Jazz at the Lake is back for its 42nd year

The Lake George Arts Project’s premier jazz festival, Jazz at the Lake, returns to Shepard Park for three days of performances beginning Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Sept. 20. The celebrated Lake George Jazz Weekend is ranked among the top 20 longest consecutive-running jazz festivals in the country and is noted for its up-close and personal setting on the shore of Lake George. The festival is free to attend.

“At Jazz at the Lake, everybody is a VIP,” says Executive Director Tanya Tobias of the Lake George Arts Project. “The best seats are not reserved for the people who pay the most; anyone can sit in the front row and experience these incredible performances up close. That spirit of accessibility, discovery, and community is what has defined this festival for more than four decades.”

The musicians will be performing on the new Shepard Park Performance Stage with a nearly unobstructed view of the lake and mountains serving as the backdrop. “This year’s Jazz at the Lake feels especially meaningful,” says Tobias, “as we celebrate the incredible improvements made to Shepard Park and the new stage. For more than four decades, this festival has brought people together through music in one of the most beautiful settings imaginable, and these enhancements only strengthen that experience for artists, audiences, and the entire community.”

Jazz at the Lake 2026 Schedule

Friday, September 18
On the stage in Shepard Park:
6 p.m. Confluence with Jody Redhage Ferber
Jazz Around Town performances at 7:30 p.m.:
-Rich Syracuse at The Caldwell-Lake George Library
-Hot Club of Saratoga at The Barnsider
-Chad McLoughlin Trio at The Lakeside Restaurant (Fort William Henry Resort)
-Scott Hopkins Jazz Trio at the Lighthouse Grill
-Keith Pray Trio’s – Listen! at the Inn of Lake George Lobby Bar

Saturday, September 19
9 a.m. Behind-the-scenes tour of the new amphitheater with Tanya and Architects Andrew Alison and Chris Jones from AJA Architecture
10 a.m. Coffee and Jazz at Hello Sunshine Bagel Bistro with Dylan Perrillo & Brad Brose
Shows on the stage in Shepard Park:
1 p.m. Jerome Jennings & iLL Philosophy
3 p.m. Manuel Valera New Cuban Express
5 p.m. Shayna Steele
7 p.m. Kneebody

Sunday, September 20
Shows on the stage in Shepard Park:
1 p.m. Paul Winter Consort
3 p.m.: Ekep Nkwelle
5 p.m. Miguel Zenon Quartet

Metered parking is available on surrounding streets and public parking lots in the Village of Lake George. For more information about the Jazz at the Lake festival and performers, visit the Lake George Arts Project Lake George Jazz Weekend webpage and Facebook page.

Featured image: Camille Thurman performs at the 2017 Jazz at the Lake festival in Lake George.