About

North Carolina Jazz Festival, Inc., Wilmington, NC

The North Carolina Jazz Festival: a Carolina tradition on the Cape Fear River since 1980

In 1980, local doctor and Dixieland bandleader Dr. Harry Van Velsor, along with two friends who also loved jazz, decided it was time for Wilmington to have a jazz festival. The Hilton Hotel – now the Hilton's Hotel Ballast –was the birthplace, and remains the riverside home of the North Carolina Jazz Festival. 

The festival grew over the years – featuring a broad range of jazz artists and expanding to a three-day event that includes the Jazz Education Program: outreach to schools and community organizations in the Wilmington area with performances and master classes by festival artists.

Now in its 47th year, the NC Jazz Festival continues to bring world-renowned musicians and jazz lovers to the Cape Fear area – who spend their evenings enjoying their favorite style of music and their days exploring downtown Wilmington's historic district and the beaches, museums, shops, galleries, and restaurants of Southeastern NC.

Come celebrate our 47th anniversary, our tradition of jazz, and our city.