The Chicago Jazz Festival is one of the world’s great jazz festivals. This free four-day festival is a Labor Day tradition starting on Thursday and continuing through Sunday with stages throughout Chicago’s gorgeous Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center.

Since 1997, the Jazz Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Park District have partnered to bring performances by top jazz musicians into Chicago’s beautiful parks. These free concerts allow communities to come together and experience world-class musicians in their neighborhoods. Click below to see the list of JazzCity concerts for 2024. 

WINTER JAZZ FAIR Halfway to the Chicago Jazz Festival, this free and open-to-the-public one-day event includes jazz performances, panel discussions, vendors, and educational programs that bring together musicians, listeners, students, and media to have a great time and showcase the power of Chicago’s great jazz community.

Jazz Institute of Chicago is proud to program part of Water Colors, a free summer series at Chicago’s beautiful Navy Pier on Fridays at 6:30PM. Chicago is known for its colorful influence on jazz music, which takes center stage in this waterfront series of singers and musicians who specialize in “America’s classical music” at the Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park.

The JIC and the Mellon Foundation recognize the need for artists to continue to create, to develop their voices, and to have the resources to do so.

Bringing the joy and power of jazz music to communities while re-igniting the economic platform for Chicago musicians.