Seabreeze Jazz Festival Apr 20-24 At Pier Park

SoWal.com is proud to once again sponsor the ultimate weekend of smooth jazz! The 18th annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival is coming April 20-24th to Pier Park in Panama City Beach. We love our local jazz station and listen year-round. We are so fortunate to have such a great festival right in our sideyard.
 

Platinum-selling and multi-Grammy winning Michael McDonald, top-charting saxophonist Boney James, vocalist Peabo Bryson, and guitarist Peter White are just some top-notched talent set to perform at the “Ultimate Weekend of Smooth Jazz”.
 

The event has become an annual celebration for jazz-minded adults where the allure of great beaches, exciting shopping, world-class restaurants along with a plethora of activities like golf and fishing, all combine for a true vacation getaway! Panama City Beach provides the perfect backdrop for the “ultimate” jazz beach weekend with the festival attracting attendees from 42 U.S. states and over seven countries, plus also being named “Top 10 Jazz Festival in the USA” by JazzIZ Magazine. Smooth jazz blowing gently in the coastal breezes is just one unique feature at one of the nation’s fastest growing “destination music festivals” on the Gulf Coast.
 
Artists to perform in 2016 include Boney James, Brian Culbertson, Michael McDonald, Gerald Albright, Jonathan Butler, Mindi Abair, Peter White,Peabo Bryson, Marc Antoine, Josh Vietti, Najee, The Family Stone, Nick Colionne, Euge Groove, Jazz In Pink— featuring Cindy Bradley, Gail Jhonson, Jazmin Ghent, Mareia Antoinette, and others –Jesse Cook, Peet Project, Paul Taylor, Ben Tankard, Malina Moye, Vincent Ingala, Brian Simpson, Jackeim Joyner, Alex Bugnon, The JT Project (Seabreeze Rising Star), Selina Albright, Marcus Anderson, Oli Silk, Will Donato, JJ Sanserverino, Kim Scott, Elan Trotman, David Sides, Kyshona Armstrong, and Chris Godber (Panama City saxophonist).
 
Main performances will take place at the Aaron Beasant Park Amphitheater adjacent to Pier Park, with nightly After-Party All-Star Jam Shows at Pompano Joe’s Seafood House at adjacent Pier Park. 

 
To further showcase the beauty of Panama City Beach, a Dinner and Lunch Smooth Jazz Cruise aboard “The Solaris” dinner yacht is set departing the Lighthouse Marina cruising picturesque St. Andrews Bay—each with a live jazz performance on board.
 
Smooth Jazz fans have a unique and intimate connection to the festival’s music and core artists base. The “smooth jazz lifestyle” is the secret to the success of The Seabreeze Jazz Festival® – where the R & B based smooth contemporary jazz literally creates a synergy for the whole weekend. The licks of the funky bass lines and pop-friendly musical hooks keep the crowds moving to the beat….almost like the tempo of the swaying palm trees around beautiful Aaron Beasant Park Amphitheater at Pier Park, on the west end of Panama City Beach.  

Smooth jazz is the epitome of “The Good Life” – laid back yet upscale at the same time, relaxing and familiar as a pair of your most comfortable beach sandals. It’s this uniqueness that appeals to a upscale college-educated professional adult demographic, primarily a 35-55 year old audience with high amounts of discretionary income. Many economist call this very desirable demographic group “Alpha Baby Boomers” –attributing to the $14.2 million impact the Seabreeze Jazz Festival® besieges on the Northwest Florida economy.

 
The event hosts close to 28,000 for the weekend, with a large percentage of fans traveling hundreds if not thousands of miles away to attend. 60% of the festival’s tickets are sold outside the State of Florida, making it a true destination festival. The alluring appeal of Pier Park and the new resort-style architecture along with west end of Panama City Beach beckons even the most cosmopolitan city-dweller to join in on the fun, and get their toes in the sands.   

The successful melding appeal of Pier Park with the Seabreeze Jazz Festival® on site is all about complimenting distractions. Pier Park (a Simon Mall property) sports over 160 retail stores, a 16-screen stadium-seating cinema, numerous eateries, nightclubs, even a small amusement park to pacify all of the family’s pastimes, while the parents enjoy the live smooth jazz entertainment from the nation’s top jazz artists. The City Pier across the street from the festival stage and miles of white-sand beaches and emerald-green waters also provides a nearby escape from the live entertainment. 

 
Tickets are available for single and multi-day admission. Thursday only tickets are $90 each, Friday only tickets are $100 each, Saturday only tickets are $120 each, and Sunday only tickets are $100 each. Patrons save money on multi-day tickets with a Weekend Pass good for Friday-Sunday priced at $200, and the all-inclusive Four Day Pass $250 each for all performances Thursday through Sunday at the main stage. Gold Reserved seating is available including on-site parking, early entry, fixed reserved seating behind the VIP section, dedicated air-conditioned restrooms, and four beverages per day. The Four Day Gold Reserve ticket is $450 each and limited. VIP Tickets and VIP Tables sold out for the event in June 2015. Seabreeze Jazz Festival® tickets are available by phone at 800-595-4849 or online at www.seabreezejazzfestival.com.
 
Complete lineup, tickets, and schedule information is online here at www.seabreezejazzfestival.com with weekly updates on Facebook.