The 14th annual Ocean City Jazz Festival is set for July 6-7 in North Topsail Beach.
Digital tickets are available for the rain-or-shine event, which is held under a pavilion tent across from 2649 Island Drive, at the corner of Island Drive and Carver Street.
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As it has in previous years, the festival boasts an incredible lineup of talent that caters to both jazz purist and lovers of contemporary jazz, organizers said.
The lineup this year includes James “PJ” Spraggins, Phylicia Rae, the Braxton Brothers, Kim Waters, Fred Wesley, Lin Rountree, Gerald Albright and Nnenna Freelon.
Free parking will be available at Onslow County Beach Access No. 2 at 2950 Island Drive. Shuttle services start at 4 p.m. daily. The Jazz Fest Express Shuttle provides continuous round-trip transportation between the parking lot on the bath house side and the festival site.
Organizers have made Americans with Disability Act accommodations, including an ADA restroom and a golf cart available for assistance. Beach mats are to be placed on the festival lot to provide a stable walking surface for attendees with mobility issues. The festival program will be online for those with visually impaired.
The Ocean City Community was founded in 1949, 15 years before the Civil Rights Act, as the only place African Americans could purchase coastal property in North Carolina. The annual festival is a celebration of the community’s music, food, art and cultural heritage.
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Today, the Ocean City Community is designated as an official African American historic site in Onslow County and is part of the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail.
The nonprofit Ocean City Beach Citizens Council is the host of the festival. Proceeds go to preserve the historic community, promotion of the history of the Ocean City Community and its significance to the state.
The festival will celebrate the community’s 75th anniversary with a White Attire Party on Friday, July 5. North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green is to read a commemorative poem for the occasion.
For more information and tickets, visit oceancityjazzfest.com.
