Jazz festivals
2 festivals still to come with Jazz on the bill, carrying 41 of the 76 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
The Jazz acts booked the most in 2026. Go to more than one festival and you have probably seen a few of them already.
Anders OsborneNew Orleans guitar poet, swampy blues-rock with a songwriter's soul, equally at home stretching into a festival jam or landing a confessional ballad.
AZULArgentinian-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.
Cory WongThe rhythm-guitar machine of Vulfpeck fame, with relentlessly upbeat, impossibly tight funk, a horn-powered live band, and a clinic's worth of right-hand technique.
Hidden OrchestraEdinburgh's studio project turned live band, with two drummers, layered strings and field recordings built into something cinematic.
Joe Armon-JonesKeys player at the centre of London's jazz scene, with dub weight and hip-hop swing under long, unhurried solos.
Jon BatisteNew Orleans piano polymath who moves between jazz standards, gospel, and pop without changing his grin: Grammy-stacked joy as a performance style.
All 76 Jazz artists, who is on tour, and who to know →
Jazz festivals: common questions
What festivals have the most Jazz in 2026?
Big Ears 2027 (36 Jazz acts), Whippersnap 2027 (3 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?
2 festivals still to come have Jazz on the bill. The next is Whippersnap 2027, February 17–20, 2027 at Brooksville, FL, with 3 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?
76 Jazz acts appear on the lineups we track, across 2 festivals still to come. Each one has a page with its dates, stages and set times wherever the festival has published them.
Other genres
EDM 529Indie 496Alternative 453Rock 390Pop 365Punk 317Hip-Hop 309Folk and Americana 287House 267Metal 261Country 252R&B and Soul 226Hardcore 135Techno 134Dubstep and Bass 124Bluegrass 99Latin 96Emo 66Shoegaze and Dream Pop 62Trance 52Psychedelic 47Reggae and Dancehall 37Blues 32Drum & Bass 32Hardstyle and Hard Dance 22