The Washington Heights Jazz Festival returns for its ninth year from Wednesday, November 4, to Sunday, November 8, with five days of shows in neighborhood rooms from the United Palace on Broadway to a brunch spot inside Fort Tryon Park. The nonprofit Jazz WaHi, which started the festival in 2018, has posted the full schedule, and a good share of it is free.

Jazz WaHi says the festival now brings more than 65 musicians to seven venues in the neighborhood and draws more than 900 people a year.

Wednesday: a free mambo party at the United Palace

The festival opens on November 4 in the Grand Foyer of the United Palace, 4140 Broadway at 175th Street, with Ginita y La Orquesta Esa playing mambo, jazz and salsa. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the music starts at 6:30. Admission is free, but an RSVP is required through the United Palace ticket page.

Ginita is a vocalist and trombonist with Honduran and Ecuadorian roots, and she started La Orquesta Esa in 2024 with support from Lincoln Center. The A train stops at 175th Street, outside the Palace.

Thursday and Friday

  • Thursday, November 5, 8 p.m., Le Cheile: Jamile, singing Brazilian jazz. Ticketed.
  • Friday, November 6, 6 to 8 p.m., 181 Cabrini: Marc Daine's Django Nouveau, featuring Rob Thomas. Free.
  • Friday, November 6, 7 to 10 p.m., Kismat: the Festival All-Star Jam, led by the Jazz WaHi Quartet. Free.

Saturday: nine sets and a world premiere

Saturday, November 7, is the festival's long day, all of it at Le Cheile, and every set is ticketed:

  • 11 a.m.: Louise Rogers' Jazz for Kids, for children ages 2 to 6 and their families.
  • 1 p.m.: Alex Strong's Jazz Arcade, jazz arrangements of video game music.
  • 2:15 p.m.: Digba Ogunbiyi Quartet.
  • 3:30 p.m.: Ted Nash Trio, with Ben Allison and Pete McCann.
  • 4:45 p.m.: Ed Neumeister Quintet.
  • 6 p.m.: Kavita Shah and François Moutin.
  • 7:30 p.m.: the world premiere of La Troupe, Nomadic Crossroads, by Berta Moreno, who won Jazz WaHi's 2026 Jazz Composition Competition.
  • 8:50 p.m.: Akili Bradley Quartet.
  • 10:10 p.m.: the Jazz WaHi Big 'Nuff Band, playing the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

An all-day Saturday pass costs $60 and covers eight sets for the price of four, though it does not include the 11 a.m. kids' set. Jazz WaHi says passes are limited.

Sunday: brunch in the park and a Latin jazz finale

  • 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., The Bonnefont: a free jazz brunch with Maki Nientao and Ben Wolstein, at 1 Margaret Corbin Drive in Fort Tryon Park.
  • 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., St. Frances Cabrini Shrine: the John Benitez Light Trio. Ticketed.
  • 5 to 7 p.m., Dutch Baby Bakery: the Latin Jazz Party with Tres Gatos and special guest Argelio del Nodal, free. It is the festival's traditional closing night.

If cost is a barrier

Jazz WaHi says anyone who cannot afford a ticket can contact the organization for reduced or free admission. The Le Cheile performance room is on the second floor and is not wheelchair accessible; the festival runs a free livestream of those sets in a street-level space at the same venue.

Jazz WaHi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that presents jazz and runs music education in Washington Heights year round.

How to go

The 9th Annual Washington Heights Jazz Festival runs November 4 to 8. The free opening party is Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the United Palace, 4140 Broadway, with RSVP. Saturday's sets are at Le Cheile, with a $60 all-day pass, and Sunday's free brunch is at The Bonnefont in Fort Tryon Park. The full schedule, tickets and RSVP links are on the Jazz WaHi festival page.

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