Denver’s 18th annual Five Points Jazz Festival will move into the virtual realm in 2020 due to the coronavirus, organizers announced Wednesday.  

Instead of the all-day event being held in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, as has been done in the past, Denver Arts & Venues this year has partnered with Rocky Mountain Public Media to host a two-hour virtual event on May 16, which will be broadcast on television, the radio and online.

“For nearly 20 years, the Five Points Jazz Festival has celebrated the music, culture and roots of this historic neighborhood,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said in a statement. “Even though we won’t be able to celebrate together in person this year, through this virtual medium, we are able to gather as a music-loving community and connect with people who may not have typically been able to attend.”

Five Points came to be known for its jazz clubs, including the Rossonian Hotel and Lounge. The long list of musicians who performed in the hotel’s lounge, such as Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, helped Five Points become home to the most famous jazz club between Kansas City and Los Angeles, earning the nickname “Harlem of the West.”

On the lineup this year are local jazz bands, comedians, poets and more. Both Hancock and Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca, who represents the Five Points neighborhood, are expected to speak.

The event will be broadcast on Rocky Mountain PBS from 6-8 p.m. on May 16th, as well as from 8-10 p.m. on KUVO JAZZ radio. An on-demand video of the virtual festival will be available on ArtsandVenues.com/5PJF.

“This is a city-wide event that has grown in popularity and attendance, and it’s like a coming out party for music lovers of all ages,” said Carlos Lando, the general manager of KUVO JAZZ, which has been in the Five Points neighborhood since 1994 and a festival partner since it first began.

“The best way to keep the party going is for all of us to get together, bringing the festival into your home, connecting you to our Five Points neighbors and to people throughout the city,” he said. “We are especially pleased that the entire state will be part of the Five Points Jazz Festival this year!”