• When

    Thursday to Saturday
    April 26 to 28, 2018

  • Where

    Olympia Theater
    Bayfront Park Amphitheater

  • Who

    Download Schedule

Join Us April 26-28 2018

The jazz event of the year

The 2018 Miami Downtown Jazz Festival is a 3-day event featuring jazz and jazz-inspired sounds from Miami and beyond. Join us!

Joins us beautiful Downtown Miami for three days of incredible performances throughout downtown Miami. The festival kicks off with a day of free, live performances by some of Miami’s top bands at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center – Miami’s central transit hub. Friday night, we move indoors to the historic and incredibly beautiful Olympia Theater for an intimate evening with organist, Dr. Lonnie Smith and vocalist, Kurt Elling. Saturday, it’s music all day! We’re bringing killer bands to the Bayside Marketplace for a day of free performances. We close out the festival Saturday night outdoors with bay breezes and good vibes, as Arturo Sandoval, Lizz Wright and Regina Carter perform at the beautiful Bayfront Park Amphitheater. Don’t miss a moment. Get Your Tickets Now!

Extraordinary Artists

Jazz & Latin Jazz… with a touch of funk, blues, and steel pan from some of the country’s finest musicians. This is a Miami blend of sound.

Event Schedule

The MIAMI DOWNTOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL is three days of live music with FREE and ticketed concerts. Be sure to get your tickets in advance for Friday, April 27th at the historic Olympia Theater and Saturday, April 28th at the breezy Bayfront Park Amphitheater. See the full schedule below.

  • Day 1: Thursday

    April 26, 2018

  • Day 2: Friday

    April 27, 2018

  • Day 3: Saturday

    April 28, 2018

  • 012:00 PM
    Artist
    Funk from Miami led by Hammond Organ specialist, Adam Scone. The sound of the Hammond will get inside of your heart and pound out some emotion.
    Read More About Scone Cash Players
    Where
    Stephen P. Clark Government Center
    111 NW 1st St
    Miami, FL 33132

  • 1:30 PM
    Artist
    Hailing from Miami, Electric Kif and their undeniable spunk has caught the attention of music lovers through their execution of cosmic funk, rock, soul, and jazz. Their taste and talent bring an unparalleled energy and sound to the stage that inevitably creates a uniquely raw experience through every performance.
    Read More About Electric Kif
    Where
    Stephen P. Clark Government Center
    111 NW 1st St
    Miami, FL 33132

  • 3:00 PM
    Artist
    ALR shows are high-energy bolts of music that have no explanation other than sounds that go straight to the heart of the listener.
    Read More About Aaron Lebos Reality
    Where
    Stephen P. Clark Government Center
    111 NW 1st St
    Miami, FL 33132

  • 4:30 PM
    Artist
    The comparison is inevitable. How could it be otherwise? Tito Puente Jr. carries his father with him – imprinted on his physical being and locked in his soul. It’s in his looks, his joy, and his music.
    Read More About Tito Puente, Jr.
    Where
    Stephen P. Clark Government Center
    111 NW 1st St
    Miami, FL 33132

  • 7:00
    Artist
    Jazz Piano Competition Winner - TDB
    Read More About Jazz Piano Competition Winner
    Where
    Olympia Theater
    174 E Flagler Street
    Miami, FL 33131

  • 7:30 PM
    Artist
    2017 NEA Jazz Master Dr. Lonnie Smith is an unparalleled musician, composer, performer and recording artist. An authentic master and guru of the Hammond B-3 organ for over five decades, he has been featured on over seventy albums, and has recorded and performed with a virtual “Who’s Who” of the greatest jazz, blues and R&B giants in the industry.
    Read More About Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio
    Where
    Olympia Theater
    174 E Flagler Street
    Miami, FL 33131

  • 9:30 PM
    Artist
    GRAMMY® winner Kurt Elling is among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. He has won the DownBeat Critics Poll for fourteen consecutive years and was named “Male Singer of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association on eight occasions. Grammy nominated over a dozen times, Elling has also been honored with international jazz awards, including the prestigious Edison Jazz Oeuvreprijs (Lifetime Achievement Award).
    Read More About Kurt Elling
    Where
    Olympia Theater
    174 E Flagler Street
    Miami, FL 33131

  • 11:00 AM
    Artist
    The JECC Boot Camp Ensemble is a weekly workshop held at WDNA under the direction of Nicole Yarling and members of the South Florida jazz educators and professional musicians. The series, going into its sixth year and brings together beginning and seasoned musicians ranging in age from 8 to 19.
    Read More About JECC Boot Camp Ensemble
    Where
    Bayside Marina Stage -- 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132

  • 12:00 PM
    Artist
    Wendy Pedersen is one of South Florida’s favorite performers. Her high-energy vocal delivery, with deep, convincing emotion has been impacting audiences for many years.
    Read More About Wendy Pedersen
    Where
    Bayside Marina Stage - 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132

  • 1:30 PM
    Artist
    Australian guitarist/composer Tim Jago leads a band that mixes hard hitting grooves with unexpected twists and turns, all combined with a strong sense of jazz etiquette and blues driven undertones.
    Read More About Tim Jago Group
    Where
    Bayside Marina Stage - 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132

  • 3:00 PM
    Artist
    Pannist, composer, arranger, Leon Foster Thomas is a unique force in modern jazz. All About Jazz has labeled him as “the next big thing on his instrument”; “his gift is an ability to bring forth any style with abandon, and play his steel pan as if it belonged in jazz all along…there are times when Leon Foster Thomas plays his steel pan like Gary Burton on vibes."
    Read More About Leon Foster Thomas
    Where
    Bayside Marina Stage - 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132

  • 4:30 PM
    Artist
    Conceived by Cuban-born guitarist/composer Eddy Balzola after years of touring with show bands, reggae and Latin bands, Las Vegas clubs etc., Oriente’s signature sound features funky, guitar driven tumbaos, blazing harmonic brass, and explosive Afro-Latin percussion - fusing Cuban roots with Blues, Jazz, Caribbean and Brazilian influences.
    Read More About Oriente
    Where
    Bayside Marina Stage - 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132

  • 6:30 PM
    Artist
    Sony Masterworks recording artist Regina Carter is the foremost jazz violinist of her generation.
    Read More About Regina Carter
    Where
    Bayfront Park Amphitheater
    301 Biscayne Blvd
    Miami, FL 33132

  • 8:00 PM
    Artist
    Through an inimitable voice that The New York Times touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America.
    Read More About Lizz Wright
    Where
    Bayfront Park Amphitheater
    301 Biscayne Blvd
    Miami, FL 33132

  • 9:30 PM
    Artist
    He is one of the most dynamic and vivacious live performers of our time, and has been seen by millions at the Oscars, at the Grammy Awards, and the Billboard Awards. Sandoval has been awarded 10 Grammy Awards, and nominated 19 times; he has also received 6 Billboard Awards and an Emmy Award. The latter for his composing work on the entire underscore of the HBO movie based on his life, “For Love or Country” that starred Andy Garcia as Arturo.
    Read More About Arturo Sandoval
    Where
    Bayfront Park Amphitheater
    301 Biscayne Blvd
    Miami, FL 33132

WHERE
Olympia Theater
Bayfront Park Amphitheater

WHEN
Thursday to Saturday
April 26 to 28, 2018

View Artists


Get Your Tickets

The 2018 MIAMI DOWNTOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL features outstanding artists who make music in Miami and all over the world. We hope you enjoy!

  • Day 1: Government Center

    NO TICKET REQUIRED
  • Scone Cash Players
  • Electric Kif
  • Aaron Lebos Reality
  • Tito Puente, Jr.
  • Food & Beverage available for purchase at Thursday Gov't Center market
  • FREE

  • Day 2: Olympia Theater

    ACCESS TO ALL OLYMPIA THEATER PERFORMANCES
  • Piano Competition Winner
  • Dr. Lonnie Smith
  • Kurt Elling Quintet
  • Tickets are only good for Olympia Theater performances
  • Food & Beverage available for purchase
  • $20 - 100
  • Buy Tickets

  • Day 3: Bayside Marina Stage

    NO TICKET REQUIRED
  • Wendy Pedersen
  • Tim Jago
  • Leon Foster Thomas
  • Oriente
  • Food & Beverage available for purchase
  • FREE

  • Day 3: Bayfront Amphitheater

    ACCESS TO ALL BAYFRONT AMPHITHEATER PERFORMANCES
  • Regina Carter
  • Lizz Wright
  • Arturo Sandoval
  • Tickets are only good for Bayfront Amphitheater concerts
  • Food & Beverage available for purchase
  • $25 - 100
  • Buy Tickets