Counting Down to the 30th annual Rosslyn Jazz Fest!
Rosslyn Jazz Fest was back in full swing for the first time in 3 years, and we counted down the days until we celebrated at Gateway Park on Saturday, Sept. 10 to see performances from four fantastic jazz acts!
30. Jazz Fest is FREE and open to the public!
Yes, that's right! You can see Cimafunk, Mwenso & The Shakes, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, and Groove Orchestra for no charge. Registration is not required, but encouraged to help us produce the best experience for all in attendance, so head to the Rosslyn BID Eventbrite to sign up for free!
29. We're welcoming four amazing acts!
As mentioned above, you'll have access to see not one, but four performances with musical influence from around the globe! Groove Orchestra will kick things off at 1 p.m., followed by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio at 2:20 p.m., Mwenso & The Shakes at 3:45 p.m., and Cimafunk will round out the festival, starting at 5:30 p.m.
28. Once again, we're teaming up with Arlington Arts!
Rosslyn Jazz Fest is truly a community effort, and our partnerships are a key piece to each year's success. With a mission to create, support, and promote the arts, connecting artists and community to reflect the diversity of Arlington, Arlington Arts is the perfect partner to help us bring an amazing lineup of acts to Gateway Park every year!
27. Getting to Jazz Fest is as easy as 1, 2, 3 (metro lines and more!)
When you're planning your day at Jazz Fest, your transportation options to get to Rosslyn are abundant! Take the blue, orange, or silver Metro lines, plus numerous buses, including the Arlington ART, Metrobus and D.C. Circulator. You can also grab a bike from Capital Bikeshare and dock at one of our nine area bike racks.
26. Get grooving with the 2022 Jazz Fest Spotify playlist!
Get a taste of what's to come at Rosslyn Jazz Fest with our curated playlist featuring this year's lineup of artists! From Cuban Afro Funk to Soul Jazz and more, you're sure to want to bust a move as soon as you hit play!
25. You have the chance to win some fun prizes!
Rosslyn Jazz Fest has been a longstanding and well-loved tradition in our neighborhood for decades, and we want to see your favorite memories ahead of this milestone year’s festival! Share your past Jazz Fest photos on social media with the hashtag #RosslynJazz for the chance to win a commemorative Jazz Fest T-Shirt, a $25 gift card to a Rosslyn restaurant, two drink tokens to use at the festival, and Rosslyn swag! Head to our Jazz Fest contest page to see the complete rules and details.
24. Get the inside scoop on local talent, Samuel Prather of Groove Orchestra
D.C. Native Samuel Prather, founder of Groove Orchestra, has developed a reputation for performing with and producing all types of music including Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Brazilian, Latin, Soul, and R&B. Learn more about him and his musical journey in this Q&A!
23. We'll have 10 food trucks and a bar!
Hungry, anyone? You're in luck, because we'll have a full spread of dining options on-site at Gateway Park during Jazz Fest! Plus, cool off with a refreshing drink at one of our bars spread throughout the park as you enjoy an afternoon of music!
22. Arlington Art Truck will make an appearance!
Experience an interactive art project at the Arlington Arts Truck when it stops by Jazz Fest! The Arlington Art Truck is a curated mobile toolbox for artists-in-residence to engage the public and blur the line between participant and presenter. Learn more about the art truck and recent projects here!
21. There's now only 3 weeks before you see this three-man band at Jazz Fest!
Another amazing artist in this year's Rosslyn Jazz Fest lineup, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio—or as it is sometimes referred to, DLO3—specializes in the lost art of “feel good music.” They're led by organist Delvon Lamarr, a self-taught virtuosic musician, with perfect pitch who taught himself jazz and has effortlessly been able to play a multitude of instruments.
20. We're working with ACPD to ensure safety and make more room for our attendees!
The annual Rosslyn Jazz Fest is a complex effort bringing together various Arlington County departments to ensure a safe and welcoming environment at Gateway Park. We work with Arlington County Police Department to shut down a road near Gateway Park to accommodate food trucks, vendors, additional restrooms, and more. Closing and rerouting this traffic is key to audience safety and relief for the potential attendance of 10,000 throughout the day!
19. You can have a dog-gone fun time at Gateway Park Interim Dog Park!
The dog days of summer may be over, but that won't stop us from having a paws-itively great time leading up to Jazz Fest! This Friday, Aug. 26, from 3:30-5:30 p.m., we're celebrating National Dog Day at the Gateway Park Interim Dog Park, which is right next door to where we're hosting Jazz Fest! Find more details here.
18. Get in the musical mood all week long with pre-Jazz Fest events!
We're not waiting for Rosslyn Jazz Fest to get the party started! Head to Assembly and the Freshfarm Rosslyn Farmers Market for pop-up concerts around the neighborhood in the week before the big festival, starting on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
17. Learn more about Jazz Fest headliner Cimafunk!
Named by Billboard as a “Top 10 Latin Artist to watch,” Cimafunk is by far one of the most exciting new faces in the Latin music space. But, what got this international music star to where he is now? Read more about how Cimafunk got his start in music in this Q&A!
16. We've got the best team around to support a great event!
Our Ambassadors make sure our neighborhood is a safe, clean, and welcoming place for all. On Saturday, Sept. 10, they'll be doing even more by supporting the Rosslyn Jazz Fest! Events at Gateway Park require a lot of heavy lifting, and our Block by Block Ambassadors help out with set up, as well as performing their usual sanitation and hospitality duties.
15. Jazz Fest is a show for all ages!
Come one, come all! Rosslyn Jazz Fest is a family-friendly event that kids and adults alike can enjoy together. Our lineup of acts will have you dancing and singing the afternoon away!
14. Our performing artists come from all over the globe!
Do you know the distance our artists travel to perform at Rosslyn Jazz Fest? Mwenso & the Shakes are a unique troupe of global artists out of Harlem featuring immigrants from three continents! They will perform at Jazz Fest at 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 10.
13. You can "roll" into Jazz Fest with shows in the week ahead!
Get ready to jam out to Jazz as the Rosslyn Rolling Concert comes through our neighborhood! From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, BroadSound Band will be riding through Rosslyn, making pit stops to play a mix of jazz and pop hits throughout the day! Check out the event page for a full schedule of stops.
12. We're activating an amazing outdoor space: Gateway Park!
Gateway Park is a great space for the community. Its terraced green space provides an open venue for movie nights, gatherings, and more. The park performed this duty well when it welcomed 10,000 Rosslyn Jazz Fest attendees to the 2017, the event's largest attendance to date. We hope that the first large Jazz Fest since 2019 will become another opportunity for the community to come together on Saturday, September 10!
11. Take your picture at our Jazz Fest installation!
Wondering where to find the perfect photo op for Rosslyn Jazz Fest? Stop by the south side of Gateway Park to check out our special photo ring installation celebrating the 30th anniversary of the festival. Be sure to share your selfies, group photos, and more on social with the hashtag #RosslynJazz!
10. Farmers Market + Live Jazz = a great afternoon!
Catch a groove and some great finds on fresh produce and goods from the Freshfarm Farmers Market! One week from today on Sept. 7, you can listen to live music from Blue Dot Jazz Troupe at the market at Central Place Plaza, and enjoy happy hour hosted by Open Road from 5-7 p.m.! The farmers market will operate during regular hours from 3-7 p.m.
9. We've got what you need to know before you go!
Get the low down on what you need to know before you head to Jazz Fest this weekend! From parking and transportation to food options and more, find it all in our Know Before You Go Guide.
8. Assembly is getting in on the jazz fun!
Join us to kick off the week of Rosslyn Jazz Fest on Tuesday, Sept. 6 from 6-8 p.m. at Assembly Food Hall’s outdoor patio with a pop-up performance by the Stickman Band, a D.C.-based Jazz fusion band that has recently reunited after a 25-year hiatus!
Enjoy a drink and grab a bite from Assembly's wide variety of offerings while spending a summer evening listening to jazz in Rosslyn!
7. End your summer with one last big event!
Summer doesn't have to end with Labor Day weekend, because we have Rosslyn Jazz Fest to round out the season! Soak up the sun, great music, and delicious food for one last summer hurrah. And stay tuned to our events page for Rosslyn's fall programming!
6. Our staff is here to make your Jazz Fest experience great!
The Rosslyn BID staff has been hard at work preparing for Jazz Fest so you can have a fun-filled day! We're so excited to welcome you this Saturday, so keep an eye out for us in yellow Jazz Fest shirts at the event!
5. We're kicking off a week of jazz!
With less than a week left until Jazz Fest, we're gearing up with a full week of musical programming to get you excited for the big event! Check out our Jazz Fest event page for all the details.
4. Interact with community tables!
The Rosslyn Jazz Fest is the BID event with the largest attendance of the year! Community members will have the chance to interact with various organizations just outside of Gateway Park. Arlington Arts will bring out their engaging, innovative Arlington Art Truck and the League of Women Voters will be registering voters ahead of this year’s midterms. Our events are another way that the BID convenes community.
3. Say hello to our headliner!
Interested in meeting the 2022 Jazz Fest headliner? Following Cimafunk's performance at Gateway Park, stop by the photo op ring installation on the south side of the park where the Cuban Afro-Funk sensation will be available for a meet and greet!
2. Add a special Jazz Fest T-Shirt to your wardrobe!
We're almost to Jazz Fest! And you know what that means? Not only being able to see an amazing lineup of acts, but also grabbing a 30th anniversary Rosslyn Jazz Fest T-Shirt! They'll be available throughout the festival for $10.
1. Flashback to your favorite Jazz Fest moments!
One more day until Rosslyn Jazz Fest 2022! But before we look forward, let's look backward to all the fun we've had over the last 30 years at Jazz Fest. Submit your Flashback Friday photos of Jazz Fest (extra points if you're wearing a previous Jazz Fest T-Shirt!) on Instagram with #RosslynJazz!