Mike Shaw | 5 MAR 2025
Atlanta is home to one of the nation’s premier jazz festivals, and the 2026 Atlanta Jazz Festival lineup, released this week, promises an event that will only serve to further that reputation. The Memorial Day weekend Piedmont Park performances run Saturday, May 23, through Monday, May 25, with daily live shows from 1:00 to 11:00 p.m.
The Atlanta Jazz Festival is also one of the nation’s largest free festivals. It is presented by the City, and in 2026, celebrates its 49th year.
“This year’s festival features an exciting mix of national and local talent spanning traditional, smooth, contemporary, hip-hop, R&B, soul, funk, and modern jazz,” noted Adriane Jefferson, Executive Director of the City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. “The festival represents a true full-circle moment for our city. We open with an Atlanta artist, and we close with an artist whose career first blossomed here in Atlanta—celebrating the extraordinary talent that is born, raised, and amplified right here in Georgia.”
The opening act is Buddy Red, Atlanta-based blues-rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter; the festival will close Monday night with the 9 p.m. performance of PJ Morton, singer-songwriter and Maroon 5 keyboardist.
As is the tradition, festivities kick off Friday evening before the weekend at Piedmont Park with a Symphony Hall concert. This year’s performance celebrates the centennial of the birth of Miles Davis, the tribute delivered by the Miles Electric Band, an all-star ensemble featuring Davis alumni as well as a next generation of jazz musicians. The repertoire will be music from Davis’ so-called “electric period.”
The schedule for Piedmont Park:
- Saturday, May 23
- 1 pm: Buddy Red
- 3 pm: aja monet
- 5 pm: Nate Smith
- 7 pm: Christian McBride & Ursa Major
- 9 pm: Kamasi Washington
- Sunday, May 24
- 1 pm: Cleveland P. Jones
- 3 pm: Myron McKinley Trio
- 5 pm: Donnie – The Colored Section
- 7 pm: Esperanza Spalding
- 9 pm: The Roots
- Monday, May 25
- 1 pm: Cody Matlock
- 3 pm: Nicole Zuraitis
- 5 pm: Destin Conrad
- 7 pm: Butcher Brown
- 9 pm: PJ Morton
For more information, visit the festival website at atljazzfest.com. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Atlanta Jazz Festival: atljazzfest.com
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