South Haven Jazz Festival

Foundry Hall presents the 9th annual South Haven Jazz Festival on September 18th and 19th in beautiful downtown South Haven. The free, two-day festival offers a variety of regional musicians from small ensembles to the Lake Effect Jazz Big Band performing traditional and original music.

Friday night's highlight will be Brazilian jazz night with the Rufus Ferguson Quartet featuring Kenny Watson. On Saturday, Brandon Meeks shares his Unsung Giants program of Midwest jazz legacy stories and closing out the night the Lake Effect Jazz Big Band will celebrate Miles Davis's 100th birthday.

The festival also showcases vocalist Yolonda Lavender's soul-based jazz, saxophonist Lafayette Gunter Jr. and a WMU jazz vocal duo, Daunt & King.

2026 South Haven Jazz Festival Lineup

FRIDAY 9/18 in Dyckman Park
6pm Daunt & King ~ WMU vocal jazz duo
7pm Rufus Ferguson Quartet featuring Kenny Watson ~ Brazilian Jazz

SATURDAY 9/19 in Dyckman Park and the Huron Street Pavilion
5pm Lafayette Gunter Jr. Band
6pm Yolonda Lavender
7pm Brandon Meeks Trio ~ Unsung Giants
8pm Lake Effect Jazz Big Band ~ celebrating Miles Davis’s 100th birthday

This year's festival is made possible by grant funding, sponsorships and these generous donors:

2026 Jazz Festival Sponsors

Miles Davis Circle

Visit South Haven
South Haven Community Foundation
Historic Hotel Nichols
Tello Italian Bistro and Sophie’s Steakhouse
Mary Hosley and Jay Campbell
Louis Armstrong Circle
Jaqua Realtors
South Pier Creamery & Market
JoAnn and David Putman
Woodhams Ford

Ella Fitzgerald Circle

Town & Country Appraisal Co. of Paw Paw
MyTown Ace Hardware South Haven
Rotary Club of South Haven
Billie Holiday Circle
Decadent Dogs
Harbor Light Brewery

If you would like to supprt the effort to keep South Haven swinging and grooving, send us an email at foundryhall@gmail.com!