Denton Arts and Jazz Festival - A Small Group

The Denton Arts & Jazz Festival is a free 2½-day event held the last weekend of every April in the city of

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

, and was established in 1981. Produced by the Denton Festival Foundation and sponsored by the City of Denton and corporate sponsors, it brings over 200,000 people each year for live music, fine art, food, drink, crafts, and recreation. The festival is held in Quakertown Park (formerly Civic Center Park), a natural space in the heart of the city near the

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

. The festival includes seven stages, 2,300 artists and 250+ arts and crafts booths. Nationally recognized musicians such as

Ravi Coltrane Ravi Coltrane (born August 6, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist. Co-owner of the record label RKM Music, he has produced pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist David Gilmore, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. Biography Ravi Coltrane is the son of sa ...

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie, ...

, and

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

headline the festival every year on the main stage. The Showcase Stage draws large crowds, with big bands, vocal ensembles, and student jazz groups from the

University of North Texas College of Music The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school among the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. It developed the first jazz studies ...

. 2020 saw the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

causing officials to scrap the festival. The 40th was deferred to 2021.

External links

Denton Arts & Jazz Fest – Official Website
Jazz festivals in the United States Music festivals in Texas Festivals in Denton, Texas Culture of Denton, Texas Tourist attractions in Denton County, Texas Annual events in Texas {{Texas-stub

See also

External links