Exit Zero Jazz Festival
Website: exitzerojazzfestival.com
Phone: 609-849-9202
Address: Various Venues in Cape May
About The Festival: Twice a year, every spring and fall, sensory experiences go on overload when the Exit Zero Jazz Festival stages its world-class event in Cape May.
Each festival day of each weekend, the Exit Zero Jazz presents a musical feast featuring hundreds of world-class musicians performing on the main stages of Cape May Convention Hall and outdoor stages and the bars and restaurants in the heart of Cape May. You might find yourself second-lining to a New Orleans brass band one minute, then snaking through town behind a 22-piece Brazilian drum bloco the next.
In just ten years, the Exit Zero Jazz Festival has garnered a reputation of one of the most creative and respected festivals in the country. Past headliners of the Festival include Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Charles Lloyd, Terence Blanchard, Chris Botti, Dee Dee Bridgewater and so many more. The 2023 Headliners include Samara Joy – the winner of the 2022 Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Grammy Awards. The joy of the Exit Zero Jazz Festival is in the discovery of incredible music and musicians you may never have known existed.
At night, the bars and restaurants of Cape May light up with the music and energy of the festival. New Orleans-style second line parades are staged from the Washington Street Mall in downtown Cape May and participating clubs and restaurants burst at the seams with excitement. Festival-goers stroll from club to club along the streets, soaking up the exhilarating sounds — proving that the magic of the festival is not so much who you know, but the discovery of bands and music new to you and your friends.
Put simply, it’s a blast. A Cape May can’t-miss event. For ticket and festival information, please visit the festival at exitzerojazzfestival.com.
Photo by George Wirt
Photo by George Wirt