The 15th annual St. Charles Jazz Weekend has already begun, and will run at sites around the city through Sunday.
Presented by the St. Charles Business Alliance, the festival includes over 50 live jazz performances offered at 29 different venues in St. Charles, organizers said.
For a schedule of performances, go to https://www.stcjazzweekend.com/musicschedule.
A press release from the St. Charles Business Alliance said that, in addition to the other venues, “guests are invited to enjoy live jazz on the First Street Plaza” in downtown St. Charles on Saturday.
The Jazz on Tap event will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at the plaza, giving guests the opportunity to enjoy an alcoholic beverage from one of five surrounding businesses – Alter Brewing + Kitchen, Gia Mia, La Mesa Modern Mexican, La Za’Za’ Trattoria and McNally’s Irish Pub – while listening to live music, the release said.
St. Charles Business Alliance Executive Director Jenna Sawicki said Jazz Weekend has become a very popular event in the city.
“Each year, we see this event grow, with more performances and more amazing local businesses getting involved,” Sawicki said. “That growth is a reflection of the incredible community we have here in St. Charles, as well as the growing popularity of enjoying live music as part of a day or night out.”
Sawicki said the event has continued to gain traction over the years “because people appreciate jazz music and art, and it’s also an opportunity to try something new and unique that’s not done everywhere.”
She said the number of venues and artists participating in the event this year “is the most we’ve ever had and what’s really cool is it’s not just our typical restaurants and bars.”
“Baker Memorial Church is having a couple of jazz services and we have new businesses that have not participated before including Fire ‘N Wine which is part of the new development there on the east side, so we’re just excited to see more and new businesses participate,” she said.
Over its four-day run, officials are expecting to see several thousand people attending Jazz Weekend events.
A contest for those going to multiple locations during the fest is being offered. According to a press release from the St. Charles Business Alliance, individuals who attend three or more performances during St. Charles Jazz Weekend can have the chance to win a gift card to the Arcada Theatre and a St. Charles restaurant valued at $200.
To enter the contest, download the Travel St. Charles App and create an account. Once the account is created, the user will be able to “check-in” to any Jazz Weekend performance by viewing the Jazz Weekend Challenge under the “Challenges Tab.”
Attendees that “check-in” to three or more performances will be entered to win, organizers said. A total of three winners will be notified via email on Sept. 16, event organizers said. For more information, go to www.stcjazzweekend.com/challenge.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.