By: Sarah Wright | Southfield Sun | Published August 6, 2025
SOUTHFIELD — The city of Southfield will host the 10th annual Kimmie Horne Jazz Festival Aug. 8-9 on the front lawn of the Southfield Municipal Campus, 26000 Evergreen Road.
“There’s so many emotions,” Horne said. “I’m proud, I’m grateful, I’m humbled by bringing this community of volunteers together. … It’s meant everything to me.”
Horne is a renowned vocalist, performer and recording artist who has performed around the world from Detroit to Tokyo. She is also a descendant of singer and actress Lena Horne and singer/songwriter Cleveland Horne of the Fantastic Four.
“I believe her music has lifted the spirits and touched the hearts of so many,” Delores Flagg, chairperson of the Southfield Public Arts Commission, said.
Kimmie began this festival in Lathrup Village as a one-day jazz event featuring food trucks, vendors and an alcohol tent. The popularity of the event caused it to outgrow its original location, which led to the festival finding a new home, in 2018, on the front lawn of Southfield City Hall. This move also allowed the event to expand into a two-day festival.
“After performing on stages around the world, she dreamed of creating a vibrant music experience at home — one that brought her fellow musicians together and welcomed the community to celebrate the music,” City of Southfield Digital Media Specialist David Graff said in an email.
According to a press release from the city of Southfield, the Kimmie Horne Jazz Festival won the Cultural Entertainment Showcase in the National Civic League’s 72nd annual All-America City Awards in 2021.
Horne is interested in bringing this festival to other parts of the world. She had planned for an event in the Florida Keys, though the 2020 pandemic canceled the event.
For its 10-year anniversary, the Southfield festival events will be going on from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and 3 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. It is a free event, though parking will be available on the Southfield Municipal Campus for $10 (cash only) in both the north and south parking lots. Parking proceeds will help cover concert expenses.
Some of the music acts performing this weekend include:
• Friday: Demetrius Nabors at 6 p.m., Kimmie Horne at 7:15 p.m. and Althea Rene at 8:30 p.m.
• Saturday: Tariq Gardner & the Evening Star at 3 p.m., Amy Decker at 4:30 p.m., David Myles at 6:30 p.m. and Kimmie Horne at 8 p.m.
“I perform with my incredible band every year,” Horne said.
Also on Saturday at 6 p.m., Myles will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
On top of the many musical acts, the Kimmie Horne Jazz Festival will feature a wide variety of food trucks, boutique vendors and fitness activities and performances. Some of the fitness events include the Detroit Twirling Steppers at 8:30 a.m., a Southfield Cruisers bike ride at 9 a.m., a Detroit Twirling Steppers performance at 9:30 a.m., and a HulaFitNation Workout at 10:30 a.m.
Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating during the festivities. Community members should also be aware that Evergreen Road will be closed between the roundabouts as well as the City Hall front circle drive beginning on Friday, Aug. 8, at 2 p.m. and will reopen at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9. Drivers are advised not to come down Evergreen Road during the construction. All businesses will be accessible from Central Park Boulevard, and the Southfield Municipal Campus will be accessible from either roundabout.
The Kimmie Horne Jazz Festival has also assisted in supporting nonprofits like the JACF Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Friends of Southfield Public Arts. Over $75,000 has been donated to date.
For more information, visit cityofsouthfield.com.