● Programs
The OPAAC Jazz Festival
The OPAAC Jazz Festival — happening inside the What’s Blooming Street Festival in Oak Park, in collaboration with Oak Park Arts District Business Association!
Join us Saturday, May 30, 2026, 11am–9pm for a full day of incredible live jazz on a brand-new second stage in the Arts District of Oak Park. The OPAAC Jazz Festival will feature amazing performers celebrating the rich tradition and future of America’s original art form. We believe jazz belongs in the community, and Oak Park is the perfect place to showcase this vibrant music.
WHAT'S BLOOMING ON HARRISON – Street Festival
Harrison Street, Arts District – Oak Park
May 30, 2026 – 11am - 9pm.
• Free & Outdoor
• All Ages Welcome
• Food Vendors
• Art Vendors
Bring your friends, family, and spend the day celebrating jazz, creativity, and community. Lineup TBA. Stay tuned.
Email us for questions or proposals at: info@oakparkareaartscouncil.org
Oak Park is a natural home for Jazz
Jazz has long found a natural home in Oak Park — a community known for creativity, architecture, and cultural exchange. Just steps from Austin Gardens and the iconic Unity Temple, musicians and audiences have gathered for years to experience live jazz in intimate, inspiring settings. With easy access to Chicago’s legendary jazz scene — including the Chicago Jazz Festival and Hyde Park Jazz Festival — Oak Park sits at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. Local institutions like Oak Park and River Forest High School, Dominican University, and Concordia University Chicagocontinue to nurture young musicians, ensuring jazz remains alive, evolving, and deeply rooted in the community.
Jazz thrives in Oak Park because the village itself embodies the spirit of improvisation — diverse, welcoming, and forward-thinking. With support from listeners, educators, and cultural leaders, and amplified by Chicago’s own WDCB 90.9 FM, jazz continues to grow across generations here. From outdoor summer concerts to intimate indoor performances, Oak Park offers the perfect setting for jazz to flourish — where seasoned masters and emerging artists share the stage, and where audiences of all ages discover the power, rhythm, and creativity of America’s original art form.