After briefly facing cancellation in 2025 over a funding shortfall, the annual Fillmore Jazz Festival returns this weekend with two days of free live performances, food vendors, and merchants along Fillmore Street for its 4th of July tradition dating back to 1986.As New Fillmore reports, the Fillmor e Jazz Festival returns for its 4th of July tradition, activating Fillmore Street with multiple stages and a full lineup of local and visiting performers, alongside dozens of food and retail vendors spanning 11 blocks, from Eddy to Jackson streets.As SFist reported previously, the festival had been briefly canceled in 2025 after organizers faced a roughly $400,000 funding gap for annual operating costs, but it was revived days later with support from crypto billionaire Chris Larsen and his nonprofit Avenue Greenlight, along with additional community sponsors. That same funding structure is back in place this year to keep the event running.The July 4–5 lineup features more than 30 performances across five stages, with sets running from 10 am to 6 pm. Headliners include Kim Nalley on Saturday and Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers on Sunday at the Fillmore California stage, alongside acts such as the Curtis Family C-Notes, Black Joy Choir, and the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra.According to New Fillmore, artistic direction is led by Jason Olaine, who also serves as vice president of programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.USA Today reports that the Fillmore Jazz Festival Preservation Fund has hosted the free 4th of July weekend festival since 1986 to honor and preserve the neighborhood’s cultural history. Stages this year are reportedly named in honor of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Tony Bennett, and Johnny Mathis.Food vendors this weekend will include Bao Bao Express and Gumbo Social, along with drinks from Sheba Piano Lounge and pop-up bars, while a large artisan market will feature local art, jewelry, and clothing, according to Secret San Francisco.The festival runs free to the public all weekend, with Fillmore Street closed to traffic and Muni rerouted onto Steiner Street as in past years.Previously: Fillmore Jazz Festival Back On Thanks to DonationImage: Lynn Friedman/Flickr ...read more read less