18 Free and Fabulous Labor Day Events
- 31st Detroit Jazz Fest
More than 750,000 informed jazz fans make the trek to downtown Detroit each year for this grand celebration of Americas oldest musical art form. The free Detroit Jazz Fest spreads over two million square feet of downtown Detroit and includes three stages, a Jazz Talk Tent and the Kid Bop Area.This year’s festival pays homage to six trailblazers of modern jazz: Art Blakey, Ray Brown, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Betty Carter and Gil Evans. The lineup features a number of artists who passed through the “schools” of these jazz giants to become some of today’s brightest lights and mentors.Festival dates are Sept. 3 through Sept. 6.
- Chicago Botanic Garden Carillon Concert
Enjoy an enchanting 45-minute musical performance of carillon bells on a warm summer evening while wandering Chicago’s enchanting botanic garden. Meet the performers and enjoy a free carillon tour and demonstration before the concert. You can even try your hand at ringing the bells.Concerts start at 7 p.m., pre-concert tours and demonstrations are held every 15 minutes between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Entry to the garden is free, as is the concert. - 32nd Chicago Jazz Festival
Known for its artistic creativity, this free Labor Day event promotes awareness and appreciation for all form of jazz through quality live musical performances. The festival’s mission is to showcase Chicago’s vast jazz talent alongside national and international artists to encourage and educated a jazz audience of all ages.Musicians, including Nicole Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Brad Mehldau, Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band, Rene Marie, The Either/Orchestra and Kurt Elling, will perform at three venues from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5.
- 27th Taste of Colorado – Denver
An average 500,000 Colorado residents flock to this four-day epicurean celebration every Labor Day weekend to sample a wide variety of foods and live entertainment, making it the largest, free, outdoor event in Colorado.The 2010 Taste of Colorado festival is scheduled from Sept. 3 to Sept. 6 at the Denver Civic Center. Over 50 area bakers, caterers and restaurants will offer samples to festivalgoers, and over 250 local artisans will line the streets selling their wares.
Seven entertainment stages and educational programs promote the diverse cultural and western heritage of the region. Musical headliners this year include Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Bret Michaels, Dave Mason, the Gregg Rolie Band and The Groove Hawgs.
Admission for all concerts and entertainment is free, but tickets must be used to purchase food and beverages.
- 111th Warrenton Horse Show – Warrenton, Va.
One of the oldest hunter/jumper shows in the United States, the four-day event runs from Sept. 1 to Sept. 5 at the Warrenton Horse Showgrounds. Events include horse and rider competitions in classes for hunters, jumpers, junior hunters, ladies side saddle, Hunt teams, Hunt pairs and field hunters. Don’t miss Hunt Day on Sunday and the ever popular terrier races. - Virginia Symphony Concert – Yorktown, Va.
Pack a picnic supper, bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy a star-spangled performance by these highly trained musicians. Music starts at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 4 with a pre-concert performance by The Fifes and Drums of Yorktown. - The AFTRA-SAG and LA/Long Beach Labor Coalition and Labor Day Parade – Los Angeles
Talk about a celebrity bonanza! Members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild join the LA/Long Beach Labor Coalition in a Labor Day march, followed by a speech, music and food-filled rally.The annual parade starts at 11 a.m. Sept. 6 and winds from Broad and E Street south on Avalon Blvd to Banning Park in Wilmington. The rally is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- U.S. Capitol Concert – Washington, D.C.
The National Symphony Orchestra performs a free Labor Day concert every year the Sunday before Labor Day on the West Lawn of the U. S. Capitol. The annual concert is led by NSO Associate Conductor Emil de Cou and the event is part of the Kennedy Center’s Prelude Festival, <> which includes free performances to kickoff the performing arts season in Washington, D.C.Gates open at 5 p.m. Sept. 5. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Call the NSO Summer Concert Hotline at (202) 416-8113 after 2:30 p.m. for details.
- 42nd West Indian American Day Parade & Carnival – Brooklyn, N.Y.
Join millions of Brooklynites and New Yorkers as they celebrate the ethnic heritage, cultures, color and excitement of the Caribbean Islands. Events begin with a parade featuring thousands of marchers in stunningly colorful costumes, all bouncing to the sounds of reggae and calypso music. All of Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway plays host to vendors selling native foods, crafts, books, clothing, art, jewelry and much more.The parade is an all day affair, beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. The parade winds from the Eastern Parkway and Schenectady Ave. to Flatbush Ave. Exit, where non-masqueraders can celebrate with the bands.
- 32nd Riverfest Fireworks – Cincinnati
Riverfest is Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s big-sky boom — an end of summer blowout that concludes with one of the largest fireworks displays in the Midwest.This signature Cincinnati event began 32 years ago, when WEBN radio treated the tri-state area to a fireworks show celebrating it’s 10th anniversary. The party at Sawyer Point, held annually on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, has grown into an all-day affair with music, food, family fun and entertainment throughout the day. Nearly a half-million people attend on both sides of the river.
- 23rd Boomsday – Knoxville, Tenn.
Knoxville’s waterfront goes boom the Sunday before Labor Day. This is one of the biggest events in the state of Tennessee, featuring the largest fireworks show in the southeast United States. Live entertainment keeps the giant crowd amused from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. then the skies light up at 9:30 p.m. with tons of fireworks — choreographed to a musical soundtrack — for a spectacular 20 minute show of firepower.General Boomsday 2010 activities start at 1 p.m. at Volunteer Landing, featuring food from 30 vendors, amusement games, rides, exhibits, children’s activities and a community stage for young athletes and performers.
- Taste of Madison - Madison, Wis.
More than 75 local restaurants, 20 beverage stands and three entertainment stages combine efforts each year in Madison to make Labor Day weekend something extra special. Admission is free and every food item is reasonably priced, from $1 to $5. The two-day event, Sept. 4 and Sept. 5, raises thousands of dollars for United Cerebral Palsy each year. - 28th Okinawan Festival – Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii
One of the most eagerly anticipated events of the summer, the Okinawan Festival is held annually on Labor Day weekend. Recognized as the largest cultural event in Hawaii, the festival draws between 40,000 and 50,000 people to Kapiolani Park in the middle of Waikiki.The festival opens with a parade, followed by non-stop entertainment featuring traditional Okinawan music and dances, including the Okinawan classical dances Kajadifu and Yotsutake, and a folk dance Obon, in which over 1000 people participate. Large tents display Okinawan arts and culture, including lacquerware, pottery, textiles, kimonos, hair-styling, karate and performing arts. Okinawan delicacies are served, local artists and craftsmen sell their work and children’s entertainment is available.
- 53rd Mackinac Bridge Walk – Mackinac City to St. Ignace, Mich.
This is one of my favorite Labor Day events, perhaps because I’m from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The breathtaking Mackinac Bridge is the third longest suspension bridge in the world, spanning Michigan’s two peninsulas for a total length of 26,372 feet, or roughly five miles.Each Labor Day, the bridge authorities shut down traffic in one direction so walkers can make the vista-magnificent stroll, beginning at 7 a.m. The governor of the Great Lakes State traditionally leads the parade, which takes an average of two hours to walk. After you’ve made the walk, take a ferry to historic Mackinac Island, where motorized vehicles have been banned for more than a century.
- 34th Colorado Balloon Classic – Colorado Springs, Colo.
Whether seen from the ground or the air, this annual hot-air balloon event is absolutely breathtaking. Over 100 balloons ascend each morning from Sept. 4 to Sept. 6. Balloon Glos are featured Saturday and Sunday evenings, when the flightless balloons are inflated to stand huge and beautiful against the evening sky. Entertainment is provided during each event, including food and concession stands. - 38th Orange International Street Fair – Orange, Calif.
Located just about half-way between Los Angeles and San Diego, Orange is home to a spectacular street fair that draws attendees from both north and south every Labor Day weekend. The event truly is international, representing Southern California’s many diverse cultures, including Asian, Australian, Danish, Ginza, Greek, Irish, Mexican, Polynesian and many others.Located in Old Towne Orange, this family-friendly fair takes places in a four-square-block region. Streets are dedicated to different countries or geographical regions, and include local groups selling food, crafts and kids’ activities. Musical entertainment are featured on eight theme stages, with everything from Irish to Mexican music. General admission is free but some sections do charge a fee.
- 17th Pennsylvania Arts and Crafts Colonial Fest – Greensburg, Penn.
Touted as one of the top 20 craft shows in America, this festival features 17th-century wares and more than 500 artisans from 19 states, all dressed in period clothing.In addition to home decorative items, ceramics, flags, gourmet foods and scented candles, the festival puts on a reenactment of the Kanawha Artillery military encampment, musical performances and living history demonstrations. Don’t miss the chainsaw carving demonstration. Check it out from Sept. 3 to Sept. 6 at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds.
- 58th Sausalito Art Festival – Sausalito, Calif.
Once a sleepy fishing village on the north end of the San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito is now known as a hopping cultural community with sparkling bay shores and a Mediterranean-village flavor.Now in its 58th year, the Sausalito Art Festival has grown into the Left Coast’s premier Labor Day weekend event, showcasing more than 20,000 works of world-class art, top-name bands, fantastic food and drinks and lots of fun for kids.
Headlining bands for 2010 include The Bangles, The Fixx, Modern English, Dave Mason, The Tubes, Pablo Cruise, Jefferson Starship, Mavis Staples and Sons of Champlin. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sept. 4 to Sept. 6.
