Watts Towers Jazz Festival 2026 — Simon Rodia State Historic Park

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One man spent thirty-three years building seventeen interlocking towers out of steel, cement, and whatever he collected on walks through his own neighborhood -- and every August, for nearly seventy years running, jazz has played at their base. The Watts Towers Jazz Festival is one of the oldest free jazz festivals in Los Angeles, held right at the foot of Simon Rodia's hand-built masterpiece in Watts since 1958. Two days every August of jazz, blues, and R&B on an outdoor stage within view of the towers, with the Watts Towers Arts Center running visual art and community programming alongside. Free admission. The South LA community that has kept this going for nearly seven decades turns out in full. Bring the friend who thinks nothing this good stays free. This is not a festival that needs more exposure -- it's one that's been here long enough to know exactly who it's for, and showing up for the first time feels like arriving late to a very good party. Simon Rodia State Historic Park, Watts.