Jazz Ensemble at 2026 Detroit Jazz Festival

The State Champion 2025-26 NHS Jazz Ensemble has been invited to perform at the 47th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival! The DJF is the largest free jazz festival in the world. We have performed at this festival since its founding over 45 years ago, longer than any professional or amateur band in the history of the festival.

The Jazz Ensemble performs at TIME TBA indoors at the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center in Downtown Detroit. View the program book and full lineup on the DJF website. Students will either need to drive themselves, have parents transport them, or carpool with others. There are no buses or trucks/trailer from NHS to Downtown Detroit. The closest parking to the Valade Jazz Center are the nearby surface parking lots or Structure 8. The following parking instructions are listed in the DJF website FAQs:

• Parking near the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on Wayne State University Campus: 91 W. Forest between Woodward and Cass, adjacent to Studio One Apartments and University Towers, also known as the Forest Structure.
• https://parking.wayne.edu/info/lot-structure#structure8