (African tailor), Meryem-Zina (Arabic Calligraphy),
Fatima Athow & Afaf Kormouna (henna) and others.

Friday through Sunday // Frontier Park, 1501 W. Sixth St. // Free // For a full schedule of events, go to eriebluesandjazz.com