Algonquin Park in West Louisville will fill with gospel, jazz and R&B music on Saturday, September 19, as the free Algonquin Park Music Festival returns from noon to 7 p.m. The all-day lineup mixes church choirs and gospel artists in the afternoon with jazz and R&B performers in the evening, alongside food trucks, a live DJ, dance performances and activities for seniors.
According to WAVE News, gospel entertainment runs from 1 to 4 p.m. and features the Bates Memorial Mass Choir, Min. Dennis Prince & The Anointed Vessels, Michael A. Young, the Christ Culture Worship Team, St. Stephen Young Generation Youth Choir, St. Stephen Mighty Men of God Choir, Min. David Minor & Cincinnati United, and Leon Timbo. The jazz and R&B set follows from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m., featuring the Unlimited Show Band, the Dr. Ansyn Banks Mini Big Orchestra, Charles Walker, Beth, Urban Jazz Coalition and Patrick Lamb. Beth, one of the evening's headliners, previously appeared on season 16 of NBC's The Voice, the outlet reports. The festival, held at 1614 Cypress St., is hosted by Krystal Goodner Spratt, Mario Martin, Dawne Gee and Chea Woolfolk, and vendors interested in participating can register online at tinyurl.com/jazzinalgonquin or call 502-353-1277 for more information.
A Park Rebuilt for the Moment
The festival's return comes as Algonquin Park itself has undergone a wave of civic investment. In May 2025, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and local officials celebrated the grand opening of a new $7.2 million, 13,000-square-foot public pool at the park, funded through American Rescue Plan dollars, according to Louisville Metro Government. The facility, which replaced an older pool that closed during the pandemic, marked the first new public pool built in West Louisville in 60 years.
The park's roots run much deeper than that recent upgrade. Algonquin Park was designed in January 1929 by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm after the city acquired a former rhubarb farm, making the 16-acre green space part of Louisville's historic Olmsted Parks and Parkways System, per the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. The park also holds a place in the city's basketball history: in 1969, it served as the founding site of Louisville's Dirt Bowl summer tournament.
The Councilwoman Behind the Comeback
The music festival is sponsored by District 1 Metro Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins. Hawkins represents District 1 on the Metro Council, according to Louisville Metro Government. WHAS11 reports that Hawkins operated her childcare facility for 15 years and owns Kids World Day Care and Parkland Neighborhood Food Mart, which she started after seeing community needs.
Hawkins has promoted Algonquin Day and Jazz in Algonquin Park. The available information does not detail the festival's funding.
Part of a Bigger West End Calendar
District 1 includes several West End neighborhoods, including Parkland, Chickasaw and Park DuValle. The music festival is not the only community event on the district's late-summer calendar: Parkland Day is scheduled for 28th and Virginia Streets on September 26, just a week after the Algonquin Park festival wraps up, according to a District 1 eNewsletter distributed via GovDelivery.
Admission to the Algonquin Park Music Festival is free and open to the public. WAVE reported details of the September 19 lineup.
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