Annual Five Points Jazz Festival returns to historic Denver neighborhood

 

Welton Street closed May 21 from 25th to 30th streets

 Denver Arts & Venues' 13^th annual Five Points Jazz Festival returns 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 21, celebrating the music, culture and roots of Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood.

The free festival takes place on Welton Street between 26^th and 29^th streets, and features more than 30 bands playing live music on eight stages throughout the day.

Five Points Jazz Festival offers a culturally diverse lineup providing Denver with an afternoon filled with several types of jazz to experience - Latin, blues, funk, trios, youth-focused programming and more. Other activities include an art and food marketplace, a youth area featuring a bounce house, a stilt walking clinic, face painting, a caricature artist, cornhole, and sidewalk chalk artists throughout the festival.

Welton Street will be closed with no available parking between 25^th and 30^th streets starting at 6 p.m. Friday, May 20, and will remain closed through Saturday. The festival can be accessed via light rail on the D Line, which will terminate at the 25^th and Welton station between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturday. Denver B-Cycle users can utilize the Five Points station at 710 E. 26th Ave. Public transportation is highly encouraged due to expected congestion.

New to Five Points Jazz Festival this year, is a New Orleans style parade starting at 11 a.m. May 21 to open the festival. The parade starts at 26^th and Welton streets - the Arts & Venues Stage - and will march up to 29^th and Welton streets - the Main Stage. The parade will be led by grand marshals, and prominent Five Points community members, Charles Burell and Cleo Parker Robinson. Following the musicians, the community is encouraged to join in the second line of the parade led by the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

The free festival takes place the third Saturday of May and celebrates the history of Denver's Five Points neighborhood. Once known as the Harlem of the West, Five Points was home to several jazz clubs which played host to many of jazz music's legends such as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and many more. Since its inception in 2004, the Five Points Jazz Festival has grown each year in size and popularity. In 2015, attendance was approximately 26,000 and more than 30 bands performed throughout the course of the day. For more information, please visit ArtsandVenues.com