The city of East Lansing is hosting a Summer Solstice Jazz Festival June 26-27, 2026. The event will take place downtown, between Abbot Street and M.A.C. Avenue, on Albert Street. The jazz festival celebrates the summer holiday of Summer Solstice, which occurred June 21 this year.
The free two-day event features regionally and nationally recognized jazz musicians, including 496 West, a Lansing-based band formed in 2008 by guitarist Charlie Wilson and named a top Jazz Act by SESAC in 2015. According to their website, the band’s single, “Horizons” topped #25 on the Smooth Jazz radio charts. They have also been featured on network television programming and community film soundtracks, including The Smooth Jazz Lab on internet radio.
On the first day of the festival, June 26, the event will go from 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
The festival will feature artists on two stages. One of them is the Founders’ Stage, named after festival founders Al and Beth Cafagna. With this stage, Grammy nominated professionals and local figures will be spotlighted. Making the other stage possible, the Outreach and Engagement Education stage, through their assistance with the event is the Michigan State University College of Music.
The Outreach and Engagement Education stage is where young musicians, including high schoolers just getting started in the industry, can perform.
The idea for the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival is not new: the festival has been taking place for decades, and this is the event’s 30th anniversary.
The artistic Director for the event is Randy Napoleon, Associate professor at Michigan State University, and the Artistic Director Emeritus is Rodney Whitaker, professor of Jazz Bass and Director of Jazz Studies at MSU. Both have made the event possible and continue to pour effort into music education and culture.
