jazz picnic

Orchard Park Jazz Picnic 2025

We’re back! After a hiatus in 2024 due to health issues, I rallied for additional support by applying for an artist’s grant with the Durham Arts Council to help with the stress of financing and producing the Orchard Park Jazz Picnic. I was pleasantly surprised when, just a short while later, I received an email informing me that I was the recipient of one of the grants.

I hope you will join the Mint Julep Jazz Band on June 14, 2025 from noon to 3 p.m. for an afternoon of relaxing, picnicking, and dancing at historic Orchard Park, near downtown Durham (1000 S. Duke St. at the corner of Duke St. and Cobb St.). Your hosts will perform 3 sets of music from and inspired by the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. 

This event is free and open to the public. Donations to the band are encouraged.

Parking is along the streets bordering the park and in the adjoining neighborhood.

This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Durham Arts Council local grants administrator. 

For updates, please visit the Facebook invite.

Orchard Park Jazz Picnic with the Mint Julep Jazz Band

The Mint Julep Jazz Band cordially invites you to a jazz picnic at historic Orchard Park! Join us on June 12, 2021 from noon to 3:00 p.m. for an afternoon of music under the trees, enjoy the provisions in your picnic basket, do a little dancing (pursuant to the current safety guidelines), and then recline on your picnic blanket six feet away from the nearest attendees. This event is all ages and open to the public.

Through crowd funding from our wonderful community, we were able to cover the bare minimum costs of this event, but we will continue to take donations toward musician compensation and any unforeseen expenses – please send your donation to me with a note for “picnic” or “jazz picnic” to Venmo @Laura-Windley or via PayPal at caab241@hotmail.com (select friends and family so there is no fee). We will also have a virtual tip jar at the show and hope that you will support this live music endeavor.

Orchard Park is a park owned by the City of Durham and we want to be sure that the event is enjoyed by everyone and hope that we could potentially do this again. The city’s guidelines are applicable to attendees as follows:

  • Please wear a mask when you are not eating.
  • If you are feeling sick, please stay at home.
  • Please make sure your picnic area is 6 feet away from the nearest groupings of people. If we reach attendance of 100 people, we may ask newcomers to set up in an adjacent section of the park.
  • At this time (4/23/21), the city’s guidelines say “no shaking of hands,” so this means no social dancing. I hope this changes, but make plans to do solo dancing.
  • Hand sanitizer is encouraged, please bring some with you, as we will have port-a-potties and no facilities for hand washing.
  • There is a water fountain at the park, but you should also plan on bringing enough water for the afternoon.
  • Please pick up your trash and dispose of it appropriately; otherwise, Lucian Cobb and Laura Windley will be picking up your trash and that makes for a long day. 

To RSVP to the Orchard Park Jazz Picnic, ask questions, and for more information and updates, please visit our Facebook invite for this event.

Orchard Park is located at 1000 S. Duke Street in Durham, North Carolina.