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Outdoor Festival Features
The 44th annual festival will take place June 22-24 and features outdoor entertainment under the GE Chandelier at Playhouse Square during the festival weekend. The streets are closed in the district to allow for concerts, shopping, food and beverage vendors, street performers and much more.
Admission to this area is free and open to all ages. All outdoor lineup and schedules are subject to change. Learn more about each feature below!

Strassman Insurance Stage - Outdoor Lineup
Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, presented by KeyBank, will feature local and regional bands to play the Strassman Insurance Outdoor Stage at Playhouse Square as part of the festival’s 44th season.
A committee of music industry experts has selected the groups for the stage lineup. A variety of musical genres will be considered, ranging from jazz, to blues, R&B, funk, gospel, jam band and reggae.
Fourteen acts will ultimately take the stage between 3 p.m. and midnight on Friday and Saturday of the festival weekend. Here is the Strassman Insurance Outdoor Stage lineup:
Friday, June 23, 2023
Saturday, June 24, 2023
1. Thomas Cikra Schinabeck Thomas Schinabeck is an alumnus of the JazzFest Academy at Tri-C and attends Peabody conservatory, studying with the likes of Sean Jones and Quincy Philips. The band will play Thomas’s original compositions feature some of the best musicians in Cleveland and his peers at Peabody. |
3 - 3:45 p.m. |
2. Cleveland Jazz Orchestra The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra has been Northeast Ohio’s premier jazz voice since 1985. Led by award-winning composer and trombonist Paul Ferguson, the CJO presents "the best jazz you've ever heard and the best jazz you've never heard." |
4:15 - 5 p.m. |
3. Da Land Brass Band Da Land Brass Band was formed in 2016 under the leadership of William C. Washington, Kyle Sherepita, Nathan Hestley, and Liam Smith. Featuring a modern take on New Orleans street bands with high-energy funk, they have the versatility to satisfy any audience. You can find Da Land Brass Band bringing their infectious grooves and celebratory attitude all over the city. |
5:30 - 6:15 p.m. |
4. Tommy Lehman Trumpeter Tommy Lehman is graduate of Tri-C Jazz Studies program, The Hartt School of Music, and is currently studying for his Masters' degree at Cleveland State University. He has played professionally in the greater Northeast Ohio region for the last ten years, regularly recording and touring with Nathan-Paul Davis, Chris Coles, Nine Lives Project, Bassel and Dan Wilson. In December 2022, Lehman released an EP entitled Uplift, which features a quartet with Smokeface, Gabe Jones and Andru Senpai on keys. |
6:45 - 7:30 p.m. |
5. Nathan-Paul & The Admirables The Admirables is a funky soul band based out of Akron, Ohio. The raw energy of the Admirables is a force to be reckoned with. Front man Nathan-Paul Davis engages the crowd with his vocals like a Baptist preacher in a packed church, encouraging the crowd to get up and dance until they drop. “It’s a big soul party and everybody’s welcome, so come as you are!” |
8 - 8:45 p.m. |
6. Becky Boyd and the Groove Train Becky Boyd has been playing the Cleveland club scene for more than 40 years. Her vocals are outstanding, combining great tone, with tremendous feel. "Becky Boyd…possesses a powerful blues/jazz voice that’s forceful, sensuous and as clear as spring water." --- Steve Byrne, Scene Magazine |
9:15 -10 p.m. |
7. Sammy DeLeon Y Su Orquesta Sammy de León is one of the most recognized Latin bandleaders in Northern Ohio. He plays the timbales, a twin set of metal-encased, single-headed drums with a cowbell and a cymbal on the side. He began to play professionally at age 13 and has since played alongside the greatest of the genre: Tito Puente and Grán Combo de Puerto Rico, among others. For the past decade, he has fronted his own band, Sammy De León y Su Orquesta, which plays a broad spectrum of dance music styles, and has sustained a multi-cultural audience. |
10:30 p.m. - midnight |

William M. Weiss Foundation Next Gen Stage
Jazz education is extremely important to us (it's part of our mission)! This stage, located on the U.S. Bank plaza, showcases the future of jazz featuring performances by the Tri-C JazzFest Academy camp students, Spirit of the Groove ensembles and many former students who've passed through our program throughout the years. Here is the William M. Weiss Foundation Next Gen Outdoor Stage lineup:
Friday, June 23 |
3:45 p.m.: JazzFest Camp Combo, Johnny Cochran, director |
5 p.m.: JazzFest Camp Combo, Bryan Thomas, director |
6:15 p.m.: Colin Palmieri Quartet |
7:30 p.m.: Spirit of the Groove with Dominick Farinacci & Braxton Cook |
8:45 p.m.: JazzFest Camp Combo, Anthony Taddeo, director |
10 p.m.: JazzFest Camp Big Band I, Dave Sterner, director |
Saturday, June 24 |
3:45 p.m.: JazzFest Camp Combo, Nathan-Paul Davis, director |
JazzFest Camp Guitar Ensemble, Jonah Ferguson, director |
5 p.m.: Drew Hoschar & Ad Hoc |
6:15 p.m.: JazzFest Camp Combo, Grant Heineman, director |
7:30 p.m.: Tanline! Grant Heineman |
8:45 p.m.: JazzFest Camp Big Band II, TBD, director |
10 p.m.: Ava Preston Quartet |

Kids Club
The Kids Club will be located in a covered tent. Children can enjoy musical arts and crafts, drum lessons, face painting and more. It's fun for the whole family!

The Jazz Kitchen
Inside this tent, festivalgoers will get to experience cooking demos, tasty food samples, and interviews with the JazzFest artists. The Tri-C Hospitality Management Center will provide tips on creating great dishes, and in between demos, artists will be interviewed on various topics.
This year's schedule coming soon!

Other Festival Attractions
There's more to JazzFest than just music. Festivalgoers will enjoy plenty of food and beverage options —including our beer tent, shopping vendors, street performers, games, dancing under the GE Chandelier and so much more.
Vendors and Food Trucks
Dawg Bowl Food Truck |
Food (Truck) |
Food truck |
Diversified Funk |
Artisan/Crafts |
Merchandise celebrating the history of African-Americans in Music |
Elyce Fashions and Accessories |
Retail/Promotional |
Afro centric clothing |
Feelin Good Ice Cream |
Food (Truck) |
Ice cream and shave ice truck |
KandyDollKloset |
Retail/Promotional |
Women’s clothing boutique |
Keenya Beauty Plus Wellness Institute |
Other |
Medical medspa |
Kernels by Chrissie |
Food (Stand) |
Local, hand-crafted gourmet popcorn snacks and treats. |
Molloy's BBQ |
Food (Stand) |
BBQ food items such as ribs, beef brisket and pulled pork. |
Metro45 Cafe & Catering |
Food (Truck) |
A collection of Social Enterprises of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry that provides life changing services to those most in need through feeding the homeless and offering culinary training to empower and support change. |
Natural Needs Products |
Artisan/Crafts |
Natural products like shea butter, dental floss, wood combs, rosewater, detox soap, |
New Seasons Production |
Information |
Entertainment promotions |
Pink Zebra |
Other (Please Specify) |
Home fragrance |
Playhouse Square-Inside Sales |
Retail/Promotional |
Performing arts center |
Positive Vibes by Ty, LLC |
Retail/Promotional |
Positive Vibes by Ty is a specialty gifting business that provides custom journals and gifts that each include a positive and inspirational message. |
Rock Paper Cigars |
Artisan/Crafts |
If you are looking for a fun and unique experience to add to your event, look no further. Rock Paper Cigars will hand roll cigars at your event while educating and entertaining your guests with all aspects of the cigar-making process. Our mission is to create unforgettable celebratory memories, fellowship, and togetherness at your event. |
Samurai Dynasty |
Food (Truck) |
Japanese and hibachi food truck |
The Benevolent Butcher |
Food (Truck) |
Plant-based food truck that puts a vegan spin on the classics all while giving back a portion of sales to area animal welfare organizations |
The Cedar Grill |
Food (Truck) |
Mediterranean & American foods |
The Pierogi Lady |
Food (Stand) |
We hand make over 150 varieties of pierogi. We pride ourselves on being like grandma used to make. |
YumVillage |
Food (Truck) |
Afro-Caribbean cuisine |