2026 Detroit Jazz Festival Guide: What to know

Detroit (FOX 2) - Jazz Fest is returning for its 47th year Sept. 4–7 at Hart Plaza in Downtown Detroit, bringing dozens of performers and plenty of food and beverage options. 

When is Jazz Festival? 

Big picture view:

The event will run from Friday, Sept. 4 to Monday, Sept. 7 with Hart Plaza gates opening at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 

The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center doors will open for the Midtown After Hours Special at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, whereas doors will open at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Detroit Jazz Festival VIP entry

What you can do:

The Detroit Jazz Festival is a free event for everyone, but there are VIP passes available. There are VIP experiences starting at $150 per day for the Daily Jazz Pazz, which includes access to front-of-stage seating at all Hart Plaza stages as well as exclusive access to the VIP Entrance. 

Other VIP experience passes include: 

• Jazz Pazz Bundle: $375 for three-day access to premium front stage seating at Hart Plaza stages as well as exclusive access to the VIP Entrance
• Daily Lincoln Garden VIP Pass: $250 for one ticket to the Lincoln Garden VIP area for one day, which includes access to the VIP tent with refreshments all day, two drink tickets for the day, along with complimentary soft drinks and water, front stage seating access at Hart Plaza, and access to the VIP entrance
• Lincoln Garden VIP Experience: $650 for one ticket to the Lincoln Garden VIP area for Saturday, Sunday and Monday with the same refreshment offerings and benefits as the single day pass for all three days.
• 2026 Opening Night Party Tickets: $225 per ticket to kick off the event on Sept. 4 with cocktails and a gourmet strolling dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. There will also be access to the opening night performances with front stage seating.
• Guardian Package: $850 for one ticket that includes an Opening Night Party ticket, a ticket to the Lincoln Garden VIP Area for Saturday through Monday, and acknowledgment in the Festival program.

VIP wristbands will be available to pick up on Friday, Sept. 4 starting at 4 p.m. in the VIP check-in area. There will not be passes for sale at the festival. The passes are only available to pick up from pre-orders. 

The wristbands may be picked up on Sept. 2 or Sept 3 between noon and 5 p.m. by appointment only at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, 3rd floor lobby. To make an early pick-up appointment, Jazz Festival instructs guests to email memberships@detroitjazzfest.org. 

The VIP purchases are tax-deductible for every 85 cents to the dollar, according to the Jazz Fest website. The funding goes directly to: 

• New Jazz Infusion Program
• J.C. Heard JazzWeek@Wayne
• The Youth Vocal Competition
• The Collegiate Combo Competition
• Next Generation Detroit Jazz Programming

Detroit Jazz Festival parking

Transportation options:

Some parking options near Hart Plaza, Campus Martius and Cadillac Square include: 

• One Detroit Garage – 201 Larned Street, Detroit, MI 48226
• Two Detroit Garage – 160 E Congress Street, Detroit, MI 48226
• One Campus Martius Garage – 1140 Farmer Street, Detroit, MI 48226
• Financial District Garage – 730 Shelby St. Detroit, MI 48226
• Greektown Garage – 1001 Brush St. Detroit, MI 48226

You can reserve some parking spots in advance here. 

Parking near the Gretchen C. Vallade Jazz Center on Wayne State University Campus: 91 W. Forest between Woodward and Cass, adjacent to Studio One apartments and University Towers, also known as the Forest Structure.

Public Transportation 

Guests can use FAST powered by SMART to get downtown to enjoy the festival. You can purchase fare here. 

Below is a downtown map for FAST powered by SMART bus. 

The Detroit People Mover and QLine are also available to the public, as well as options with Bird, Lime or Boaz scooters. 

Biking 

The festival will be offering a free bike valet where you can safely store your bicycle. The bike valet is located at the entrance of Hart Plaza to the left. 

Accessibility 

The festival's accessibility booth is located at the front of the entrance in Hart Plaza alongside the information booth. There will be accessible restrooms throughout the festival. Guests with mobility disabilities are encouraged to use personal forms of transportation, including wheelchairs and scooters. There will be a limited number of wheelchairs available to rent on site with valid identification. 

The Jazz Festival Lineup 

Guide to music performances:

Friday, Sept. 4:

Hart Plaza 

Carhartt Amphitheater Stage

6:15–6:25 p.m. Dr. Valade’s Brass Band Featuring Shannon Powell

7:00–8:15 p.m. Miles Electric Band

9:15–10:15 p.m. 2026 Artist-In-Residence Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet, featuring Julian Lage, Asante Sante Debriano, Will Calhoun

Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center Wayne State University

Detroit Jazz Hall (Entrance on Hancock)

10:45 p.m.– 12:00 a.m. –  Tia Fuller featuring Shamie Fuller-Royston "Fuller Sound" (Midtown After Hours Special)

Saturday, Sept. 5: 

Hart Plaza 

Carhartt Amphitheater Stage

1:15–2:15 p.m. Collegiate Combo Winner LoEnd Quintet

3:00–4:00 p.m. Jeffrey Trent

4:45–6:00 p.m. AFRICAN RHYTHMS ALUMNI QUINTET "Celebrating the Centennial of Dr. Randy Weston"

• T.K. Blue saxophone/flute/musical director;
• Chief Baba Neil Clarke – percussion;
• Alex Blake – bass;
• Ku-umba Frank Lacy – trombone;
• Sharp Radway – piano

7:00–8:15 p.m. Ravi Coltrane Quartet: Centennial Celebration

9:15–10:30 p.m. Kurt Elling & Yellowjackets Celebrate Weather Report

JPMorgan Chase Stage 

3:15–4:15 p.m. Borderland Ensemble

5:00–6:00 p.m. Skylar Tang

6:45–8:00 p.m. Jill Opal & The Bill Meyer Group

8:45–10:00 p.m. Bob James

Waterfront Stage 

2:30–3:45 p.m. University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble directed by Professor Kris Johnson and University of Michigan Jazz Trombone Ensemble directed by Professor Dennis Wilson

4:45–6:00 p.m. Vermilion Field (Takatsuki Jazz Street Representative Band)

7:00–8:15 p.m. Cyrille Aimée

9:00–10:15 p.m. Artemis 

Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center Wayne State University

Detroit Jazz Hall (Entrance on Hancock)

Doors 10:30 a.m. / 3:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. Break / No Programming / Doors 9:30 p.m.

(Midtown After Hours Special)

11:30 a.m.– High School Showcase – Grosse Ile High School Jazz

2:30 p.m. Band, Midland High School Jazz Band, University of Detroit Jazz Orchestra, Troy Athens High School Jazz Band, Northview High School Jazz Ensemble

10:45 p.m.– 12:00 a.m. – Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

Sunday, Sept. 6: 

Hart Plaza 

Carhartt Amphitheater Stage

1:15–2:15 p.m. Downbeat Blindfold Test with Special Guest Joe Lovano

3:00–4:00 p.m. The Search: Echoes of the Fallen, tribute to Karim Gideon

4:45–6:00 p.m. Gabrielle Cavassa

7:00–8:15 p.m. 2026 Artist-In-Residence Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Quintet: Sound Prints Featuring: Lawrence Fields, Yasushi Nakamura and Rudy Royston

9:15–10:30 p.m. Take 6

JPMorgan Chase Stage 

1:15–2:15 p.m. J.C. Heard JazzWeek All Stars featuring the 2026 Youth Jazz Vocal Competition Winner Ava Noecker

3:15–4:15 p.m. Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet

4:45–6:00 p.m. Catherine Russell

6:45–8:00 p.m. Sequoia "REDWOOD" Snyder and INNER KNOWING

8:45–10:00 p.m. Dee Dee Bridgewater with Bill Charlap

Waterfront Stage

1:45–2:45 p.m. Wayne State University "Jazz Warriors" Big Band directed by Professor Vincent Chandler and Wayne State University Advanced Vocal Jazz Quartet directed by Cayla Stus

3:30–4:40 p.m. Luca Ciarla solOrkestra

5:20–6:30 p.m. 2026 Legacy Artist: Jaribu Shahid Salute to the AACM

7:15–8:25 p.m. Instant Alter featuring Natasha Agrama Clarke and Emilio Modeste

9:10–10:25 p.m. Vijay Iyer Trio with special guest, Adam O’Farrill

Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center Wayne State University

Detroit Jazz Hall (Entrance on Hancock)

*3:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. Break / No Programming / Doors 9:30 p.m.

(Midtown After Hours Special)

11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.– High School Showcase – 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 p.m.– 12:00 a.m.– Nduduzo Makhathini (Midtown After Hours Special)

Dee Dee Bridgewater's (Entrance on Cass Ave.) 

(Midtown After Hours Special)

10:45 p.m.– 12:00 a.m. – LoEnd Quintet featuring guest vocalists 

Monday, Sept. 7 

Hart Plaza 

Carhartt Amphitheater Stage

2:00–3:10 p.m. Himiko Kikuchi Tottori Young Lions Trio

4:00–5:10 p.m. Cindy Blackman Santana

6:00–7:30 p.m. Coltrane 100 – 2026 Artist-In-Residence Joe Lovano, Melissa Aldana, Nduduzo Makathini, Linda May Han Oh, Jeff "Tain" Watts Both Directions at Once

JPMorgan Chase Stage 

1:45–2:45 p.m. Teiku

3:30–4:45 p.m. Roberta Gambarini and the Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra

5:15–6:30 p.m. Joey Alexander Trio

Waterfront Stage 

1:00–2:00 p.m. Michigan State University Jazz Orchestra| "The Bebop Spartans" directed by Professor Rodney Whitaker

3:00–4:15 p.m. The Django Festival Allstars Featuring Samson Schmitt, Ludovic Beier, Pierre Blanchard with Special Guest Grace Kelly

5:00–6:15 p.m. Ron Carter & Foursight

Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center Wayne State University

Detroit Jazz Hall (Entrance on Hancock)

11:30 a.m.– Detroit Public Schools Community District Jazz

2:30 p.m. Showcase + Tottori Jazz Mission International Jam
 

You can learn more about all of the artists performing on Jazz Fest's artist page.

Refreshments and vendors

Food and beverage selection:

There will be a variety of food vendors and options at the festival:

• Andiamo Food Truck
• Andiamo Pizza Pie – Pizza, Fries and Chicken Tenders
• Andiamo Bar Truck
• Cinnamon Nuts & More – Nuts and snacks
• Detroit Shrimp & Fish – Fried Shrimp & Fish
• Jackson 5 Star Ears – Elephant Ears and Lemonade
• Jackson 5 Star BBQ – BBQ, Chicken Tenders and Southern Fried Fish
• JJ Concession – Funnel Cake and Elephant Ears; Pitas, Fajitas, Sausage, and Fries
• Island Noodles – Hawaiian Noodles
• Little Bite Big Taste – Halal and Indian Cuisine, and Mediterranean
• Malloy’s BBQ – BBQ
• Nu Sol Buggy – Healthy Food Options
• Sepia Coffee – Coffee & Lattes
• Sonny’s Hamburger – Hamburgers
• Spicy Bangkok – Korean Corn Dog and Asian Street Food
• Sucree – Milkshakes, Ice Cream
• Terrace Cafe – Mediterranean
• Zestia Greek Food Truck – Greek food, gyros, fries

Detroit Jazz Fest Live! 

Enjoy Jazz Fest at home:

If you are unable to attend Jazz Fest in person, you can still enjoy the music from the comfort of your own home by going to Jazz Fest's live stream page while performances are ongoing. 

For additional information on Detroit's Jazz Festival, visit their website.