Esperanza Spalding, Monty Alexander & Kermit Ruffins among this year’s Chicago Jazz Festival headliners

CHICAGO (WGN) — The annual Chicago Jazz Festival is only a few months away and organizers have just announced some of the headliners for this year’s event.

The all-ages event brings world-class jazz performers to Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center for four days of free programming over Labor Day weekend.

“Chicago’s jazz legacy runs deep – from Bronzeville basements to global stages,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “This festival represents our city’s enduring creativity, cultural excellence, and commitment to bringing people together through the universal language of music.”

On Thursday, organizers announced the headliners who will perform at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park during this year’s festival and the acts include bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding, piano legend Monty Alexander, trumpeter and vocalist Kermit Ruffins, Afro-Cuban guitarist Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club, and saxophonist Gary Bartz with the NTU Troop.

Additionally, a handful of local artists will also be spotlighted at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, including Patricia Barber, Ari Brown, Ernest Dawkins, Sarah Marie Young, Ava Logan, G. Thomas Allen, the Natalie Scharf Quintet featuring Paul Asaro, and Silvia Manrique & Marcel Bonfim.

This year’s event runs from Thursday, August 28, through Sunday, August 31. Programming at the Pritzker Pavilion kicks off that Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and performances continue daily through 9 p.m.

Organizers provided the following list of performances set to take place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion that weekend:

Thursday, August 28

• 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Henry Johnson
• 7:45 to 9 p.m. – esperanza spalding

Friday, August 29

• 4 to 4:45 p.m. – Sarah Marie Young
• 5:05 to 5:50 p.m. – Silvia Manrique and Marcel Bonfim
• 6:10 to 7:25 p.m. – Patricia Barber
• 7:45 to 9 p.m. – Monty Alexander

Saturday, August 30

• 4 to 4:45 p.m. – Ava Logan Quintet
• 5:05 to 6:05 p.m. – Ernest Dawkins Ensemble New Horizon Redux
• 6:25 to 7:25 p.m. – Gary Bartz & NTU Troop
• 7:45 to 9 p.m. – Kermit Ruffins

Sunday, August 31

• 4 to 4:45 p.m. – Natalie Scharf Quintet featuring Paul Asaro
• 5:05 to 6:05 p.m. – G. Thomas Allen • 6:25–7:25 p.m. – Ari Brown Quintet
• 7:45 to 9 p.m. – Eliades Ochoa

The festival will also feature daytime programming at the Chicago Cultural Center on opening day, August 28, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional performances will also take place at the Von Freemam Pavilion stage at Millennium Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as the WDCB Jazz Lounge on the South Promenade in Millennium Park from 12 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

The event will also feature daytime concerts from youth jazz artists at the Harris Theater Rooftop Terrace stage from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Details on additional performances will be announced in the coming weeks, organizers said.

“The Chicago Jazz Festival stands as a vibrant testament to our city’s deep-rooted cultural legacy and our unwavering dedication to artistic innovation,” DCASE Commissioner Clinée Hedspeth said. “More than just a celebration of jazz, this iconic festival honors the genre’s storied past while spotlighting emerging talents and diverse voices shaping its future. It reflects our ongoing commitment to nurturing the creative community and ensuring that the transformative power of music and the arts remains accessible to every Chicagoan, regardless of background or neighborhood.”

The annual event is produced by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and programmed by the Jazz Institute of Chicago (JIC)

Visit the City of Chicago’s website for more information on this year’s event.