Every August, New York pays tribute to Charlie “Bird” Parker with three days of free jazz in the two neighborhoods that shaped him, Harlem and the East Village.
Parker was a leading figure in the creation of bebop (modern jazz) in 1940s Harlem. At the same time, cubop (Latin jazz) was created by some of the same artists in East Harlem “El Barrio.” We used to cross Fifth Avenue to sit in or listen to each other.
Founded in 1993, the festival has grown into one of the city’s essential jazz traditions, pairing bebop titans with the artists carrying the music forward.
It’s produced by City Parks Foundation as part of SummerStage, and every show is free and open to the public. Beyond the three headline concerts, a run of ancillary shows fills the week leading up to the festival with jazz in community gardens, film screenings, and jam sessions across Manhattan.
34th Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 2026
Jazz legends channel Bird in two places where he found his groove
El Sol Brillante garden (522 East 12th St): Wed, August 26, 2026 | 5:30pm
Marcus Garvey Park Harlem: Fri-Sat, August 28-29, 2026 | 7pm
Tompkins Square Park, East Village: Sun, August 30, 2026 | 7pm
FREE
Xiomara Laugart featuring Reverse Audio: Jazz in the Garden
An ancillary festival show featuring the great Cuban trova singer Xiomara Laugart and her son, pianist Axel Tosca
El Sol Brillante community garden
East Village, Manhattan
Wed, August 26, 2026 | 5:30-6:30pm
FREE
Ahead of the main festival weekend, Cuban Trova singer Xiomara Laugart brings a direct Latin thread into the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival’s ancillary programming.
A founding member of the Latin fusion band Yerba Buena, Laugart also played the lead role in the 2007 Off-Broadway musical Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz. If you hear “Guantanamera” in Havana’s international airport, it’s probably Xiomara.
She’s often joined these days by her son, pianist Axel Tosca, one of New York’s standout young timba musicians. His trio Reverse Audio blends progressive jazz with Cuban timba, R&B, and hip-hop, rounded out by Jon Smith on bass and Estratos on drums, a set that bridges Parker’s bebop legacy with Cuban rhythm traditions in one of the festival’s smaller, more intimate rooms (a community garden).
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Opening night headliner, NYC’s leading African American jazz big band, is joined by trumpeter Marquis Hill and vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, with the Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars opening
Marcus Garvey Park
Harlem, Manhattan
Fri, August 28, 2026 | 7-9:30pm
FREE
The festival opens under the direction of alto saxophonist Sherman Irby, who leads the full Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra through a night built around Bird’s legacy.
Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill brings his own modern voice into the mix, while Cameroonian American vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, a rising name off a Tiny Desk appearance and a runner-up finish at the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Voice Competition, gives the evening a fresh generational edge. New York’s leading African American jazz big band is anchored by New York Puerto Rican bassist Carlos Henriquez.
The Bill Saxton Harlem All-Stars open the night, rooting the show in the neighborhood Parker called home.
Joshua Redman
Saturday’s headliner, joined by Nat Adderley Jr, Catherine Russell, Nicole Glover, and DJ Kultured Child
Marcus Garvey Park
Harlem, Manhattan
Sat, August 29, 2026 | 2-7pm
FREE
Saxophonist Joshua Redman, son of Dewey Redman and one of the most respected bandleaders of his generation, headlines a lineup that spans jazz lineage several times over.
Pianist Nat Adderley Jr, who spent years as Luther Vandross’s music director and carries his own family tie to Nat and Cannonball Adderley, shares the bill with Grammy winning vocalist Catherine Russell, known for her album Harlem on My Mind and years touring with David Bowie and Steely Dan. Saxophonist Nicole Glover opens the show.
Ravi Coltrane
Sunday’s headliner, joined by the Billy Hart Quartet, Kassa Overall, and Vanisha Gould
Tompkins Square Park
East Village
Sun, August 30, 2026 | 3-7pm
FREE
The festival closes downtown with Ravi Coltrane, son of John and Alice Coltrane, whose own catalog of six albums as a bandleader and work with the Blue Note 7 supergroup have made him a major voice in his own right.
He’s joined by the long running Billy Hart Quartet and boundary pushing drummer and producer Kassa Overall, closing out the weekend with a lineup that traces jazz from its legends straight through to its current edge.