At 20, Hyde Park Jazz Fest Retains a Neighborhood Feel
Downbeat
Oct. 6, 2026
By Bill Meyer
Photo by Marc Monaghan
If you scanned the lineup for the 20th edition of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, which took place Sept. 25–26, you’d see some names worthy of top-tier festivals around the globe. But when you get up close, it proudly shows its roots as a neighborhood celebration. Most of its staff are volunteers, and many of the people in attendance come from Chicago’s South Side.
