Warm weather isn’t the only sign that summer is around the corner. The National Gallery of Art’s beloved concert series Jazz in the Garden is back on May 23, bringing live music, picnics, and sangria to the Sculpture Garden. The first group to take the stage is jazz and R&B fusion group Lao Tizer Band.
Performances start at 6 PM every Friday from May 23 through July 11 (with an Independence Day break on July 4). Gates open at 5 PM, so attendees can arrive early to set up a blanket.
Tickets are free—if you can get your hands on them. A ticket lottery opens the week before each performance on Monday at 10 AM and closes on Friday at noon. Lottery winners are notified by email the Monday before each concert and can procure up to four tickets per concert. If you missed the lottery and feel like camping out, there are a select number of first-come, first-served passes available at 5 PM the day of the performance at the garden entrances.
You can bring a picnic to the Sculpture Garden (though no BYOB is allowed) or purchase refreshments from the garden’s pop-up bars and Pavilion Café. The coveted sangria is back, as well as beer, wine, and sodas. The cafe will serve a variety of sandwiches, salads, snacks, and sweet treats.
Here’s the lineup for this year’s Jazz in the Garden series:
May 23: Lao Tizer Band
- Vibe: Jazz R&B fusion
- Lottery opens: Monday, May 12, 10 AM
- Lottery closes: Friday, May 16, 12 PM
- Results announced: Monday, May 19, 10 AM
May 30: Leigh Pilzer’s Seven Pointed Star
- Vibe: Jazz septet
- Lottery opens: Monday, May 19, 10 AM
- Lottery closes: Friday, May 23, 12 PM
- Results announced: Monday, May 26, 10 AM
June 6: New Jazz Underground
- Vibe: Modern jazz trio
- Lottery opens: Monday, May 26, 10 AM
- Lottery closes: Friday, May 30, 12 PM
- Results announced: Monday, June 2, 10 AM
June 13: Kyaira
- Vibe: Soul singer
- Lottery opens: Monday, June 2, 10 AM
- Lottery closes: Friday, June 6, 12 PM
- Results announced: Monday, June 9, 10 AM
June 20: Gastón Reggio Group
- Vibe: Afro-Uruguayan jazz
- Lottery opens: Monday, June 9, 10 AM
- Lottery closes: Friday, June 13, 12 PM
- Results announced: Monday, June 16, 10 AM
June 27: Plena Libre
- Vibe: Afro-Latin fusion
- Lottery opens: Monday, June 16, 10 AM
- Lottery closes: Friday, June 20, 12 PM
- Results announced: Monday, June 23, 10 AM
July 11: Incendio
- Vibe: Global guitar sounds
- Lottery opens: Monday, June 30, 10:00 a.m.
- Lottery closes: Friday, July 4, noon
- Results announced: Monday, July 7, 10:00 a.m.
