After the beloved DC-summer ritual took a break last year (because of Covid, what else?), a slightly different incarnation of Jazz in the Garden will soon return to the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art. The new series, Concerts in the Sculpture Garden, begins July 29.
Four bands will perform in the al fresco gallery every other Thursday from 6 PM to 8:30 PM. Unlike Jazz in the Garden’s focus on a single genre, this series will feature an eclectic mix, starting with “global psychedelia” band Bombay Rickey on July 12. In fact, only one of the acts is a jazz-focused group: Baltimore Jazz Collective, performing on August 12. The other performances will spotlight US Army Brass on August 29 and mariachi band Flor de Toloache on September 9.
The shows will be free, but tickets must be reserved in advance. Passes for the Bombay Rickey gig are already on sale, and tickets for subsequent concerts will go live two weeks prior to each event. A maximum of six tickets can be reserved in a single order. While the return of live music to the Sculpture Garden is a buoying sign of our continued emergence from the pandemic, it’s important to remember that coronavirus is still in effect—attendees without vaccinations are required to wear a mask.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
