Idlewild Jazz Festival

Idlewild Jazz Festival

Third Saturday in July

Sponsored by the nonprofit Idlewild Foundation, the Idlewild Jazz Festival is a one-day, outdoor event. It recalls the Jazz Age flourishing of Idlewild, Mich., a resort area in the northwestern part of the state. Known as the "Black Eden" during its heyday in the mid-20th century, Idlewild was a favorite vacation destination for African Americans from such Midwestern cities as Chicago and Detroit. With nearly 25,000 visitors each summer, the area grew to include entertainment venues such as the Flamingo and Paradise jazz clubs, where luminaries including Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Sammy Davis Jr., and Count Basie performed during the 1950s.
The festival was conceived in 2002 as a means of paying tribute to that heritage and offering a new generation a connection with the past. The festival takes place in a wooded, lakeside setting on Williams Island and includes a program of music that begins at noon and runs well into the night. In addition, related activities include an art fair, marketplace, and writers' workshop. Food vendors offer refreshments ranging from Jamaican specialties and fish to barbecued wings.

CONTACTS:
Idlewild Foundation
1150 Griswold, Ste. 2100
Detroit, MI 48226
313-965-0505
www.idlewildjazzfest.com
Idlewild African-American Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 435
Idlewild, MI 49642
800-745-2611
www.iaacc.com

SOURCES:
AAH-2007, p. 223

Celebration days: Jul 16, 2011; Jul 21, 2012; Jul 20, 2013; Jul 19, 2014; Jul 18, 2015