COLUMBIA STREET WATERFRONT DISTRICT — A two-day neighborhood jazz fest is returning to a Brooklyn community garden that will play center stage to the event this summer.
The eighth annual Red Hook Jazz Festival will take place on June 14 and 21 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Urban Meadow, a local community garden at President and Van Brunt streets, organizers said.
Mike Golub, 42, a musician and local resident, started the festival eight years ago after he helped turn the abandoned Brooklyn lot into a garden, he said.
While the event started small with only a handful of musicians, including Golub, it’s grown in size and popularity with roughly 300 people attending each day of the festival last year.
This year’s schedule includes nine performances with dozens of musicians slated to take part, including the Ben Monder Trio, Brooklyn Qawwali Party and Alon Nechushtan Quintet.
“It’s just kind of grown through word of mouth,” said Golub, who organized the festival with James Keepnews and Golub’s wife, Tamar Smith.
Golub added that, “it’s probably the cheapest jazz fest in the world” with tickets priced at $10 — only available at the door — and free admission for children under 16.
Each performance is roughly 45 to 50 minutes. For a full line up of musicians on each day, visit the festival’s Facebook page.
