The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival returns for its 34th year on August 28–30, 2026, with three days of free concerts in Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park and Tompkins Square Park in the East Village — the two neighbourhoods Bird lived in. It is programmed by City Parks Foundation as part of SummerStage, and every main-stage set is free.
Verified August 24 · updated as details are announced
The festival is arranged so each day has its own centre of gravity. Friday opens in Harlem with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra — the biggest-band night. Saturday stays uptown at Marcus Garvey Park for the headline sets. Sunday moves downtown to Tompkins Square Park, a smaller and denser space a short walk from where Parker lived on Avenue B, and it is the day the festival feels most like a neighbourhood event rather than a concert.
Both parks are open lawns with no reserved seating, and the headline sets fill them. Arriving an hour before the first act is the difference between sitting near the stage and listening from the path. Bring a blanket rather than a chair for Tompkins Square, where the space is tighter. Ancillary Jazz in the Garden sets run in smaller community gardens across the same weekend and rarely fill up.
Yes — all main-stage concerts are free and no ticket is needed. Seating on the lawn is first-come.
Friday August 28 through Sunday August 30, 2026, its 34th year.
Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem for the Friday and Saturday programmes, and Tompkins Square Park in the East Village on Sunday.
Both sit in neighbourhoods Charlie Parker lived in — his last home was on Avenue B facing Tompkins Square Park, now a landmarked building.
9 picks · checked Aug 25
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival — Jazz In the Garden, East Village, ManhattanCuban trova legend Xiomara Laugart sings free in a community garden blocks from where Charlie Parker lived, backed by Reverse Audio.
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival — Jazz In the Garden, East Village, ManhattanCuban trova legend Xiomara Laugart sings free in a community garden blocks from where Charlie Parker lived, backed by Reverse Audio.
El Sol Brillante Community Garden, East Village, ManhattanCuban trova singer Xiomara Laugart sings free in an East 12th Street community garden, backed by her son's timba-jazz trio Reverse Audio.
El Sol Brillante Community Garden, East Village, ManhattanCuban trova singer Xiomara Laugart sings free in an East 12th Street community garden, backed by her son's timba-jazz trio Reverse Audio.
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Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, ManhattanThe Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra opens Charlie Parker weekend in Marcus Garvey Park with Marquis Hill and Ekep Nkwelle.
Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, ManhattanThe Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra opens Charlie Parker weekend in Marcus Garvey Park with Marquis Hill and Ekep Nkwelle.
Harlem Rose Garden, Harlem, ManhattanSaxophonist David Lee Jones plays a free hour in the Harlem Rose Garden, a community plot on East 129th Street, before the festival's opening night.
Harlem Rose Garden, Harlem, ManhattanSaxophonist David Lee Jones plays a free hour in the Harlem Rose Garden, a community plot on East 129th Street, before the festival's opening night.
Birdland Jazz Club, Theater District, ManhattanHudson Valley Traveller · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAlto saxophonist David DeJesus plays Charlie Parker at Birdland, the club named after Parker himself.
Birdland Jazz Club, Theater District, ManhattanHudson Valley Traveller · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAlto saxophonist David DeJesus plays Charlie Parker at Birdland, the club named after Parker himself.
Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, ManhattanJoshua Redman, Catherine Russell and Nat Adderley Jr. share a free Harlem park stage for five hours of Charlie Parker Festival jazz.
Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, ManhattanJoshua Redman, Catherine Russell and Nat Adderley Jr. share a free Harlem park stage for five hours of Charlie Parker Festival jazz.
Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, ManhattanMomos · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsTwenty-eight Harlem artists hang work outdoors in Marcus Garvey Park, with a drop-in self-portrait workshop led by Elan Cadiz.
Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, ManhattanMomos · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsTwenty-eight Harlem artists hang work outdoors in Marcus Garvey Park, with a drop-in self-portrait workshop led by Elan Cadiz.
Tompkins Square Park, East Village, ManhattanRavi Coltrane, the Billy Hart Quartet, Kassa Overall and Vanisha Gould close Charlie Parker weekend free in Tompkins Square Park.
Tompkins Square Park, East Village, ManhattanRavi Coltrane, the Billy Hart Quartet, Kassa Overall and Vanisha Gould close Charlie Parker weekend free in Tompkins Square Park.
Nublu, Lower East Side, ManhattanBanjoZebra · CC0 · Wikimedia CommonsMelanie Charles hosts the Make Jazz Trill Again mega jam at Nublu with Kassa Overall, closing Charlie Parker weekend.
Nublu, Lower East Side, ManhattanBanjoZebra · CC0 · Wikimedia CommonsMelanie Charles hosts the Make Jazz Trill Again mega jam at Nublu with Kassa Overall, closing Charlie Parker weekend.
This list covers the weekend of Aug 29–30, 2026, and it refreshes automatically every week.
Stumblday curates and re-ranks NYC events each week from official venue and city sources — so you get a short, vetted shortlist instead of an endless calendar.
