Blues and Jazz Festival Returns

The annual Blues and Jazz Festival continues this weekend in Frontier Park tonight and some attendees believe the weekend is a lot more than listening to live music for a few hours.
The park on West 6th Street was bustling with the sounds of blues and jazz as the sun streamed through.
Tim Bruno, the Chair for the 2025 Blues and Jazz Festival said, "This weekend is all about blues and jazz and being together as a community in Frontier Park."
The event, which has been going on for decades draws people to the park and reminds them to stop and slow down. According to Bruno, "I think this is the most special weekend in terms of community in Erie. Everyone who comes here values the feelings they get when they are around their neighbor and so they come and they stay all weekend."
Besides the music of local and national performers, plenty of vendors set up shop for the two day event. Participants explained this isn't one of those events where people come and stay for a few hours, rather they like to make it a whole weekend, bringing their food, chairs, tents and drinks and making an extended stay. That include people like Dave Longley and his group of friends.
As Longley described, "Full set up, we've got a bar, we've got a 10x20 tent here, two 10x10 off to the side, carpet, chairs, artwork, body plants, we've got it all going on. We have been doing this for a long time."
He said he has returned for over ten years because of the relationships built and maintained, "It's people that we have known for years. It's just the way it is. They know the people on the other side of them, it's basic, its the weekend everyone looks forward to all year around."
He said this weekend can't come soon enough every year. "The camaraderie, the music, the beautiful weather that Erie has, it's great", said Longley.
The Blues and Jazz festival continues Sunday at Frontier Park from 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.