Jazz festivals

3 festivals still to come with Jazz on the bill, carrying 15 of the 31 Jazz acts we track. Every act has a page: which festivals they play, what time they go on once the festival says, and what they sound like if the name is new to you.

Horns carry outdoors better than almost anything, and these sets land accordingly. Tunes stretch past the ten-minute mark, a solo passes down the front line, and the rhythm section holds a groove long enough for a whole field to lock into it. Some bands run on hand percussion and a piano vamp instead.

Expect afternoon and early evening slots, often on a second stage or under a tent with shade. Brass-led groups sometimes march in through the crowd on their way to the riser. People dance at the front and sit on the grass further back, and the applause lands mid-song, after each solo.

Jazz festivals in 2026

Every bill still ahead of you with real Jazz on it, deepest first. A festival needs at least 2 Jazz acts to be here, so one stray booking on a bill about something else does not count.

Who carries Jazz this season

All 31 acts we have tagged Jazz, sorted six ways. The lists disagree with each other, and the names they disagree about are usually the ones worth hearing.

Booked the most in 2026

The Jazz acts who spent 2026 on the road. Go to more than one festival and you have probably seen a few of them already.

  1. 1Anders Osborne2New Orleans guitar poet — swampy blues-rock with a songwriter's soul, equally at home stretching into a festival jam or landing a confessional ballad.
  2. 2AZUL2Argentinian-rooted North Carolina singer weaving jazz, soul, gospel, disco, and Latin folk into empowered, anything-can-happen live shows — a genuine one-of-one on any bill.
  3. 3Cory Wong2The rhythm-guitar machine of Vulfpeck fame — relentlessly upbeat, impossibly tight funk with a horn-powered live band and a clinic's worth of right-hand technique.
  4. 4Hidden Orchestra2Edinburgh's studio project turned live band — two drummers, layered strings and field recordings built into something cinematic.
  5. 5Joe Armon-Jones2Keys player at the centre of London's jazz scene — dub weight and hip-hop swing under long, unhurried solos.
  6. 6Jon Batiste2New Orleans piano polymath who moves between jazz standards, gospel, and pop without changing his grin — Grammy-stacked joy as a performance style.

Most upcoming bookings

Everything still ahead of us, for anyone with festivals left on the calendar.

  1. 1Anders Osborne2New Orleans guitar poet — swampy blues-rock with a songwriter's soul, equally at home stretching into a festival jam or landing a confessional ballad.

Most places played

Whose year reads like a world tour that happened to be made of festivals.

  1. 1Anders Osborne2New Orleans guitar poet — swampy blues-rock with a songwriter's soul, equally at home stretching into a festival jam or landing a confessional ballad.
  2. 2Cory Wong2The rhythm-guitar machine of Vulfpeck fame — relentlessly upbeat, impossibly tight funk with a horn-powered live band and a clinic's worth of right-hand technique.
  3. 3Ezra Collective2London jazz as a party rather than a seminar — Afrobeat and dancehall pulling the horns along, and a drummer who conducts the room from behind the kit.
  4. 4Hidden Orchestra2Edinburgh's studio project turned live band — two drummers, layered strings and field recordings built into something cinematic.
  5. 5Joe Armon-Jones2Keys player at the centre of London's jazz scene — dub weight and hip-hop swing under long, unhurried solos.
  6. 6Jon Batiste2New Orleans piano polymath who moves between jazz standards, gospel, and pop without changing his grin — Grammy-stacked joy as a performance style.
  7. 7Thundercat2Six-string bass played like a lead instrument, sung over in a helium falsetto — virtuosity worn so lightly it reads as comedy until you follow the changes.

Most saved to a plan

The Jazz acts people are building a Saturday around.

  1. 1Cory WongThe rhythm-guitar machine of Vulfpeck fame — relentlessly upbeat, impossibly tight funk with a horn-powered live band and a clinic's worth of right-hand technique.
  2. 2Butcher BrownRichmond's garage-jazz five-piece fusing '70s fusion, boom-bap, and P-funk into a loose, heavy groove — a rhythm section that could back anyone and chooses to lead.
  3. 3Qur'an ShaheedLA pianist, poet, and film composer blending jazz training with neo-classical and neo-soul improvisation — meditative, deeply personal, and quietly virtuosic.
  4. 4Sautéed GrabbaFreshly minted Berklee quartet improvising at the seam of jazz harmony, live electronics, and modern dance rhythms — conservatory chops, dancefloor aims.
  5. 5The MerKaBa BrotherhoodRoman Norfleet and Brown Calvin's cosmic jazz duo on Mississippi Records — sax, Rhodes, and percussion shaped by mystic thought.

All 31 Jazz acts

Anders OsborneAZULCory WongEzra CollectiveHidden OrchestraJoe Armon-JonesJon BatisteThundercatButcher BrownCosmic CollectiveDemaeFemi KoleosoJacob CollierJon Stickley TrioLaMPLettuceOKANPedro MartinsQur'an ShaheedRebirth Brass BandSamir LanGusSautéed GrabbaSven WunderThe California HoneydropsThe Greyboy AllstarsThe MerKaBa BrotherhoodThe RootsTrombone Shorty & Orleans AvenueVarijashree VenugopalVictoria VictoriaYussef Dayes

Jazz festivals: common questions

What festivals have the most Jazz in 2026?

Hulaween 2026 (4 Jazz acts), NC Folk Festival 2026 (4 Jazz acts), Shakori Hills 2026 (2 Jazz acts). We count the acts on each published lineup rather than going by how a festival bills itself, so this is the depth of the actual Jazz booking.

Where can I see Jazz live in 2026?

3 festivals still to come have Jazz on the bill. The next is NC Folk Festival 2026, September 18–20, 2026 at Downtown Greensboro, NC, with 4 Jazz acts playing.

Which Jazz artists are playing the most festivals in 2026?

Anders Osborne (2), AZUL (2), Cory Wong (2), Hidden Orchestra (2), Joe Armon-Jones (2). Counted per festival across the whole season, finished bills included.

How many Jazz acts are playing festivals in 2026?

31 Jazz acts appear on the lineups we track, across 3 festivals still to come. Each one has a page with its dates, stages and set times wherever the festival has published them.

Other genres

Indie (370)EDM (347)Alternative (295)Punk (277)Rock (249)Pop (245)Hip-Hop (236)House (216)Metal (205)Folk and Americana (182)R&B and Soul (153)Country (138)Hardcore (120)Dubstep and Bass (119)Techno (109)Bluegrass (74)Emo (58)Latin (53)Shoegaze and Dream Pop (48)Trance (44)Psychedelic (34)Blues (25)Drum & Bass (25)Hardstyle and Hard Dance (24)Reggae and Dancehall (23)

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