This Tucson festival is the unofficial after-party of the Gem and Mineral show
It started quietly as a little idea — add an entertainment element to the hugely popular and well-attended Tucson Gem and Mineral Show — that has grown into one of the state’s largest music festival.
That was 17 years ago and with the exception of a couple pauses including in 2019, the multigenre Gem & Jam Festival has continued to grow.
This year’s 14th annual event at Pima County Fairgrounds will feature more than 50 artists over three days Feb. 4-6, from electronica to pop and rock.
Founder Toby White launched Gem & Jam as an unofficial after-party in 2005. Over the next handful of years, the event grew, with bigger lineups and bigger venues.
The recession prompted White to hit pause in in 2011 and ‘12. The festival returned in 2013 to the Slaughterhouse and added vendors and live art. By 2017, Gem & Jam, graduated to the sprawling Pima County Fairgrounds with more than 40 market vendors, camping options and an art gallery.
Jesse Miller of the jam band Lotus remembers driving through Tucson for his Philadelphia/Colorado band’s first Gem & Jam show in 2017.
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