Highland Is About to Get Funky: Jazz, Blues and Community Return to Columbia Park

Some festivals feel like big productions. Others feel like the neighborhood invited everyone over for the afternoon.

The Highland Jazz & Blues Festival has always been the latter.

On Saturday, September 19, Columbia Park will once again fill with live music, local food, original art and the wonderfully eclectic crowd that makes Highland one of Shreveport’s most interesting neighborhoods.

This year marks the festival’s 22nd anniversary—and organizers are planning quite a day.

Admission is free. Music will play across three stages, more than 70 food and artisan vendors are expected, and New Orleans funk band Dumpstaphunk will close the Buddy Flett Pavilion Stage with a 4:30 p.m. performance.

Honestly, that is already a pretty strong Saturday plan.

A Full Day of Music

The music begins at 10 a.m. with a tribute to the late Buddy Flett, the Grammy-nominated Shreveport guitarist whose talent and influence reached far beyond Northwest Louisiana.

It is a fitting way to begin a festival that has always celebrated more than a lineup of performers. The Highland Jazz & Blues Festival is also about the people, relationships and musical traditions that give Shreveport its distinctive sound.

Following the tribute, the Buddy Flett Pavilion Stage will welcome the Shreveport Regional Jazz Ensemble, Shades of Green, The Good Dudes and finally Dumpstaphunk.

Over at the Miller Lite Stage at the Gazebo, festivalgoers can catch The Bossier Big Band, The Eric Craig Band, Snake Doctors, Loose Association 318 and River City Groove.

In other words, you may want to bring a chair—but do not expect to stay seated all day.

Making Room for the Next Generation

One of my favorite parts of this year’s festival is the Inspiration Stage.

Its lineup includes Carla Heard, Caddo’s Rising Star 2026; the North DeSoto Middle School Jazz Band; Lady Chops; and talented-arts students from both Bossier and Caddo parish schools.

Giving young musicians an opportunity to perform before a real festival audience matters. It builds confidence, gives the community a chance to encourage them and helps keep our local music traditions moving forward.

Every great musician began somewhere. For a few of these students, Columbia Park may become part of that story.

More Than a Music Festival

Of course, the festival is not only about what happens onstage.

More than 70 food and artisan vendors are expected throughout the park, along with hands-on activities for children and a designated pet area. Continuous free shuttle service will also be available during the festival.

That makes it easy to arrive for one band, grab something good to eat, browse the work of local artists and suddenly realize you have spent most of the day in the park.

That is usually how the best festivals work.

You do not need a complicated itinerary. Bring a chair or blanket, wear comfortable shoes and follow whatever sounds good.

Columbia Park Becomes Shreveport’s Front Porch

Highland is often described by its historic homes, deep front porches, mature trees and wonderfully unpredictable mix of architecture.

But a neighborhood is more than its buildings.

Its real character comes from the people who live there, the traditions they preserve and the ways they gather together. For one Saturday each year, Columbia Park becomes a giant front porch for the entire Shreveport-Bossier community.

The festival also gives local food vendors, artists and makers an opportunity to introduce their work to thousands of potential new customers. You may arrive because you want to hear Dumpstaphunk and leave with dinner from a local vendor, a piece of original art and the name of a new favorite band.

That is the kind of local economic development that does not require a ribbon cutting. It happens one plate, painting and performance at a time.

Make Plans to Be There

The 22nd Annual Highland Jazz & Blues Festival is scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Columbia Park. Admission is free, and music begins at 10 a.m.

Bring your chair, bring your appetite and bring someone who does not mind a little dancing in the park.

The festival is not simply bringing jazz, blues and funk back to Highland. It is bringing people together—and reminding us that some of Shreveport’s greatest treasures are already growing in our own neighborhoods.

Check the official festival schedule before attending for the latest performance times and event information.