Experience the vibrant legacy of jazz in the heart of Queens this summer with the 2026 Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series.
The series celebrates the borough’s rich jazz heritage, honoring the neighborhoods where legends like Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, and many others once lived and performed. Inspired by the iconic Queens Jazz Trail Map, the series brings this musical history to life through FREE outdoor concerts in parks across the borough, featuring outstanding artists from New York City and beyond.
Presented by Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Flushing Town Hall, and Louis Armstrong House Museum in partnership with NYC Parks, the Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series honors Queens’ extraordinary jazz legacy and community spirit.
2026 PERFORMANCES
We’re thrilled to return for another summer of live jazz, dance, and community in parks across Queens. The full 2026 lineup is here! It’s free—just show up! Bring a blanket, lawn chair, picnic, friends—even your dancing shoes—and enjoy a summer of live jazz in Queens parks!
All concerts take place on Thursdays at 7 PM.
JUL 9 | Travers Park (Jackson Heights) | ITAI KRISS & TELAVANA
JUL 16 | Baisley Pond Park (Jamaica) | VINCENT HERRING & STEVE TURRE: COLTRANE @ 100
JUL 23 | Forest Park Bandshell (Woodhaven) | ARTURO O’FARRILL
JUL 30 | Bowne Park (Flushing) | JOHN YAO & HIS 17-PIECE INSTRUMENT
AUG 6 | Rockaway Beach Park (Rockaway Beach) | WYCLIFFE GORDON QUARTETÂ
AUG 13 | Archie Spigner Park (Jamaica) | WALLACE RONEY JR.: MILES DAVIS @ 100
AUG 20 | Cunningham Park (Fresh Meadows) | BRASS QUEENS
AUG 27 | Astoria Park (Astoria) | LUCY YEGHIAZARYAN: TONY BENNETT @ 100
All shows are rain or shine. Please visit our Instagram for any updates.
What’s The Queens Jazz Trail?
The history of jazz is associated with many cities, districts, and streets. There is New Orleans (Storyville and Basin Street); Memphis (Beale Street); the Southside of Chicago; 18th and Vine in Kansas City; and several spots near here in New York City: Harlem, 52nd street, Greenwich Village, and many others. Conspicuously absent in most accounts of jazz history is New York City’s borough of Queens, despite its many links to the music. Since the 1920s, Queens has been the home of jazz—the residence of choice for hundreds of jazz musicians, including such stars as Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillespie. The Queens Jazz Trail©, a project of Flushing Town Hall, aims to shed light on this neglected history. The project is built around a map showing addresses of major musicians who lived in Queens, and includes addresses and locations updated in 2023.
Explore the award-winning Queens Jazz Trail map in an interactive format, featuring portraits of jazz greats and the different neighborhoods and sites that are part of the history of jazz in Queens.
The Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series is sponsored by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Resort World NYC, Northwell Health, Maspeth Federal Savings, and AARP New York.
