Crowds turn out for second day of CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – People are filling the streets of downtown Rochester as the second day of the 20th Annual CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival is underway.

Rain or shine hundreds of jazz bands from around the world are performing. This year’s lineup includes more than 300 acts across 19 venues, and more than 100 of those are free.

Keb Mo and St. Paul and the Broken Bones are headlining the event on Saturday.

During the pandemic, the festival received funding from the federal government but this year, without that money, sponsors like Wegman’s and many others stepped up to the plate.

Festival goers like Kathi Jones-Del Monte said that she has been coming to the jazz festival every year since it began.

“Get downtown right now. Come to the festival. The city comes alive. You’ll see Rochester in a way that you typically don’t see it before, unless you’ve been coming to it every year,” Del-Monte said.

The jazz festival runs through July 1.