Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival brings crowds to Court Square

Dan Gabel’s Jazz Ultimate plays at the 2026 Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen

SPRINGFIELD — Court Square was packed on July 10 for the kickoff of the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival.

The sounds of drums, trombones and banjos echoed off the buildings as people gathered on picnic blankets and folding lawn and camp chairs.

Nearly a dozen acts took the stage across the two-day event, kicking off with Dan Gabel’s Jazz Ultimate. The free festival is a celebration of jazz and roots music. It is not solely focused on big-time headliners. It also amplifies local talent and youth arts, against a backdrop of community. The second day of the festival included a second line parade, seven professional acts and students from the Community Music School of Springfield.
This was the first year the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival was staged at Court Square. The stage was set up facing the park, while a dozen food and drink vendors and more than 20 local artisan crafters lined the street in front of City Hall.

Presented by Blues To Green, a nonprofit that uses music and the arts to center the cultures of the African diaspora in American culture and promote multicultural community. The Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival is the most visible aspect of the organization, which was inspired by the life and music of Charles Neville. However, it also teaches the history and experience of Black and Afro-Caribbean people, encourages students to express themselves through music and explores the intersection of arts with racial and climate justice.