The Savannah Jazz Festival Returns to Forsyth Park, A Short Walk From Our Door
The Savannah Jazz Festival marks its 45th year this September, and for three days the fountain end of Forsyth Park becomes the center of the city. The festival runs September 18 through 20, 2026, free and open to the public, with Friday evening opening at 6:30pm, Saturday's program beginning at 3pm, and Sunday easing the weekend to a close from 2pm onward.
It is the largest free music festival in the Lowcountry, and it happens a short walk from our front door on Jones Street.
The Weekend's Lineup
This year's festival is dedicated to longtime arts patron Bob Faircloth in honor of his 90th birthday. Friday night brings Georgia blues artist EG Kight and Gino Castillo and the Latin Cowboys, with the Joe Gransden Big Band closing the evening.
Saturday features saxophonist Brian Miller, a tribute to Faircloth from the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame Band, vocalist Jane Monheit with the Savannah Jazz Orchestra, and headliner Huntertones.
Sunday brings The Storyville Stompers and the University of North Florida Jazz Ensemble to the park before School Band Day closes the weekend at District Live on River Street.
All three days in Forsyth Park are free, and the lawn fills in early for the evening sets. Be sure to bring a chair or a blanket if you plan to stay for a while. For a more settled way to take in the music, the festival's Nickel & Oak Patron's Tent offers covered seating with a view of the stage, dining tables, an open bar and light hors d'oeuvres, available by separate ticket on Friday and Saturday.
A Park With History
Forsyth Park has been hosting music for longer than most festivals can claim. Johnny Mercer grew up a few blocks from the park, and the concerts he heard here as a boy are counted among his earliest influences. He went on to win four Academy Awards and write well over a thousand songs, including the words to "Moon River," "Come Rain or Come Shine," and the English lyrics to "Autumn Leaves." In 1962, the Back River outside Savannah, where he owned property, was renamed Moon River in honor of the song.
A B&B Two Minutes from Forsyth Park
The festival fills Forsyth Park all weekend. A short walk away on Jones Street, Eliza Thompson House stays quiet, adults-only, and ready for you between sets.
Start the day with breakfast, catch the afternoon set, then walk back to Jones Street for wine and cheese from 5 to 6:30pm before heading out again for the headliner. If you step away from the park early, desserts and coffee are served from 8 to 10pm. When the last set ends, the walk back to Eliza Thompson House is short, and our brick-paved courtyard is a quiet place to finish the night.
For a weekend built around music, staying close enough to walk between the park and a quiet room, with no car or rideshare to worry about, is the easiest way to do it.
Other Options to Stay in Savannah
Eliza Thompson House is our pick for this particular weekend, but a few of our sister properties make sense too, depending on what you're after.
East Bay Inn is the better fit if you are travelling with children or pets, since it is the only one of our Savannah inns that welcomes both. It sits on Bay Street across from the Riverwalk with parking included, close to River Street, where School Band Day closes the festival at District Live.
Kehoe House suits guests who want a quieter home base away from the busiest stretch of the festival. It sits on Columbia Square with parking included and breakfast delivered to your room, and the house's own ironwork and history make for a calm counterpoint to three days of music downtown.
The Gastonian sits just two blocks from Forsyth Park and suits a slower kind of festival weekend. Two restored 1868 mansions joined by a walkway over a formal garden, wine and hors d'oeuvres in the early evening, and desserts and cordials at night make it the pick for guests who want a more luxurious retreat to return to after the sets.
Planning Your Stay
The Savannah Jazz Festival draws heavily on returning visitors, and rooms this close to Forsyth Park tend to fill early once the dates are announced. If a weekend of music, evening wine on Jones Street, and a two-minute walk home sounds like the right way to spend a late September weekend in Savannah, we would be glad to host you at Eliza Thompson House.
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