Contact: Lyn Lewis
Director of Communications
Greater Wilmington Convention
& Visitors Bureau
(302) 295-2212
LynLewis@visitwilmingtonde.com
The 22nd Annual DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival returns to Wilmington, Delaware June 14th thru June 20th. It is one of the largest festivals of its kind on the East Coast and draws audiences in excess of 35,000 each year.
Sponsored by the DuPont Company and the City of Wilmington, the entire festival is free, open to the public and held rain or shine in Downtown Wilmington. Noontime concerts are scheduled Monday thru Friday from 12:00 to 1:30 in H.B. DuPont Park at 10th & West Streets; the evening open-air performances are staged in Rodney Square at 11th & Market Streets at 6:30. The festival's finale, "Jazz Vespers", is hosted by the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew at 719 Shipley Street on Sunday at 4PM.
The week-long celebration traditionally brings some of the most exciting personalities in jazz to the stage. This year's roster of talent includes John Pizzarelli & Swing 7, the Champian Fulton Trio, Omar Sosa, Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band, Pyeng Threadgill, Marcus Miller, Ravi Coltrane and Chic Corea. For the complete schedule, go to www.CliffordBrownJazzFest.com.
The festival is a tribute to the talented trumpeter and Wilmington native, Clifford Brown, who by the age of 25 had already made an impact on the music world and seemed destined to join the ranks of jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie. Brown's untimely death in a car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1956 abruptly ended a promising career.
Sheraton Suites Wilmington, the official hotel for the DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, hosts Critt's Juke Joint featuring saxophonist Eric Crittenden and friends after the evening concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Main stage performers are invited to join in the jam sessions at the hotel-and many do!
Downtown hotels including Sheraton Suites Wilmington and other downtown hotels are offering special overnight packages during the festival and Amtrak extends a 40% companion fare discount to those traveling by train. Call the Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-489-6664 or go to www.VisitWilmingtonDE.com for more details and discount codes.
The DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is not the finale for Wilmington's lively music and arts scene-it's the beginning! If you are impressed by the caliber of performers at the DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, return to Wilmington on August 6th thru 8th for the annual Riverfront Blues Festival. Introduced in 1997, this event has evolved into one of the area's premier musical happenings. The three-day festival is held in Tubman-Garrett Park in Wilmington's revitalized Riverfront and features non-stop, live blues performances on two stages. This year's headliners include The Delta Groove Harp Blast, The Perfect Age of Rock & Roll and Legendary Rhythm & Blues Review. For a complete schedule, visit www.RiverfrontBluesFest.com
Fringe Festival promises to be more exciting than ever when it returns to Wilmington on September 29th thru October 3rd. The expanded, five-day celebration of unconventional and experimental art takes audiences on an exciting journey to the cutting edge of performance, visual arts and cinema. For more information, visit www.fringewilmingtonde.com.
Conveniently located midway between New York City and Washington, DC on I-95, and just 30 minutes south of Center City Philadelphia, Wilmington is readily accessible by car or train. More than 80 trains, including the high-speed Acela Express and SEPTA, service the city daily.
There's plenty to do and see while you are here, so come for the day and spend at least one night-and hopefully more! Wilmington is the gateway to the beautiful Brandywine Valley with all its treasures. Enjoy world-class museums, art galleries and gardens, historic towns that retain their 17th- and 18th-century ambiance, a revitalized Riverfront, a wide selection of performing arts, family-operated wineries and breweries and top-notch restaurants and hotels. For more information, go to www.VisitWilmingtonDE.com or call the Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-489-6664.