Black Arts and Culture

Norfolk Jazz Festival Brings Sold-Out Crowd To Downtown Waterfront

The 42nd Annual Norfolk Jazz Festival drew a record-breaking sold-out crowd to Town Point Park, where fans enjoyed performances by Boney James, Brian Culbertson, and other top jazz artists in a lively waterfront celebration.
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By Randy Singleton
Community Affairs Correspondent
New Journal and Guide
NORFOLK

The 42nd annual Norfolk Jazz Festival was a sellout for the first time in its history and brought a capacity crowd of jazz fans to the downtown waterfront at Town Point Park on a breezy weekend (August 22 & 23) in the wake of Hurricane Erin.

Festival attendees enjoyed merchandise vendors and food trucks as they listened to smooth jazz from some of the top musicians in the industry.

Friday’s lineup featured headliner Boney James, the smooth jazz trio of Marion Meadows, Brian Simpson, and Althea Rene. Guitarist Andrea Lisa opened the show. Saturday’s concert continued the jazzy vibe and was headlined by keyboardist Brian Culbertson. Guitarist Adam Hawley was the mid-card performer, and the smooth jazz combination of Jackiem Joyner and Nicholas Cole kicked off the show.

Next year’s Norfolk Jazz Festival is slated for August 21 & 22, 2026. The New Journal and Guide was one of the premier sponsors of this year’s Norfolk Waterfront Festival.