Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland

The festival was founded in 1980 by Dr. Thom Horning and Reginald Buckner and has been tied to Cuyahoga Community College ever since, which explains its unusual shape: ticketed indoor concerts in the historic Playhouse Square theaters, and a free outdoor program on the streets around them. The outdoor side carries a talk tent where audiences meet artists, the Jazz Kitchen cooking demonstrations, a beer garden, food trucks and street performers.

The college connection is not decorative. JazzFest runs education programming year-round, putting students in contact with local and touring musicians and providing free access for audiences who would not otherwise buy a theater ticket. The stated mission is to foster the history and nurture the future of jazz, and the near-500-artist count reflects how many regional and student ensembles the outdoor stages absorb alongside the headliners.