When the Atlanta Jazz Festival moves to Grant Park for the first time in 20 years, the city and the neighborhood will deploy a host of strategies to soften the impact.
At a Monday press conference, Paul Zucca, president of the Grant Park neighborhood association, said car-pooling, an emphasis on using MARTA and a group of volunteers called the Grant Park Ambassadors will help the Memorial Day weekend festival flow smoothly.
"It's all about management," Zucca said.
Jazz fans had been worried that the city, shaken by budget shortfalls, might shelve the festival in its 32nd year. Mayor Shirley Franklin told the press conference that success at locating corporate sponsors made the event possible.
"We are proud that even in these reduced circumstances that the Atlanta Jazz Festival is such a priority," said Dianne Harnell Cohen, commisioner of parks, recreation and cultural affairs.
Last year the festival was moved from Piedmont Park to downtown's Woodruff Park to give Piedmont's drought-stressed turf a chance to recover. Recent rains haven't improved the odds of moving the festival back to Piedmont, Harnell Cohen said. "We're still in a Level 4 drought," she said. "I just checked that out this morning."
Back in 1989, the festival included an event at Grant Park, a concert by the late jazz giant Miles Davis that drew an audience of 30,000.
This year the two-day festival, May 23-24, features local and national acts, including Atlanta pianist Freddy Cole and contemporary fusion band Hiroshima. It will be augmented by numerous jazz performances throughout the month of May at clubs, restaurants and concert halls. For more information: www.atlanta festivals.com/
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
