Enjoying the Festival
“Hot can be cool and cool can be hot, and each can be both. But hot or cool, man, jazz is jazz.” – Louis Armstrong
There are as many ways to enjoy the Lewiston Jazz Festival as there are attendees. Here are some of our favorites.
Stroll and listen. Music flows all day, simultaneously and continuously, from all five stages. If you can’t decide which group to listen to, you don’t have to – sample them all! Stroll the length of the Festival grounds, stopping in at each stage, and staying as long as you like before moving on. By the time you’ve completed a full circuit, the acts will have changed and you can begin another circuit to hear something entirely new!
Sit and listen. Maybe you have come to hear a particular performer, or have had the quintessential Festival experience of discovering an amazing talent of whom you were previously unaware. In that case, plop yourself down in free Festival seating (or set up your own folding chair, if you brought one) and stay awhile to listen to a full set. For the best experience of sitting and listening the headliners, purchase a ticket in advance to the Main Stage evening shows.
Shop. The Festival isn’t only about music; it also features a merchandise tent in which skilled craftspeople sell artisanal wares. Drop in to browse and buy. In addition, Center Street is home to many retail fine establishments. Stop in to take a look.
Eat. During the Festival, anywhere from 30 food vendors set up shop offering a variety of choices. Many of the fine restaurants along Center Street also stay open during the Festival to feed hungry jazz fans. You can’t possibly go hungry!
Take a risk! The Lewiston Jazz Festival is free, and to keep it that way we need to raise all our operating expenses from donors. One way to support the Festival is to participate in our 50-50 Raffle. Buy a ticket from any of our roving vendors or at the Information Kiosk. If you win, we split all raffle proceeds with you 50-50. The more people buy tickets, the bigger the payoff for both of us!
Combine the Festival with local sightseeing and regional tourism. If you’re from out of town, don’t just come to the Festival and leave. There’s much to see and do in our beautiful region. Get the details from our own Upward Niagara Chamber of Commerce.
