Boston Jazz Fest Returns to the Seaport Waterfront

Maritime Park sits at the edge of Fan Pier, with the Financial District towers behind it and Boston Harbor in front. Two evenings a year the park fills with jazz—this weekend marks the 16th time. Boston Jazz Fest runs Friday August 28 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday August 29 from noon to 10 p.m. Admission is free both days.

The festival started in 2010 as a grassroots effort to bring serious jazz to an outdoor setting. It has presented close to 100 recording and performing artists over fifteen years. The lineup pulls from across the spectrum—straight-ahead bebop, Latin jazz, contemporary fusion, and vocal jazz. Each year the bill mixes established names with younger Boston-area musicians from Berklee and the New England Conservatory. Food vendors and artisan stalls run alongside the music both days.

The Seaport location gives the festival something most jazz events don’t have — open water on one side and a city skyline on the other. As the sun drops behind the Financial District on a Saturday evening, the light off the harbor changes the whole atmosphere of the set. The best spots fill by the time the headliner takes the stage—arriving early on Saturday pays off.

Getting to Maritime Park from downtown takes about fifteen minutes on foot via the Harborwalk. From other neighborhoods or Logan Airport, the walk is less practical. Boston Town Car can handle event transportation to Fan Pier—drop off at the park entrance, pickup whenever the last set ends.