Did you know that the nation’s very first jazz festival took place in Wilkes-Barre?
In fact, a commemorative plaque on Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square reads: “On February 23, 1951, history was made in Wilkes-Barre. Eight jazz bands got together for ‘The Cavalcade of Dixieland Jazz’ which became the country’s first jazz festival.”
To help commemorate and celebrate this historic event – and to help carry on that legacy – The Wilkes-Barre Cavalcade of Jazz will be held on May 3, 4 and 5.
The opening ceremony will be held at the F.M. Kirby Center on Friday night, followed by a Downtown Jazz Walk, with free musical performances at multiple downtown clubs and restaurants including Bank & Vine, Café Toscana, The Vault, Senunas’ and more. On Saturday afternoon, there will be more great jazz at the Abide Coffeehouse, and on Saturday night, the event’s headliner – 10-time Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval – will perform at the F.M. Kirby Center. Sandoval will be accompanied by with the Cavalcade of Jazz Big Band, under the direction of Marko Marcinko. On Sunday, there will be a special jazz brunch at the beautiful and historic Stegmaier Mansion.
Visit Luzerne County is a proud sponsor of The Wilkes-Barre Cavalcade of Jazz and we hope to see you there! The plan is for the Wilkes-Barre Cavalcade of Jazz to become an annual event! For more information on the event, visit: The Wilkes-Barre Cavalcade of Jazz – The website for Wilkes-Barre’s premier Jazz Festival (wilkesbarrecavalcadeofjazz.org)