City Park Jazz is a “celebration of community” that began in 1986 featuring only local musicians. Sunday evenings throughout the summer see anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 neighbors from City Park neighborhoods—and all over Colorado—enjoying the amazing talent that calls the Centennial State home, all free of charge. A selection of carefully curated vendors and diverse food trucks round out this family-friendly festival atmosphere!
“Forty years ago, a small group of music lovers had a simple idea: bring great jazz to the park and let the community gather around it,” says Andy Bercaw, President of the City Park Jazz Board of Directors. “What has grown from that idea is something none of us could have imagined. This 40th season is a celebration of every musician who has graced our stage, every volunteer who has shown up, and every neighbor who has spread a blanket on the grass and made CPJ part of their summer. We can’t wait to do it all again.”
Our 2026 lineup features some of Denver’s most beloved performers across genres, from jazz and blues to Latin rhythms, brass, and beyond. This season’s acts include the incomparable voice of Denver, Hazel Miller and the Collective; Shane Endsley and the Denver Municipal Band; the fiery Conjunto Colores; and our returning fan-favorite, the Brass Band Extravaganza—featuring the Bourbon Brass Band and Bada Boom Brass Band, just to name a few.
As part of our 40th anniversary celebration, each show this summer will include a special tribute honoring past CPJ contributors as well as CPJ performers-in-memoriam—beloved members of our community whose artistry and dedication helped make City Park Jazz what it is today. Further details on these tributes will be announced as the season approaches.
The JAKARTA Band is without question the most popular party dance band in the Country. Simply put…these guys are THE BEST…talented, fun and hard working. JAKARTA continues to bring crowds to their feet for hip-shaking boogie and the talent of the band members is unparalleled. JAKARTA is a step above the other bands and is considered the Premier Party Dance Band from Denver. They are guaranteed to bring people on the dance floor.
What: City Park Jazz
Where: Denver’s City Park, 18th Avenue, between Colorado Boulevard & York Street
When:Sunday, August 9, 2026
Featuring Jakarta! See description above!
Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Ages: All ages! Very Family friendly!
We’re also thrilled to announce that we’re doing a test run of a new shuttle bus service as part of our ongoing commitment to making City Park Jazz accessible to everyone! We’re going to start with two shows this season, July 5 and Aug. 9. The shuttle is specifically for attendees with mobility and disability-related needs. Shuttles will pick up passengers at the lots for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Denver Zoo, dropping off directly at the accessible entrance to the Pavilion, and then in reverse at the end of the show. Stay tuned—we’ll share more details closer to the start of the season!
To support all this excitement, we especially need concert volunteers and sponsors! City Park Jazz is a volunteer-run event (and a 501(c)3 charitable organization) and we need YOU to make it happen. Space is limited. Visit www.CityParkJazz.org/volunteer2 for more information regarding volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, or to make a donation.
This year, the season spans 10 Sunday evenings from 6–8 p.m. starting June 7, 2026. The free concerts are staged at the City Park Pavilion.* For more information, bios and photos of each act, please visit https://www.CityParkJazz.org.
GENERAL INFO
The 2025 season will begin on June 1 and continue each Sunday night from 6-8 p.m through early August (The show on Aug. 3 will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.). The free concerts are at the pavilion in City Park. Please remember the City Park rules in order to keep this a fun family event.
- No glass
- No marijuana
- No motorized vehicles, including motorcycles and scooters, are allowed in the pedestrian area, which is defined by gates
Glass bottles are NOT permitted in the park. Please bring aluminum cans or plastic bottles instead.
Enjoy some of Denver’s finest food truck fare at affordable prices, including:
- Ice Cream
- Pizza
- Burgers
- Ethiopian
- Sushi
- Sandwiches
- Vegetarian
- Indian/Thai Food
- Smoothies
- Gyros
Bring your own blankets or folding chairs for the grassy area in front of the stage. Please do not set up on the plaza. It is against our rules to set up any structure that impacts others’ ability to view the stage.
City Park Jazz concerts are rain or shine, so it’s a good idea to bring umbrellas and rain gear in case of inclement weather.
FREE Bike Corral: Get exercise and avoid parking hassles! Our volunteers monitor the Bike Corral in the City Park Pavilion from 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Bring your own lock and you’ll get a claim ticket to retrieve your bike. There is no charge for this service, thanks to our AMAZING sponsors, Z Cycle!
RTD Public Transportation: There are many buses that can get you to City Park. Click here for a complete RTD schedule.
Parking: Please respect City Park’s neighbors and park ONLY in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science parking lots (including the garage), as well as the extensive Denver Zoo parking lots. Enter off of Colorado Blvd. at 22nd or 23rd streets; signs for City Park Jazz parking are posted before the concerts. Handicapped parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis in the lot adjacent to the City Park Pavilion. You must have a designated license plate or current placard in order to access it.
As of 2022: We can no longer allow load-in via the parking lot adjacent to the Pavilion. This area will be restricted to allow ONLY those with permits to access. For those who want close load-in access (for grills and pop-up tents), you can use the MLK Parking Circle. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Lost and Found: If you lost something at a City Park Jazz concert, visit the City Park Jazz Board and Volunteer booth at the next concert or email us.
Volunteers Needed – Bucket Brigade!
Our volunteers are the heart of City Park Jazz, and we especially need Bucket Brigade volunteers to help collect donations during the concert. It’s the most fun you’ll ever have volunteering — while supporting this important cultural lynchpin of Denver’s music scene! And you’ll get to meet so many awesome people! https://cityparkjazz.org/volunteer2
City Park Jazz is a 501(c)3 non-profit. YOUR donations make the series possible. As you know, we’ve incurred some significant additional costs this season, due to the loss of the bandshell in a fire last March. Help us keep City Park Jazz going strong and free for everyone with a donation! If every person who attended a show brought just $5, we’d cover the costs every week! Look out for the bucket brigade at the set break and help us out so we can keep City Park Jazz going forever! If you’d rather, you can donate online, too. It’s really easy to do—just tap that button below! https://cityparkjazz.org/united4jazz
Important note about parking:
PLEASE remember to ONLY park in designated parking spaces within City Park, and NEVER off the road or on any grass. City Park Jazz (and you!) could face fines if attendees do that, and our budget is already very tight!
We recommend getting to City Park Jazz at least an hour prior to show start if you plan on driving — and we strongly urge attendees to use ride-share, public transportation, carpool, ride your bikes (and use our free bike corral provided by our corral sponsor, Z Cycle Shop!), or walk. And let’s all work together to keep the crown jewel of Colorado’s urban park system beautiful for all of us as well as future generations!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
As you may have heard, the City Park Bandshell, which was built in 1929, replacing an older structure, was completely destroyed in a fire early in the morning of March 26. As it was a City property in a historic district, Denver government and the Parks and Rec division has their hands full planning the demo and rebuild — and it leaves City Park Jazz without a stage or power for this season. (Important reminder: City Park Jazz is a completely independent 501c(3) non-profit organization — we are NOT a city division.)
Our current best estimates put the costs of mobile stage rental and power supply to support our needs at approximately $30,000 for the season — which is an additional cost we will have to incur outside of our usual season expenses.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Donate! Every dollar you can pitch in — which is a tax-deductible donation* — will help us cover these significant costs and ensure this season will be everything you’ve come to love about summers in Denver. https://cityparkjazz.org/united4jazz
Photo: Jakarta
