Clifford Brown Jazz Festival
- Dates
- 2027
- Status
- Expected
- Venue
- Rodney Square
- Price
- Free
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Oct 20, 2026
Clifford Brown Jazz Festival comes to Rodney Square, Wilmington, DE, 2027. Froligo tracks free-entry details, attendee feedback and travel details.
The experience
What's special
Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is a free jazz festival at Rodney Square in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, honoring Wilmington's own trumpeter Clifford Brown. Founded in 1989, it has grown into the largest free jazz festival on the East Coast, and the 39th annual edition ran for seven days from 2 to 8 August in 2026. The 2026 lineup included Jonathan Butler, Nicholas Payton, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ledisi, Marcus Miller, Sheila E. and Kes the Band.
How it works
Every performance is free. In 2026 the evening concerts started at 5:15 PM Monday to Friday, with Sunday's lineup beginning at 3:30 PM and Saturday's at 2 PM, and each festival day opened with Jersey Surf's Mobile Music Lab, a hands-on percussion and instrument activity for all ages presented by the Jersey Surf Drum & Bugle Corps. The festival organizers suggest bringing a chair.
Who it suits
The festival is free and open to jazz fans and anyone who loves live music, with styles ranging from straight-ahead jazz and soul to funk, gospel, Afrobeat, Caribbean rhythms and R&B. Jersey Surf's Mobile Music Lab offers hands-on musical fun for all ages.
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Listen
Tap an artist to play them right here.
No official playlist linked yet. Find Clifford Brown Jazz Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
Here's who played in 2026:
Getting there
Nearest airport PHL.
How do I get to Clifford Brown Jazz Festival?
By car
Most people drive to Clifford Brown Jazz Festival. The nearest major airport is PHL, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
SEPTA's Airport Line runs directly from all PHL terminals to Philadelphia's 30th Street Station (~20-28 min). From there, SEPTA commuter trains run directly from Philadelphia to Wilmington (confirmed on visitwilmingtonde.com), or Amtrak's Northeast Corridor covers the same leg. The Wilmington station 'sits near the Wilmington Riverfront, an easy walk from downtown', per other search results, roughly a 4-block walk north on French St then west on 10th St to reach Rodney Square. This two-train routing (PHL Airport Line + Philadelphia-Wilmington commuter rail) is the most transit-native option for a fly-in attendee, avoiding a car entirely.
Book / infoBy bus & public transit
No scheduled intercity bus or public transit route to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
Taxi & rideshare
For the ~25-minute drive to downtown Wilmington this is the simplest single-leg option, at the cost of a longer fare than an in-Philadelphia trip.
Book / infoTaxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
No on site parking. Use nearby lots or transit. Cost Rodney Square is a downtown civic plaza with no dedicated festival lot. Attendees use the City of Wilmington's public parking garage network. The Wilmington Parking Authority's own rates page lists several downtown garages within a short walk of the square: Brandywine Gateway (13th & King, max daily $10), Corporate Plaza (11th St./Delaware Ave. at Madison, max daily $10), 10th Street (10th & Washington, max daily $12), Customs House/Courthouse Square (7th & King, max daily $11), and the Train Station garage (MLK Blvd. & King, max daily $12). This is a free, one-week evening-concert-series festival, not a single ticketed gate event, so there is no festival-specific parking prepay portal (ParkMobile/SpotHero-style).
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at PHL
There is no on site parking at the venue, so if you are hiring a car it is worth sorting nearby parking or a park and ride before you go.
Search car hireCar hire links may earn Froligo a commission; they never change the price you pay.
Where
Venue
Rodney Square
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Clifford Brown Jazz Festival?
Budget stays 2
3 Memorial Drive, Minquadale, DE 19720
Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates591 North Hook Road, Pennsville Township, 08070, Wilmington, DE
Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesMid-range hotels 6
1220 N Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates1102 N West Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates1300 N Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates519 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates1051 South Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates1102 North West Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesTreat yourself 2
700 North King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Typically $170-300 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates422 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington, DE 19801
Typically $170-300 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesAirport hotels 3
9000 Bartram Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153
Typically $100-190 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates8900 Bartram Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153
Typically $100-190 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates8800 Bartram Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153
Typically $100-190 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesMore hotels nearby 2
Downtown Wilmington hotel; per one secondary search result, offers 'complimentary shuttle service to and from businesses, restaurants and attractions' in the downtown area, which would plausibly cover the short hop to Rodney Square, though no festival-specific or Rodney-Square-specific shuttle stop was named in the source found.
Shuttle General downtown-area shuttle, not a festival-branded or Rodney-Square-specific service, this is the hotel's own standing local shuttle, not an official Clifford Brown Jazz Festival partnership.
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Link coming soon42 West 11th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Link coming soonAirbnb & private camping
Wilmington's short-term-rental market is modest compared to major-metro downtowns, and this is a free, week-long civic festival rather than a ticketed single-weekend draw, so a strong surge pattern is plausible but unconfirmed. Treat as an open question, not documented fact.
Search AirbnbSearch all hotels near Rodney Square
Hotel links may earn Froligo a commission; they never change the price you pay.
Accessibility & comfort
The organizer does not publish accessibility details. Ask them directly before you travel about step-free access, accessible toilets, seating and anything else you need.
Pricing
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Quick answers
When is Clifford Brown Jazz Festival 2027?
2027
How much are Clifford Brown Jazz Festival tickets?
Entry is free.
Where is Clifford Brown Jazz Festival held?
Rodney Square, Wilmington, DE.