Friday, October 2, 2026
The Simon’s Valley Stream Jazz Festival will return to the Village Green Aug. 8, bringing live music, food and cultural celebration as the event marks its 21st year.
The free festival, scheduled from 4 to 11 p.m., is presented by the Simon family in partnership with the Village of Valley Stream and Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages.
“Every summer, this festival gives people a chance to see their neighbors and enjoy some great music right here in Valley Stream,” Solages said. “I’m proud to once again be coordinating it with Simon’s Valley Stream Jazz Festival, Inc., and I hope families from across the community will come out and join us. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy jazz music from around the world.”
This year’s lineup will be headlined by Tabou Combo and also includes performances by SPACE, Yayoi Ikawa, Edy Brisseaux, CESIMI and dancers. Additional performers are also expected.
The festival was founded in 2003 by Valley Stream resident Dr. Herold Simon, an internist and nephrologist who has practiced medicine for more than four decades. Born in Haiti, Simon immigrated to the United States in 1974 and has lived in Valley Stream for more than 20 years.
“I was having small gatherings at my house for friends,” Simon said. “We started by playing jazz music from vinyls and CDs, and very soon after that, I brought in musicians, guitarists, pianists, saxophonists, trumpeters, keyboardists. They played in the backyard. We started with about 10 people, and then 20, and then 30, and then 200, 300 and plus. And I said, ‘Wow, this is a little bit too much for my backyard.’”
Although Simon pursued holding the festival in a park for years, the event did not relocate to Village Green until three years ago. Since then, he said, attendance has continued to increase, with about 500 people attending last year’s festival. Organizers are anticipating more than 1,000 attendees this year following expanded online promotion.
Simon’s lifelong appreciation for jazz has been the driving force behind the festival. He hopes to share that passion not only with Valley Stream residents but also with visitors from across Long Island and beyond, noting that friends travel from several states and Canada to attend each year.
A central focus of the festival has been highlighting artists and performers from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
“I call it a multi-ethnic and multicultural event,” Simon said. “Where I am trying to blend all communities of Valley Stream.”
Planning for each festival begins immediately after the previous one ends, Simon said, as organizers review what worked, identify areas for improvement and begin preparing for the following year. Weekly planning meetings begin in January and include coordinating performers, vendors, sound production and park logistics.
In addition to live music, attendees will be able to purchase a variety of food from vendors offering Haitian, Italian and Jamaican cuisine, along with desserts and refreshments.
One new addition planned for this year is a live YouTube broadcast of the festival, allowing people who cannot attend in person to watch the event remotely.
The festival has also grown through increased community and sponsor support. Simon credited his family for helping organize the event each year and said Solages and the village played an important role in making it possible to move the festival to the Village Green after years of planning.
Looking ahead, Simon hopes the festival will continue to grow into a destination event while maintaining its emphasis on bringing people together through music and creating a sense of community.
RSVP for the festival is availble at the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZM7F296zRxsn_3bC4BY4jt6lwOyRUqz4J-vFIS_zzQ9kuKA/viewform .
