An act on stage at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in 2017. | Jacksonville Jazz Festival
Published on May 21, 2026 at 10:47 am
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Live music and more will return this weekend to Downtown as the 2026 Jacksonville Jazz Festival hits some familiar sites Thursday through Sunday.
This year’s festival remains free, with the main music stage at Ford on Bay at 288 E. Bay St. More tunes will echo a few blocks away at Jazz in the Plaza at the Riverfront Plaza park at 2 W. Independent Drive. And the Jazz Piano Competition will play Thursday night at The Florida Theatre.
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Founded in 1979, the Jazz Festival was first held in Mayport, then moved in 1982 to the then-new Metropolitan Park, where WJCT ran it for a number of years. The city took over the event in 2003, and it was held at Metropolitan Park, then Downtown.
In 2023, the Jazz Festival moved to Metropolitan Park and Daily’s Place because of construction at Riverfront Plaza (the former Jacksonville Landing site). But now that the plaza’s first phase is opened, along with adjacent Downtown streets, the events move back Downtown.
The Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at The Florida Theatre at 128 E. Forsyth St. This year’s five finalists are Quintin Harris, Max Holm, Ian McCune, Rowan Tucker-Meyer and Christian Valdes. The competition winner will perform later in the weekend on the Ford on Bay Stage.
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Friday’s music will start at 4 p.m. on the Ford on Bay stage with artists like John Lumpkin II, Butcher Brown and Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton. Jazz in the Plaza also will start at 4 p.m. with acts like DJ Nickfresh and the Marcus Click Quintet.
Gates will open at 3 p.m. Saturday at both venues.
Kim Scott, Sheila E. and The E-Train and Andra Day are among the artists at Ford on Bay, with WJCT’s own DJ Al Pete, the Douglas Anderson Jazz Combo and The Katz Downstairs among the Jazz in the Plaza artists.
On Sunday, gates will open at 3 p.m. at both venues, with the piano competition winner kicking off the Ford on Bay sounds, along with Moonchild, Galactic featuring Jelly Joseph and others. Over at Jazz in the Plaza, acts include the Beckett Miles trio and Pivotal Ascension.
Additional festivities throughout the weekend include the Jazz Jam from 9 p.m. to midnight at Riverfront Plaza on West Independent Drive; a Jazz Clinic at 1 p.m. Sunday at The Jessie at 40 E. Adams St.; and the Jazz Parade at 5:15 p.m. Sunday, starting near Ford on Bay Stage.
Prohibited items at the event include large hard-sided or rolling coolers, outside alcohol and illegal substances, glass containers and sport or beach umbrellas. The full list of unallowed items is here.
All city sale locations throughout the festival will be cashless, including beverage booths and the Jazz Store. Major credit cards and tap-to-pay will be accepted. A list of paid parking sites is here.
Jazz Festival traffic
Jazz lovers and commuters be aware: A number of main roads will be closed from Thursday through late Sunday or early Monday:
- Market Street from Bay Street to Courthouse Drive and Forsyth to Bay Street
- Liberty Street from Bay Street south of the Riverwalk
- Bay Street from Newnan Street to Liberty Street
- Independent Drive from Hogan Street to Newnan Street
- Laura Street from Bay Street to Independent Drive.
For more details, including the event schedule, go to jacksonvillejazzfest.com.
