For almost half a century, the Atlanta Jazz Festival has gathered crowds in Piedmont Park over Memorial Day weekend to groove to the sounds of snapping snares, brassy trumpets and sultry singers at the festival’s open-air stage.
Since its founding in 1978 by then-Mayor Maynard Jackson, the Atlanta Jazz Festival has been one of the largest free public jazz festivals in the country, gathering roughly 200,000 people over the three-day weekend. It has boasted legends like Miles Davis, Nina Simone and Esperanza Spalding, while also nurturing the next generation of jazz musicians.
