Northampton Jazz Festival

2025 FESTIVAL DATES: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH & SATURDAY September 27th (Performers and schedule to be announced in the coming months.)

The Northampton Jazz Festival seeks to expand the exposure of people of all generations, ethnicities and orientations to live jazz, bring new visitors to downtown Northampton, and increase the cultural vitality and economic strength of the city. In so doing, the Northampton Jazz Festival is dedicated to carrying forward our great American music tradition of live jazz for generations to come. 

We stage jazz performances by visiting and local artists at a host of venues around downtown Northampton and feature renowned jazz greats at our main stage concert at the Academy of Music.

On Friday eve we host the Jazz Strut, when guest stroll and dine their way through downtown, as the city’s breweries, bars and cafes host live jazz duets and trios all evening long. The Friday Jazz Strut features the best of the Pioneer Valley’s talented resident jazz artists.

Saturday is Jazz Fest Day when the music line up brings free live jazz to five or six different indoor venues plus Pulaski Park in the center of downtown.

The main stage concert on Saturday night is at the Academy of Music. A ticketed event, we present a renowned artist with international recognition with his or her band mates.

The Northampton Jazz Festival also sponsors a number of other live jazz events, including a  fundraiser for the Jazz Artists in the Schools Program, A Jazzy Arts Night Out, and A Jazz Film Series.