For nearly 30 years now, downtown Hartford has hosted one of the country’s great celebrations of that genuinely American musical form of jazz. And the 2018 edition of this beloved event is fast approaching—now’s the time to book your Goodwin guest room or suite so you’re in the audience for it!
We’re speaking, of course, of the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, the biggest free jazz concert event in all of New England. More than 70,000 music lovers took in its singular pleasures in 2017, and what’ll likely be a comparable contingent of festivalgoers will be on hand Friday, July 20th through Sunday, July 22nd for this year’s iteration.
The 2018 Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz: Location & Lineup
As usual, the 27th annual Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz will go down in the oldest public greenspace in the country: Bushnell Park, less than a mile from our boutique hotel here on Haynes Street. There’s an illustrious register of past performers at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, including Nancy Wilson, Herbie Mann, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Pamela Williams, and the Ramsey Lewis Trio, and this year’s participants certainly continue the top-shelf tradition.
The festival’s Opening Ceremony gets underway at 6:30 PM on Friday, followed by a lively concert by the acclaimed Connecticut jazz/salsa band Orquesta Espada that’ll feature flautist Nestor Torres and Alisha’s House of Salsa Dancers. Spyro Gyra closes out the festival’s first night beginning at 9 PM. Saturday’s Pavilion Stage lineup includes Trombeatz (2:30 PM), Ace Livingston (4:30 PM), and Michon Young (6:30 PM), with evening performances by Elan Trotman Caribbean Connection (8:30 PM), the Side Street Dancers (10:30 PM), and Andy Bassford’s Jazz Conspiracy (10:45 PM).
On Sunday, the Funky Dawgz Brass Band takes the stage at 2:30 PM, followed by Jocelyn Pleasant and the Lost Tribe (4 PM), the Mike Casey Trio with Benito Gonzalez (6 PM), and the Azar Lawrence Experience finishing off the festival at 8 PM.
Other Attractions at the Festival
Besides the stellar music, the Greater Hartford Jazz Festival will also feature a wide range of food vendors as well as a well-stocked arts-and-crafts marketplace.
Join Us at the Goodwin for the 27th Annual Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz
The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz weekend will be upon us before you know it, so reserve your guest room or suite here at the Goodwin so you’ve got conveniently nearby, note-perfect boutique accommodations downtown for the affair!
