It’s a busy weekend with a lot of events happening. Music festivals, outdoor events and the NEPA Latino Fiesta are on deck. Let’s start with a 20-year tradition, the Scranton Jazz Festival.
Scranton Jazz Festival
It will be hard to miss a jazz performance in downtown Scranton with dozens of acts scheduled to perform at restaurants and other spots.
The music will start Friday evening, which is also First Friday Scranton.
There will be free trolley rides Friday and Saturday evening from 6 to 10 p.m. There also is a jazz walk map that includes locations to see music free of charge.
Ticketed events at the Scranton Cultural Center will feature Tower of Power Saturday, and the Scranton Jazz Festival Big Band will play Sunday.
Founder Marko Marcinko says the event has grown and transformed since the inaugural event in 2005, and that’s just a part of jazz.
“You want to improvise, you want to recreate, you want to take something that has been and put something on top of it,” he said. “That’s the way of the jazz musician.”
Hear more from Marcinko in a recent interview with WVIA’s Erika Funke on Artscene.
NEPA Day Downtown
A youth-led volunteer organization, NEPA’s Summer in the City, will host NEPA Day Downtown on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre Saturday.
The day will begin with the water-themed Run the River 5K at 9 a.m. Runners and walkers will be sprayed and splashed by volunteers along the way. There’s also a 1.25-mile run for kids.
Entertainment will include a pup parade, Irish dancers and other local performers. There will be vendors, food trucks and kids’ activities.
The event is a fundraiser for Casa of Wyoming Valley.
NEPA’s Day Downtown
Sat., Aug. 1
11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre Public Square
NEPA Latino Fiesta
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Giving Back to the Community
A vibrant, family-friendly event at Nay Aug Park in Scranton will celebrate Latino heritage.
Latin American cultures will be represented in music and dance. There will also be authentic latin and caribbean food.
Activities will include a kids’ zone and a variety of vendors. This is the third annual NEPA Latino Fiesta in Scranton, hosted by Giving Back to the Community.
“In times like these, creating spaces that celebrate culture and community is more important than ever,” President and co-founder Elizabeth Rodriguez said in a press release. “The Latino Fiesta is about pride, unity and honoring the contributions of Latino families in Scranton and beyond.”
NEPA Latino Fiesta
Sat., Aug. 1
12 – 6 p.m.
Nay Aug Park, Scranton