The Lake Arbor Jazz Festival is one of the region’s most renowned jazz events in the region, and you’ll understand once you attend. The annual event will be hosted across MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino, Lake Arbor Community Center, Wellspring Manor & Spa, and The Country Club at Woodmore — and it will feature a series of contemporary and traditional jazz and R&B artists from across the country, all coming together to share the joy of the art. This year, the five-day spectacular event will happen from July 17–21. General admission and VIP tickets are available, and free parking is open to all attendees. The festival at Lake Arbor Community Center will host over 50 food and merchandise vendors, along with a beer and wine lounge.
Award-winning artists will bring the sizzle with dynamic performances in a relaxing outdoor space during the main festival. Legendary performers Richard Elliot, Rick Braun, Paul Jackson, Jr., Everett Harp, Althea Rene, Jeanette Harris, Willie Bradley, Rob Zinn, Johnny Britt, and Let It Flow Band will all bring their best to the stage. Meanwhile, the pre-festival concert will showcase Avery*Sunshine, Art Sherrod, Jr., Brian Simpson, Lin Rountree, Phylicia Rae, and Langston Hughes II, while Sunday brunch will feature the music of Maysa and Lindsey Webster.
Reserve your tickets for this musical event, then extend your festival fun into a weekend of amusement with this local itinerary:
Stay in one of the many hotels nearby so you can enjoy the entire festival. Book a night at the Residence Inn Largo Medical Center Drive for modern rooms and complimentary breakfast, or choose the Staybridge Suites Washington DC East – Largo for an indoor pool full kitchen, and pet-friendly rooms. Stay at the Wellspring Manor & Spa to be right there when a special artist arrives for a meet-and-greet brunch that Friday morning — or book a room at the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino to have the easiest access possible to the event’s pre-festival concert, summer white affair & dinner show, Sunday jazz brunch, and all-star finale jam.
Enjoy brunch at Upper Marlboro’s In a Minute Cafe, where you can start your day with waffle platters, fish and cheddar grits, or crab egg rolls. If you pop in for lunch or dinner, you can order the delicious crab cake sandwich, Hennessy wings, or Bourbon grilled Salmon sandwich.
Relax at Transformation Oasis, a spa geared toward men, in Upper Marlboro. Book a manicure, a massage, a facial, or another rejuvenating treatment to get an extra boost during your weekend.
Order soul food from Levi’s Restaurant in Clinton. Stop by for a meal of ribs, chicken, filet of fish, or North Carolina BBQ, all paired with sides like butter beans, fresh collard greens, sweet yams, potato salad, or mac & cheese.
Book tee time at Enterprise Golf Course in Mitchellville, where golfers can play a round on the recently renovated green, practice at the driving range or putting green, and enjoy a drink or meal at the clubhouse.
Hike a portion of the Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis Trail which runs along the site of a former railroad. Electric commuter trains ran along the route from 1908 to 1935, and the trail now runs 5.6 miles from Route 450 in Glenn Dale northeast toward the Patuxent River.
Check out one of these local spots to listen to more live music in Prince George’s