Detroit Jazz Festival: Lineup, time, and locations for Labor Day weekend event

(FOX 2) - The Detroit Jazz Fest is right around the corner and there are all kinds of performances to look forward to. 

Originally planned in 1980, the annual festival has become a mainstay of Detroit entertainment and one of the last music concerts of the summer. The majority of the festival happens in Hart Plaza, at Campus Martius, and in Cadillca Square. 

Other acts will take place on Wayne State University's campus. 

When is the Detroit Jazz Festival?

The festival goes from Friday to Monday, spanning all of Labor Day weekend in downtown Detroit. Friday's shows start at 6 p.m., and go until midnight. 

Performances on Saturday start at 2:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m., both ending at midnight. Monday's shows start at 1:30 p.m. and go until 7:15 p.m.

Program Schedule

FRIDAY AUGUST 29TH

CARHARTT AMPHITHEATER STAGE (Hart Plaza)

• 6:00 p.m. Dr. Valade’s Brass Band Featuring Shannon Powell
• 7:00–8:15 p.m. Keyon Harrold ‘Foreverland’
• 9:00–10:15 p.m. 2025 Artist-In-Residence Jason Moran and Jeff Mills with special guest Jessica Care Moore

DETROIT JAZZ HALL located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University

• 10:30 p.m.– Emmet Cohen Trio midnight (Midtown After Hours Special)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30

CARHARTT AMPHITHEATER STAGE (Hart Plaza)

• 2:30–3:45 p.m. Wayne State University Jazz Warriors Big Band under the direction of Professor Vincent Chandler
• 4:45–6:00 p.m. Herlin Riley Quartet
• 7:00–8:15 p.m. CHRIS POTTER TRIO Featuring Matt Brewer and Kendrick Scott
• 9:15–10:30 p.m. Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

JPMORGAN CHASE MAIN STAGE (Cadillac Square)

• 2:45–3:45 p.m. Zen Zadravec
• 4:30–5:45 p.m. John Pizzarelli
• 6:30–7:45 p.m. Kenny Barron Voices featuring Tyreek McDole
• 8:45–10:00 p.m. Maria Schneider Orchestra

ABSOPURE WATERFRONT STAGE (Hart Plaza)

• 2:30–3:30 p.m. William Hill III
• 4:00–5:00 p.m. G S L (Gayelynn Sequoia Laura)
• 5:45–6:45 p.m. Allen Dennard Quartet
• 7:00–8:15 p.m. Tatiana Eva-Marie "Paris Je Taime!"
• 9:15–10:30 p.m. Endea Owens & The Cookout

DETROIT JAZZ HALL located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University

• 12:00–3:30 p.m. High School Showcase – University of Detroit Jazz Orchestra, Ludington High School Jazz Ensemble, Notre Dame Preparatory High School Jazz Band, Utica High School Jazz Band, Northville High School Jazz Ensemble
• 10:30 p.m.– James Carter Organ Trio midnight (Midtown After Hours Special)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 31

CARHARTT AMPHITHEATER STAGE (Hart Plaza)

• 2:00–2:50 p.m. Downbeat Blindfold Test
• 3:20–4:30 p.m. Michigan State University Jazz Orchestra I Bebop Spartans under the direction of Professor Rodney Whitaker
• 5:15–6:30 p.m. Lakecia Benjamin
• 7:15–8:30 p.m. Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos
• 9:15–10:30 p.m. Branford Marsalis Quartet

JPMORGAN CHASE MAIN STAGE (Cadillac Square)

• 2:45–3:45 p.m. Randy Napoleon and Waking Dream
• 4:30–5:45 p.m. Connie Han Trio
• 6:30–7:45 p.m. 2025 Artist-In-Residence Jason Moran presents the music of Duke Ellington featuring the Detroit Jazz Festival Collegiate Jazz Orchestra
• 8:45–10:00 p.m. Chucho Valdés & Paquito D’Rivera Reunion Sextet

ABSOPURE WATERFRONT STAGE (Hart Plaza)

• 1:30–2:15 p.m. J.C. Heard JazzWeek All-Stars featuring the 2025 Youth Jazz Vocal Competition Winner Kyla Deboes
• 2:20–3:05 p.m. Tottori Jazz Mission – Takumi Inoue Quartet featuring Himiko Kikuchi
• 3:05–3:45 p.m. Tottori Jazz Mission/J.C. Heard JazzWeek All-Stars International Jam
• 4:15–5:15 p.m. Detroit Jazz Queens – Paying Homage to Those Upon Whose Shoulders We Stand "Ella, Nancy, Dinah, Etta"
• 5:45–6:45 p.m. Ian Fink
• 7:30–8:30 p.m. Zambra (featuring Devon Gates, Ria Modak, Angela Varo, Bahar Badieitabar and Queralt Giralt)
• 9:15–10:30 p.m. Walter Smith III Quartet

DETROIT JAZZ HALL located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University

• 12:00–3:30 p.m. High School Showcase – Grosse Ile High School Jazz Band, East Kentwood High School Jazz 1, Meridian High School Jazz Ensemble, Rochester Adams High School, Northview High School Jazz Ensemble
• 10:30 p.m.– Rodney Whitaker Sextet Performs the Music ofmidnight Joe Henderson (Midtown After Hours Special)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

CARHARTT AMPHITHEATER STAGE (Hart Plaza)

• 1:30–2:30 p.m. Nick Collins Sextet
• 3:00–4:00 p.m. Louis Jones III & The Flood
• 4:45–6:00 p.m. John Scofield Quartet featuring Vicente Archer, Bill Stewart and Nicholas Payton

JPMORGAN CHASE MAIN STAGE (Cadillac Square)

• 1:00–2:00 p.m. University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Professor Ellen Rowe and University of Michigan Jazz Trombone Ensemble under the direction of Professor Dennis Wilson
• 2:30–3:30 p.m. Kris Davis Trio featuring Robert Hurst & Johnathan Blake
• 4:15–5:15 p.m. James Francies Trio
• 6:00–7:15 p.m. 2025 Artist-In-Residence Jason Moran and the Bandwagon w/ special guests Meshell Ndegeocello and Akili Bradley

ABSOPURE WATERFRONT STAGE (Hart Plaza)

• 1:30–2:30 p.m. Tiffany Gridiron & Friends
• 3:15–4:15 p.m. Collegiate Combo Competition Winner Sonder
• 5:00–6:15 p.m. Marion Hayden and Legacy with special guest Kamau Kenyatta

DETROIT JAZZ HALL located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University 

• 12:00–2:30 p.m. Detroit Public Schools Community District Showcase – Duke Ellington Conservatory of Music and Art @ Beckham Academy, Renaissance High School, Detroit School of the Arts

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