What's usually regarded as the first jazz festival took place on February 23, 1951, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. A plaque in the town square reads, "On February, 23, 1951, history was made in Wilkes-Barre. Eight jazz bands got together for 'The Cavalcade of Dixieland Jazz,' which became the country's first jazz festival." In 2011, a 60th anniversary "Cavalcade of Jazz Revisited" was held in Wilkes-Barre to commemorate the event.
The Cavalcade of Jazz was held on the corner of East Market Street and South Pennsylvania Avenue, located in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The event was divided between the Hotel Redington (which later became Genetti's Best Western) and the Hotel Hart. Approximately 800 people attended the New Orleans-inspired festival while the Voice of America radio station broadcast the music across the nation.
The Cavalcade featured eight bands. It included performers such as Duke Ellington-drummer Sonny Greer, the Electric City Jazz Band, That Mardi Gras Band, The Scranton Minors, and The Birmingham Five, as well as local talent like Lee Vincent. This idea of combining national jazz musicians with local ones was carried through to the Cavalcade of Jazz Revisited festival held on February 25, 2011.
The Cavalcade of Jazz was the brainchild of jazz fans Joseph Funke and Hugh Ridall. Funke and Ridall used to get together and play their favorite jazz records. According to Funke's daughter, Erika Funke, "They'd be saying, 'Listen to this, Joe.' 'Listen to this, Hugh.'" One day, an idea occurred to the two men to simply invite several bands to perform in Wilkes-Barr, saving them the trip to New York usually required to hear live jazz. As Funke's daughter explains, "Part of the ethos of loving jazz was you didn't want to be home alone in your apartment listening to it. You wanted to share it."