Atlanta Jazz Festival ends early due to severe weather

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The Atlanta Jazz Festival concluded Monday night after three days of festivities in Piedmont Park, with attendees, musicians, and organizers dealing with rain throughout most of the event.

Security was a focus for organizers this year.

“This year, we actually had to increase the number of officers we have just to make sure people feel safe,” said Adriane Jefferson, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. “You know, we want people to have fun. We want them to enjoy themselves, but we want them to do it safely. So, our partners at APD have been wonderful.”

Jefferson was worried that the weekend would be a washout, with copious amounts of rain keeping people away. But for the most part, she said that wasn’t the case.

“My concern was it being canceled or it being a complete washout. But it hasn’t been that,” she said. “The only thing we’ve had to do was on Saturday, when we started, pause the show a couple of times in 15-minute increments. That’s it. Even on that day, it was very well attended, and that day it rained a lot.”

The event ended early on Monday, with performers doing abbreviated shows before ending at 7 p.m.