The Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival is returning Saturday, July 16 live and in-person! The 2022 Festival will be held at Saunders Park Greene (39th & Powelton) from Noon-7 p.m. and promises to be the best one yet.

The all-day event, which celebrates West Philadelphia and jazz musicians, is free and open to the public. It is organized by People’s Emergency Center (PEC), The Producer’s Guild of Philadelphia, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and a committee of community members, with technical assistance from Nu Millennium Media Productions.

The headliner this year is the Orrin Evans Quartet, performing from the TD Bank Main Stage. The Quartet is led by none other than pianist, composer, and independent recording artist Orrin Evans, gracing the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival stage for the first time.

Other performers include Alan Nelson, Glenn Bryan and Friends, Kendrah Butler Waters, Dylan Band, and Hailey Brinnel. The Festival will also have two groups of youth performing this year – the MJS Trio from West Philadelphia High School and Nazir Ebo’s Youth Ensemble.

Orrin Evans, the headliner of the 2022 Lancaster Avenue Jazz Festival.

The popular summer event which draws a few thousand attendees each year was held virtually last year due to the pandemic after being cancelled in 2020.

“PEC is excited to offer the festival live and in person again,” said Kathy Desmond, PEC president, “we are grateful to our planning committee, partners, and sponsors for all of their support.”

The Festival offers a family-friendly environment to enjoy some of the best live jazz performances that Philadelphia has to offer. The planning committee also invites food trucks to offer delectable treats and refreshing beverages to beat the heat of the day, community resources, and vendors with specialty items to offer.

Updates about the Festival, and jazz pop-up performances leading up to it, can be found on its website and on Facebook. You can also vote for the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival for Best of Philly’s Annual Festival here.

Photos courtesy of PEC