Tullahoma’s own South Jackson Street Band will be opening the 2026 Big Band Dance Nights season in Nashville’s Centennial Park on Saturday, June 13.

The Big Bang Dance Nights series is hosted by the Nashville Metro Parks Music Division and is free to the public. The series runs every Saturday night from June through Aug. 15. The South Jackson Street Band will play in front of the Parthenon, facing the ellipse where dancers and music fans will congregate for the show. East Coast Swing will be the dance theme of the evening. The event will begin with a free dance lesson at 7 p.m. taught by Mark Weber.

The South Jackson Street Band’s performance will start at 7:30 p.m. and will include various songs for everyone’s listening and dancing pleasure. The band is a traditional big band in the style of Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw with saxophones, trombones, trumpets, and a rhythm section, but they play a broader range of music, including a few rock tunes. Music styles will include jazz, swing, Latin, waltz, and dance music from the 1930s through today.

Weber will teach a second dance lesson when the band breaks at 8:30 p.m., then the band will return and play until 10 p.m. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from food truck vendors. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy an evening of live music in Centennial Park with the South Jackson Street Band.