{"id":987978,"date":"2026-08-08T01:52:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/987978\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:52:26","slug":"la-jazz-festival-postponed-hours-before-start-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/987978\/","title":{"rendered":"LA jazz festival postponed hours before start time"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was billed as the first of its kind jazz festival to take place in Los Angeles, but now its future is uncertain after organizers pulled the plug<\/a> hours before it was to kickoff on Friday.<\/p>\n

The massive music festival<\/a> featuring such names as John Legend and Janelle Monae, was scheduled to start August 7 at Leimert Park, with events planned across Southern California over the next two weeks, including bringing free concerts at public parks across LA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Martin Ludlow, CEO and founder of the Los Angeles Jazz Festival, speaks during the Ticket On-Sale & Headline Artist announcement at The Inkwell in Santa Monica, California, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AFP) AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Leimert Park, a neighborhood in the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. leimertparkvillage.org<\/p>\n

A statement late Friday from the founder and CEO of the LA Jazz Festival, Martin Ludlow, said they made the difficult decision to postpone the whole thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to significant, unanticipated last-minute public safety and municipal costs associated with the final permitting of the On The Beach Festival, we have reached the decision to unfortunately postpone this year\u2019s inaugural LA Jazz Festival,\u201d Ludlow told the LA Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAlthough this decision was an extremely difficult one to reach, our commitment to the audiences and artists participating in the festival is to have a first-class experience worthy of the great legacy of Jazz and our great city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were encouraged by the enthusiastic support of the artists on the bill, the fans and our sponsors for this inaugural event, and we look forward to presenting all of the components of this incredible cultural opportunity for Los Angeles and the world in 2027 and beyond,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

Current ticket holders for the various jazz festival events will receive a refund within 30 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe apologize deeply for this situation and vow to make this right over time,\u201d Ludlow said.<\/p>\n

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Hours before a message on the website page<\/a> for the festival said \u201cAug. 22-23. Updated event info coming soon.\u201d No other information or explanation was provided.<\/p>\n

Dozens of performers who were booked were notified this week the event was no longer happening, citing production challenges and permitting issues they hadn\u2019t expected, KTLA 5<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

The cancellation<\/a> included the Jazz After Dark and the Caribbean Street Carnival, which \u201cpays homage to the rhythms which shaped the DNA of early jazz in New Orleans,\u201d Discover Los Angeles<\/a> announced.<\/p>\n

John Legend performs during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in John Lewis Plaza on Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Barack Obama served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 and was the first African-American to hold the office. (Getty Images North America) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Organizers previously said the plan was to combine the various events\u2014previously planned for the final weekend of the two-week long festival\u2014into one. The only part of the festival that was scheduled to still happen was \u201cJazz on the Beach\u201d taking place at Dockweiler Beach.<\/p>\n

Some of the big names who were previously announced<\/a> as performing at the closing festival event include Legend, Parliament Funkadelic with George Clinton, Charlie Wilson, and dozens more.<\/p>\n

Ludlow earlier this year announced some of the headliners at the festival which was labeled the \u201clargest Black-owned jazz festival ever,\u201d CBS LA<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

Ludlow announced the festival near \u201cThe inkwell\u201d at Santa Monica beach, a once-segregated portion of LA county.<\/p>\n

The Post has reached out to organizers for more information.<\/p>\n

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