In the 1930s and 1940s, there were neighborhood house parties with friends and families gathered around a piano in a living room or a brass band in a backyard. They had a fish fry or a potluck, where everyone brings a dish. In the ’50s, these migrated to bars and clubs. Then in the ’60s, festivals started exposing “neighborhood culture” to thousands of people at a time. Our own Jazz Fest developed these small neighborhood parties and took them to the national stage. Jazz Fest is the biggest backyard party bringing friends together from all over the world!
