2016 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival Set for September

Locals are getting geared up for the 13th Annual Highland Jazz and Blues Festival in Shreveport.

It's set for Saturday, September 17, from noon until 5 p.m. in Columbia Park, which, of course, is in the historic Highland neighborhood.

The free festival features two stages of live music, food, art vendors and a lot more. Musical headliners include New Orleans' Soul Rebels Brass Band, six-piece funk rock band Flow Tribe, Professor Porkchip and The Dirth Dishes, and bluesman Buddy Flatt on the Twisted Root Pavilion Stage.

Other performers include The Red River Valley Band, Easy Money, a young musicians' showcase, and a tribute to late bluse musncial Jerry Beach on the Foster Orthodontics Gazebo Stage.

You won't go hungry at the event, either. We're told food vendors will be there selling everything from Caribbean jerk chicken to Cajun jambalaya. You're encouraged to bring your chairs and blankets, and pets on leashes are welcome.

Something new this year is a preview party, which runs from 6-9 p.m. Friday, September 16, at Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport. The official after party begins at 6 p.m. at Twisted Root Burger Company in Shreveport.

If you're worried about parking, you shouldn't be. A free shuttle to and from the festival will be offered by iShuttle and Mall St. Vincent during the event. It will pick up and drop off from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. between the mall and the park. You can catch the shuttle at the Dillard's entrance to the mall.

CLICK HERE for more information about the festival.