Capital Jazz Fest

Has anyone been to the Capital Jazz Fest in past years? What can you tell me about your experience? http://www.capitaljazz.com/2008/index.asp is the site for the 2008 fest. I%26#39;ve looked it over and would consider travelling from Ohio to hear Dianne Reeves and Chris Botti.

Capital Jazz Fest

I replied to your same post on the DC forum, but I%26#39;ll repeat it here for those who don%26#39;t want to bother navigating over there:

Just try to arrive early for it - they sell ';lawn'; seats for the entire park that surrounds Merriweather Post Pavilion.

For most shows lawn seats aren%26#39;t that bad, you can hear OK and see the stage on screens.

But for Jazz Festival they fence off the surrounding park (aka ';Symphony Woods';) and include that as a lawn seating. If you%26#39;re not early enough to snag a seat on the actual lawn, you%26#39;re basically paying $50+ to attend a picnic! :)

Capital Jazz Fest

Given the distance we%26#39;ll be driving (and a disinclination to sit in the rain), I expect that we%26#39;ll buy pavilion seats...but gee! all those extra charges tacked onto the price make me a little crazy!

I mentioned lawn tickets because that%26#39;s all they have left, at least for Saturday. For some reason I assumed you were coming for Saturday, but I think they still have pavilion seats for Sunday.

Well, boo hoo! I%26#39;m disappointed to discover that only lawn or $160 tickets are left for Saturday. The latter%26#39;s too pricey and the former, too if-fy. I did once sit on a hillside in the rain for a Peter, Paul %26amp; Mary concert, but that was the summer of %26#39;69 and never again.

Maybe 2009 will be our year for the Capital Jazz Fest. What date do tickets typically go on sale? Is it unusual to be sold out two months beforehand?

Given the bad news about availability of tickets for the Capital Jazz Fest, I was ecstatic to discover good news on Chris Botti%26#39;s website that he%26#39;ll be performing in Cleveland on June 17. Today I was able to purchase two dress circle seats (Row E 307-308) at the Palace Theatre for $91. I%26#39;m very pleased...and next year I%26#39;ll check out tickets for the Capital Jazz Fest as early as March 1.

Even though we won%26#39;t get to the Capital Jazz Fest this year, I%26#39;m hoping to hear about the event from those who do.

The best time to get tickets is in early March when the schedule and prices will be on their website,also subscribe to their newsletter for update regarding this year 2009 events.

I preferred the pavillion seats and changed where I sat depending on the artist. This little trick helped a little with my budget which, could easily take you way up in price.

My hubby and i traveled from Chicago in 05 by air and rented a car. We stayed at the Marriot Columbia and we had a nice stay. I would like to stay at the host hotel so I can enjoy the Jazz competition and parties without having to drive back to another hotel.

The food vendors are pretty good and had good pricing for a container of (i.e greens,catfish,mac%26amp;cheese and sweet potatoes for $8-10.)

The fest also have art and crafts vendors.You can pick up some pretty unique pieces with these vendors.

There is an Meet and Greet booth where the performers come after their set to talk to fans, sign autographs and take pictures. We had a great time. If you have any questions,email me.