FAIRS & FESTIVALS

Pizza, The Glass Jug Beer Lab, Oberweis Dairy, and others, over 25+ food trucks and stands spanning savory and sweet tastes, a vendor marketplace featuring 20+ vendors from the region, plus live music from NiiTO, AZUL, Leia Sadiku, jAndr and additional BCS Showcasing Artists to be announced.

The event is FREE to attend, all ages, family-friendly and open to the public. In addition, advance tickets for the VIP Lounge and Tastings Area, Durham Summer’s Low-Country Boil, and official VIP After Show at The Blue Note Grill featuring Zach Person are available.

The Durham Summer Wine & Food June 23rd 3 p.m. - 10 p.m. Durham Central Park.

Pittsburgh Jazz Festival

Ray Brown, Art Blakey, Billy Eckstine, Fatha Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal, Stanley Turrentine, and Erroll Garner are just a few of the greats who answered the Pittsburgh jazz roll call. Through their music, these sons and daughters of Pittsburgh not only spoke the language, but they also re-invented it, refined it, and expanded it through musical conversations across time and place. They understood how the language of jazz connects us, encourages us to remember where we’ve been and where we’re going, and gives voice to our shared community. And, it’s these timeless cross-cultural conversations that will be carried on through the 13th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival September 14 – 17, 2023.

Tickets are on sale at www.pittsburghjazzfest.org.

Looking to reacquaint with some favorites? Don’t miss Gregory Porter, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter, Nicholas Payton, and Emmet Cohen with legendary saxophonist Houston Person. Maybe something more contemporary? Check out, José James and PJ Morton. Do you want to make a discovery? Listen in on Somi, Samora Pinderhughes, Madison McFerrin, Christie Dashiell and Pittsburgh’s own Chelsea Baratz and Howie Alexander.

Rocky Mountain Folks Festival

A broad mountain stream and towering red rock bluffs surround the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, Colorado. It’s a stunning and peaceful refuge, and to the delight of music fans nationwide, there’s also a stage! For over 30 years, festival goers (or “Festivarians’’ as they’ve been dubbed by Planet Bluegrass), have been making the trek to Colorado’s front range for the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival; three days of music, camping, and inspiration from songwriters of all genres.

Planet Bluegrass announced the full lineup for Folks Fest 2023—August 11-13—which includes acts like Texas’s country, blues, and Americana troubadour Charley Crockett, funky New Orleans genre-benders Tank and the Bangas, and Swedish folk balladeer The Tallest Man on Earth. The entire lineup can be found below and at bluegrass.com/folks.

The Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriters Showcase is open for submissions. The Songwriter Showcase is Folks Fest’s nationally-recognized singer-songwriter competition, open to anyone who writes and performs original music, and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal. Contestants are judged on the quality of the song’s composition (50%), vocal delivery (25%), and overall performance (25%). Ten finalists will be selected to receive a 3-day pass to the 2023 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival to compete in a live performance contest for cash and prizes. Online song submissions will be accepted for the 2023 Songwriter Showcase until July 14th and can be submitted by following this link.

Tickets for Rocky Mountain Folks Fest are going fast, but 3-day passes, single-day passes, camping passes, and more are still available for purchase at bluegrass.com/folks.

LOS ANGELES

MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL

88rising and Goldenvoice revealed the official line up for the 5th annual Head In The Clouds Los Angeles Music & Arts Festival. The event returns to Brookside At The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on August 5-6, 2023. .

Durham Summer Fest

Durham Summer returns in 2023 presented by Bull City Summit, and announced the first round of restaurant and retail popups, VIP lounge, food trucks, vendors, live music, and more! They’re ready to host so tasty partners including Locals Seafood, Mango Indian Grill, Haw River Mushrooms, Botanist & Barrel, Pompieri

The consistently sold-out West Coast flagship event which amplifies Asian talent and culture, boasts its biggest lineup yet including headliners DPR Live, DPR Ian, Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, Rina Sawayama, XG, YOASOBI and special guest ZEDD. This year’s festival also includes live performances from TOKiMONSTA, Keith Ape, Yerin Baek, ATARASHII GAKKO!, MILLI, Warren Hue, and many more.

Across the New York edition of the festival’s two stages DUMBFOUNDEAD, MILLI, and Beabadoobee served up mesmerizing set after set.

With the energy and community spirit amplified, headliners Rich Brian and ITZY closed out the evening in epic fashion. During the second day, P-Lo and Knock2 maintained this momentum while seven-piece K-pop group XG cemented their first-ever festival performance in the US, before NIKI’s explosive finale. The music-filled weekend doubled as the perfect celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the 100th anniversary of Forest Hills Stadium.