Across the country, folks will be celebrating America’s 250th anniversary in their own special way this Fourth of July. That includes the thousands of San Francisco residents who will be celebrating the city’s rich jazz history, one of America’s quintessential musical contributions, at this year’s 39th annual Fillmore Jazz Festival.
For decades, San Francisco’s Fillmore District was known as the “Harlem of the West,” as jazz legends like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Johnny Mathis and more made their way through the neighborhood’s club scene and developed the sounds of West Coast jazz throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
“The fact that we also got blessed by the fact that we’re having the festival at the same time as the 250th anniversary is amazing,” said Patti Mangan, executive director of the Fillmore Merchants Association. “It’s an amazing celebration of being American and how connected we are to music, the history of music, and to the legendary performers that have been in the Bay Area.”
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By Noe Padilla, USA TODAY · July 2, 2026
