The Hudson River will once again echo with brass, bass and bop when the 12th annual Jersey City Jazz Festival returns to Exchange Place Plaza the weekend after Memorial Day. Produced by the non-profit Riverview Jazz and presented by Exchange Place Alliance, the free outdoor spectacular welcomes locals and visitors alike on Friday, May 30 (6 p.m.) and Saturday, May 31 (noon–9 p.m.), anchoring a week of club shows and pop-up concerts that begin Tuesday, May 27.
Across three waterfront stages and one intimate, ticketed venue—the Clubhouse by Fords Gin—more than 300 musicians in 30 ensembles will highlight the breadth of contemporary jazz and its many offshoots. Saturday’s marquee set belongs to Artemis (3 p.m., Clubhouse), the all-female powerhouse led by pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes with trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Allison Miller. Fresh off their second consecutive DownBeat Readers Poll win for “Jazz Group of the Year,” the quintet brings Village Vanguard pedigree to the Jersey City riverfront.
Friday night turns Crescent City gold when The Rumble (8 p.m., RWJBarnabas Health Stage) ignites the plaza. Fronted by Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. of the Young Eagles Black Masking Indian Tribe, the eight-piece outfit fuses Mardi Gras Indian funk, brass-band swagger and hip-hop drive into a singular New Orleans celebration.
Festival founder and artistic director Bryan Beninghove sees the weekend as both block party and cultural showcase. “The whole goal of the Jersey City Jazz Festival is to bring the community together and collectively experience all this incredible music we are surrounded by,” he says. “We live in an unparalleled location that many of the greatest musicians in the world call home; it’s an honor to gather each year and celebrate.”
Among those hometown heroes are legendary drummer Winard Harper, who opens the mainstage with his Jeli Posse on Friday and helms the festival-closing jam at Moore’s Lounge on Sunday, June 1. “This music is both medicine and love, ad infinitum,” Harper reflects. Likewise, internationally acclaimed bassist John Hébert headlines an Attic Bar set on Tuesday, May 27 and teams with pianist Fred Hersch, saxophonist Bennie Wallace and drummer Billy Drummond for a rare one-off quartet on Saturday. “Fred and Bennie have never shared the stage,” Hébert notes. “I can’t wait to hear what happens when these heavyweights meet.”
The 2025 roster balances marquee names with rising stars and genre-bending creatives: LA keyboardist/producer Sam Barsh joins viral freestyle phenom Harry Mack; recent Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition honorees April May Webb and Tyreek McDole bring fresh vocal fire; saxophonist Tim Berne, trumpeter Kali Rodriguez Peña, the Astoria Salsa Project, WBGO’s Next Gen Collective, and Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra featuring Grammy-winning vocalist Catherine Russell all add their distinctive voices.
Beyond the music, the festival grounds morph into an all-ages block party. A Community Zone curated by the Jersey City Free Public Library offers bucket-drum workshops, dance lessons, arts-and-crafts and interactive kids’ programming. Two full bars, a curated VIP terrace, jam sessions, and dozens of local food and artisan vendors round out the riverside experience.
The festival’s rapid growth is fueled by broad civic and corporate support. Exchange Place Alliance returns as presenting sponsor, joined by RWJBarnabas Health, Jersey City Free Public Library, WBGO, NJ PBS, the City of Jersey City, Fifteen and others. Public funding is provided in part by the Jersey City Arts & Cultural Trust Fund, the Hudson County LAP Grant and the Princeton Foundation Grant. Official lodging partners include Hyatt House, Hyatt Regency and Canopy by Hilton.
While outdoor performances remain free, limited tickets and VIP packages for the Clubhouse by Fords Gin and select indoor shows are on sale now. Full schedules, artist bios and reservation links can be found at www.JerseyCityJazzFestival.com.
