Charles River Jazz Festival: Free All Day at the Hatch Shell

The Boston Jazz Foundation picked the Hatch Shell for the first time this year, and the upgrade makes sense. The stage sits on the Charles River Esplanade with water behind it and the Back Bay skyline to the south—a setting that most paid festivals would charge admission just to stand in. August 8, noon to 8:30 p.m., no ticket required.

Ghost-Note headlines with vocalist Tyreek McDole. The bill also includes Zahili Zamora, BT ALC Big Band, and Roella Oloro, alongside a Next Gen Stage near the shell where emerging Boston talent from Berklee and the New England Conservatory takes the stage throughout the afternoon. Local art and food vendors line the Esplanade. A beer garden runs along the river for VIP guests. The festival started as a grassroots community effort in 2021—this is its sixth year and the first time it plays a venue large enough to match the crowd it draws.

Bags larger than 20″x20″x10″ don’t get in. Chairs are welcome — bring one under 34 inches high. The festival runs rain or shine.

Getting to the Hatch Shell means crossing Storrow Drive on foot via the Arthur Fiedler footbridge from Arlington Street or coming in from Charles Circle. There is no parking on the Esplanade itself, and Storrow Drive closes to pedestrian shortcuts. Visitors coming from hotels or the airport often arrange a drop-off on David G. Mugar Way before the footbridge. Boston Town Car can handle event transportation to the Esplanade—pickup works the same way after the final set.