Star-studded Jazz in the Gardens festival planned for 2022
Mary J. Blige, H.E.R., Rick Ross and the Isley Brothers are set to headline Miami Gardens’ mega jazz and R&B music festival, Jazz in the Gardens, in March 2022.
The city’s mayor, Rodney Harris, announced the official star-studded lineup Friday – including SWV, The Roots with special guest T-Pain, Stokely, Jonathan McReynolds, Mike Phillips and Mark Allen Felton – for the return of the festival at the Hard Rock Stadium stage after a COVID-compelled hiatus last year.
“We’re excited to have Jazz in the Gardens back once again,” Harris told The Miami Times. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for people to get together once again.”
The two-day affair – held Saturday and Sunday, March 12-13 – will mark the event’s 15th anniversary. Miami Gardens has been its home since 2006.
“Jazz in the Gardens started as a concert in a dirt field in a parking lot, and now it has blossomed into one of the most premier music festivals in the entire world,” Harris said. “We’re excited that it took place and started here in Miami Gardens, and we’re excited for it to be here and we’re going to keep it here.”
It just keeps getting bigger and better,” said Donovan Thompson, owner of Caribbean restaurant Kingston Delight. Although the eatery is located in North Miami Beach, he makes sure to set up shop at the festival every year – something he’s been doing for more than a decade.
Thompson said he makes around $30,000 at the event annually serving jerk chicken, fish, oxtail, conch salad and beef patties. Last year, the festival was forced to cancel just two days before doors were set to open, during the height of the pandemic.
Those planning on catching the return of the big show must be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Face masks will be strongly encouraged.
Since witnessing firsthand how much Jazz in the Gardens has grown since its start, Thompson says he sees himself returning for future years and believes its audience will, too.
“I love being out there. I love the crowd. I love being on the grill,” he said. “People are hungry to go out. After all we’ve been through for the last year and a half, people want to get back to their lives.”
Radio host and comedian Rickey Smiley will return to grace the stage as its host; Live Nation Entertainment will be partnering with the city on the event.
“[It’s a] staple here in South Florida and we are beyond excited to help continue the tradition and usher in the next chapter of this amazing event,” said Brittany Flores, president of Live Nation Florida.
“As a manager, my clients have played this festival several times over the past decade,” said Shawn Gee, president of Live Nation Urban, “so when presented with the opportunity to work alongside the city to produce the event this year, I was super excited. Jazz in the Gardens is one of the most important live events in the culture of jazz and R&B music, globally. Our goal is not only to produce a stellar event, but to let the world know about the hidden gem that Miami Gardens has with this event.”
The internationally renowned music festival not only benefits the city, but the region of South Florida, Harris says.
“We look at the funds that are being generated throughout the entire region. Hotels, restaurants and businesses will benefit from Jazz in the Gardens being here. And that’s one reason we keep it going, because this is something that everybody wants to see and benefits from,” he said.
“As Miami Gardens continues to develop, I think that having a festival there will help increase and augment this growth that’s happening in the area,” said Connie Kinnard, vice president of multicultural tourism & development for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), which promotes local tourism.
According to 2019 data prepared by the GMCVB’s research team provided by Kinnard, the festival that year produced a net total of about $12.3 million in economic impact for Miami-Dade County and employed more than 4,000 people. Tourism for the festival also generated around $500,000 in local taxes, along with an estimated hotel room demand of 15,835 room nights.
Using this month’s attendance for Art Basel in Miami as an example of what’s to come, Kinnard estimates that numbers should be strong for Jazz in the Gardens, as in years prior.
“It could actually exceed numbers because, think about it, it’s been two years since they’ve had Jazz in the Gardens and there are tried-and-true followers that come every year,” she said.
There is a large domestic draw, but the top two destinations outside of Florida where residents flock to the concert are Georgia and Maryland. The GMCVB will mainly focus on marketing to these states as well as the Caribbean, to which it already reaches out year-round.
“Miami has always been, even through the pandemic, ranked as one of the top cities that people would start to travel to once things opened up,” Kinnard said. “What we’ve been doing as far as promoting is promoting the fact that we’re open and ready for business.”
Local performers have yet to be announced and tickets are not yet available. For more information, visit JazzInTheGardens.com.
