(April 21, 2026) This summer the Newport Jazz Festival will return to Fort Adams State Park in Rhode Island for the iconic cultural institution’s 72nd edition. One of the longest running and most storied festivals in America will return July 31st to August 2nd, where it will continue to host once in a lifetime performances that only Newport’s unique alchemy of intimacy and artistic community can bring. Fans and artists alike return each year to this hallowed ground to experience the joy of this Festival’s long running tradition of diversity, discovery and artistic virtuosity. Newport Jazz Festival is produced by the Newport Festival Foundation in collaboration with the newly appointed Newport Jazz Artistic Director Nate Smith. Thevirtuosic drummer, producer, and bandleader takes over the role from Christian McBride, who served in the position for a decade, and festival founder George Wein before him. Smith ushers in this new era following three years of consecutive festival sell outs.
Today, this year’s remarkable line up has been unveiled and will highlight a slate of boundary-pushing, genre-defying, multi-hyphenate, award-winning artists like Jon Batiste, Thundercat, Gary Clark Jr., and Robert Glasper alongside collaborators Bilal and Ari Lennox. Breakout stars Leon Thomas, Sienna Spiro and Mei Semones will take the Newport stage, while global voices like Little Simz, Arlo Parks and Celeste continue to redefine contemporary sound. The festival will also enjoy appearances from some of the jazz world’s greatest talents including Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd Sky Quartet featuring Jason Moran, Larry Grenadier and Kweku Sumbry, John Scofield & Dave Holland, and Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science.
Vulfpeck, Lake Street Dive, Snarky Puppy and Cory Wong with Joshua Redman will bring their unmistakable, crowd-moving energy, while visionary artists like Anoushka Shankar, Chief Adjuah, Lalah Hathaway and Chris Dave & MonoNeon showcase the breadth of modern artistry. A special anniversary performance, Celebrating 100 Years of Miles and Coltrane featuring Kamasi Washington and Chief Adjuah, will honor two Newport Jazz alumnus with some of jazz’s most enduring legacies. Additional appearances from Flea and the Honora Band, Atomic Habits featuring Marcus King, Charlie Hunter & Ella Feingold, The Bad Plus and Angine de Poitrine making their US debut round out the bill. Artistic Director Nate Smith will also take the stage, continuing Newport’s tradition of artist-led collaboration and innovation.
For complete information visit https://newportjazz.org/
