The Jacksonville Jazz Festival will return to downtown Jacksonville, Florida, over Memorial Day weekend, May 21-24, with a free, multi-day program featuring major names in jazz, funk, soul, R&B and fusion. This year’s festival will be held at Ford on Bay, located at 288 E. Bay Street, with additional programming at Riverfront Plaza and other downtown venues.
The 2026 lineup includes Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton, Andra Day, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Ghost-Note, esperanza spalding, Kamasi Washington, Butcher Brown, Sheila E. & The E-Train, Galactic featuring Jelly Joseph, Moonchild, Eliane Elias, Kim Scott and Jacksonville’s own John Lumpkin II.
Programming begins Thursday, May 21, with the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition presented by Yamaha at the Florida Theatre. The main festival performances run Friday, May 22, through Sunday, May 24, at the Ford on Bay Stage, with Friday headlined by Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton, Saturday by Andra Day, and Sunday by Nile Rodgers & CHIC.
The festival will also introduce Jazz in the Plaza at Riverfront Plaza, a new stage experience spotlighting local jazz and R&B artists from Northeast Florida. Additional weekend events include a Jazz Clinic at The Jessie and a Second Line Parade on Sunday, May 24.
Founded more than four decades ago as Mayport and All That Jazz, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival has grown into one of the country’s largest free jazz festivals, with a legacy that has included performances by Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Branford Marsalis, Buddy Guy, Harry Connick Jr., Mavis Staples and many others.
The 2026 Jacksonville Jazz Festival is free to attend, with premium experience packages available for purchase. More information is available through the Jacksonville Jazz Festival.
