July 17, 2019

There will be a few new additions when the 28th annual Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival — more commonly known as JazzFest — kicks off its free two-day concert series at 5 p.m. Friday at Yankton Trail Park.

Headliners are Tower of Power on Friday and eccentric funk bank MarchFourth on Saturday, which replaces planned headliners Here Comes the Mummies. The band pulled out after one of its members was in an accident. It’s expected to perform at next year’s JazzFest. Two stages will be filled with an assortment of artists, including Miss Myra & The Moonshiners, Carolyn Wonderland and Corey Stevens. Local performers also will play.

“We’re excited because we’ve got a lot of fun acts, like MarchFourth which is a cross between a marching band and Cirque du Soleil,” said Trygve Fredrickson, executive director of the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society. “It should be a really fun and upbeat mix of performers this year.”

But the music isn’t the only attraction at this year’s JazzFest.

Specialty craft beers from seven local breweries — A Homestead Brew, WoodGrain, Miner, Remedy, Buffalo Ridge, Take 16 and Fernson — will be featured.

“Everyone will have something a little bit different and have a different experience from every one of them,” Fredrickson said.

JazzFest also will debut its new cocktail menu, which includes Monaco canned drinks, Salvador’s ready-to-drink margarita, and Jim Beam and cola.

Food vendors at this year’s festival will include everything from Chinese, Mexican and Greek cuisine to a traditional barbecue, Fredrickson said.

Parking at Yankton Trail Park will cost $10 per vehicle, but there also are shuttles running from Lincoln High School from 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.  Friday and 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The Lyft and Uber drop-off location for JazzFest is at 1300 W. 57th St.

Spoke-N-Sport is offering a bicycle valet for those who bring their bikes to the festival.

Nearly 70,000 people attended last year’s concerts. Proceeds primarily go to funding the society’s programs throughout the year, including the Jazz Diversity Project, which has reached more than 60,000 students in middle schools across the state. The project uses jazz performances to educate about history and humanities.

A year’s worth of work goes into preparing for JazzFest, Fredrickson said.

“It’s a huge effort. It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I want Sioux Falls to have a good time, celebrate with us and know that this is our big fundraiser for the year to fund our educational programming.”

Find the full music lineup and more at siouxfallsjazzfest.com.