SHREVEPORT, LA – The 13th annual Highland Jazz & Blues Festival Presented by Twisted Root Burger Company will be held, 12-5 p.m., on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Columbia Park in Shreveport's historic Highland neighborhood. The free festival will feature two stages of live music as well as food and art vendors and more. The official festival after party will begin at 6 p.m. at Twisted Root Burger Company in Shreveport. This year's festival will also include a preview party, 6-9 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 16 at Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport. Visit www.HighlandJazzandBlues.org for complete festival details.

Music headliners for the 2016 festival include New Orleans' Soul Rebels Brass Band, six-piece funk rock band Flow Tribe, Professor Porkchop and The Dirty Dishes and Shreveport bluesman Buddy Flett on the Twisted Root Pavilion Stage. Performances by The Red River Valley Band, Easy Money, a young musicians' showcase and a tribute to the late blues musician Jerry Beach will take place on the Foster Orthodontics Gazebo Stage. In addition to live music, the festival will include Artists' Alley, a vendor area featuring one-of-a-kind jewelry, artwork, home décor, jams and jellies and more. Some of the region's most popular restaurants and food vendors will also be on-site, selling everything from Caribbean jerk chicken to Cajun jambalaya. Beer and other refreshments will be available for purchase.

Festival attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets and spread out on the park lawn. Pets on leashes are welcome and a festival dog park is provided. Because there is limited parking near the festival site, a free shuttle to and from the festival will be offered by iShuttle and Mall St. Vincent throughout the event. The shuttle will circulate continuously, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., between Columbia Park and Mall St. Vincent. The shuttle can be boarded in the northeast end of the Mall St. Vincent parking lot (near the Dillard's entrance).

For complete festival details, including a list of all festival sponsors, visit www.HighlandJazzandBlues.org. For information on visiting Shreveport-Bossier, including information on hotels, restaurants and attractions, visit www.Shreveport-Bossier.org or call 1-800-551-8682.

A Dropbox folder containing six editorial-quality images from the 2015 Highland Jazz and Blues Festival is available here. Please credit photographer Casey Habich.