06/25/2026
With a consolidated footprint in Hart Plaza with multiple stages to enjoy some of the world’s greatest jazz artists, the 2026 Detroit Jazz Festival is shaping up to be one of the best.
The full schedule of artists, stages and times is now set, with jazz greats and next-generation rising stars appearing on three Hart Plaza stages, with a fourth at the Detroit Jazz Hall located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University, in Midtown Detroit.
Artist-in-Residence Joe Lovano will have three separate performances.
Festival favorites, including Dee Dee Bridgewater and Detroit native Ron Carter, are slated to perform. And next-generation players, like the J.C. Heard JazzWeek All Stars and the Tottori Young Lions Trio, from Japan, will offer audiences a look at how young people are interpreting this great American music.
The 2026 festival kicks on September 4 and runs through Labor Day weekend, ending on September 7.
One other notable change this year: Coolers will no longer be permitted in Hart Plaza, for safety and crowd-flow reasons. But admission will, as always, be free, and vendors will offer plenty to eat and drink throughout the day.
📆 Friday, Sept. 4
🌟 Carhartt Amphitheater Stage
6:14 pm Dr. Valade’s Brass Band Featuring Shannon Powell
7:00 pm Miles Electric Band
9:15 pm 2026 Artist-In-Residence Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet, featuring Julian Lage, Asante Sante Debriano, Will Calhoun
🌟 Detroit Jazz Hall located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University
10:45 pm Tia Fuller featuring Shamie Fuller-Royston – “Fuller Sound”
(Midtown After Hours Special)
📆 Saturday, Sept. 5
🌟 Carhartt Amphitheater Stage
3:00 pm Jeffrey Trent
4:45 pm African Rhythms Alumni Quintet “Celebrating the Centennial of Dr. Randy Weston” T.K. Blue – saxophone/flute/musical director; Chief Baba Neil Clarke
7:00 pm Ravi Coltrane Quartet: Centennial Celebration
9:15 pm Kurt Elling & Yellowjackets Celebrate Weather Report
🌟 Pyramid Stage
3:15 pm Borderland Ensemble
5:00 pm Skyler Tang
6:45 pm Jill Opal and The Bill Meyer Group
8:45 pm Bob James
🌟 Absopure Waterfront Stage
2:45 pm University Band – Michigan State University Jazz Orchestra | “The Bebop Spartans” directed by Professor Rodney Whitaker
4:45 pm Vermilion Field (Takatsuki Jazz Street Representative Band)
7:00 pm Cyrille Aimée Quartet
9:00 pm Artemis
🌟 Detroit Jazz Hall located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University
11:30 am Grosse Isle High School Jazz Band, Midland High School Jazz Band, University of Detroit Jazz Orchestra, Troy Athens High School Jazz Band, Northview High School Jazz Ensemble
10:45 pm Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (Midtown After Hours Special)
📆 Sunday, Sept. 6
🌟 Carhartt Amphitheater Stage
1:15 pm Downbeat Blindfold Test
3:00 pm The Search: Echoes of the Fallen, tribute to Karim Gideon
4:45 pm Gabrielle Cassava
7:00 pm 2026 Artist-In-Residence Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Quintet:
Sound Prints Featuring: Lawrence Fields, Yasushi Nakamura and Rudy Royston
9:15 pm Take 6
🌟 Pyramid Stage
1:15 pm J.C. Heard JazzWeek All Stars
3:15 pm Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet
4:45 pm Catherine Russell
6:45 pm Sequoia (REDWOOD) Snyder and INNER KNOWING
8:45 pm Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap
🌟 Absopure Waterfront Stage
1:45 pm Wayne State University “Jazz Warriors” Big Band directed by Professor Vincent Chandler AND Wayne State University Advanced Vocal Jazz Quartet directed by Cayla Stus
3:30 pm Luca Ciarla solOrkestra
5:20 pm 2026 Legacy Artist: Jaribu Shahid Salute to the AACM
7:15 pm Instant Alter featuring Natasha Agrama Clarke and Emilio Modeste
9:10 pm Vijay Iyer Trio with special guest, Adam O’Farrill
🌟 Detroit Jazz Hall located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University
11:30 am Taylor High School Jazz Band, Utica High School Jazz Band, Jackson Northwest High School Jazz Band, Northville High School Jazz Ensemble, Meridian High School Jazz Ensemble
10:45 pm Nduduzo Makhathini (Midtown After Hours Special)
📆 Monday, Sept. 7
🌟 Carhartt Amphitheater Stage
2:00 pm Himiko Kikuchi Tottori Young Lions Trio
4:00 pm Cindy Blackman Santana
6:00 pm Coltrane 100 – 2026 Artist-In-Residence Joe Lovano, Melissa Aldana, Nduduzo Makathini, Linda May Han Oh, Jeff “Tain” Watts Both Directions at Once
🌟 Pyramid Stage
1:45 pm Teiku
3:30 pm Roberta Gambarini and the Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra
5:15 pm Joey Alexander Trio
🌟 Absopure Waterfront Stage
12:45 pm University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble directed by Professor Kris Johnson AND University of Michigan Jazz Trombone Ensemble directed by Professor Dennis Wilson
3:00 pm The Django Festival Allstars with Special Guest Grace Kelly
5:00 pm Ron Carter & Foursight
🌟 Detroit Jazz Hall located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University
11:30 am Detroit Public Schools Community District Jazz Showcase, plus Tottori Jazz Mission International Jam
➡️ VIP packages offer premium seating and other perks. Find out more:
https://www.detroitjazzfest.org/vip-experience-packages/
🙏 Help us Keep it Free with a donation: https://my.onecause.com/fundraiser/organizations/e1e7a62b-a2e2-4c25-acba-7eb35ae8f640/fundraisers/fundraiser:f8561ca9-c2bb-4460-82fc-b0b4d08cf4a3
🧐 More information at our website: https://www.detroitjazzfest.org/main-festival/detroit-jazz-festival-unveils-full-2026-lineup-new-festival-experience-in-consolidated-hart-plaza-stages-gretchen-c-valade-jazz-center/
