Headliners Include Herbie Hancock & Ron Carter Duo; Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; Charles Lloyd Quartet; Ravi Coltrane Quartet; Cécile McLorin Salvant; Christone “Kingfish” Ingram & Shemekia Copeland, and many others
Celebrations include Centennial Tributes to Miles Davis and John Coltrane
Monterey, Calif, April 8, 2026; Three-day Arena and Grounds Ticket Packages for the 69th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, September 25-27 go on sale Friday, April 10 at 10 a.m. PST and can be purchased online at montereyjazz.org or by calling 888.248.6499. Single-day tickets go on sale May 10.
The Festival, the longest continuously-running jazz festival in the world and now in its 69th year, will feature another “jaw-dropping line-up” of 73 performances from iconic jazz masters and emerging artists, educational events, and conversations on five stages. This vibrant, fun and unique festival experience offers 30 hours of live music spanning three days and nights, accompanied by an array of international cuisine and one-of-a-kind merchandise on the oak-studded 20 acres of the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, located at 2000 Fairground Road in Monterey.
2026 Lineup Highlights:
- Herbie Hancock & Ron Carter Duo appear at Monterey together for the first time in 34 years
- Centennial celebrations of the births of Miles Davis and John Coltrane with performances from Ravi Coltrane, Isaiah Collier, Gregory Hutchinson, and Herbie Hancock & Ron Carter
- MJF69 Artist-in-Residence Ambrose Akinmusire performs multiple times during the weekend
- Saturday and Sunday night jam sessions on the West End Stage in memory of Ray Drummond
- Spoken word artists aja monet, Reggie Watts and Amy Tan make festival debuts
- Charles Lloyd celebrates 60th anniversary of his influential album Forest Flower, recorded at Monterey in 1966
Full Weekend Arena Ticket Packages offer a reserved seat to each of the 13 shows on the Jimmy Lyons Stage in the Arena (renewable annually) plus, access to 60 additional performances and activities on the four Grounds Stages. Full Weekend Arena Ticket Packages begin at $325 for arena Lawn seating and $465 and up for arena sectional and side bleacher seating.
Full Weekend Grounds Packages offer access to 60 performances and activities on the four Grounds stages. Full Weekend Grounds Packages are $230.
Also on sale April 10 are Full Weekend Premier Club passes for $395. Benefits include a furnished setting offering closed-circuit Arena simulcasts, menu options and top-shelf bar available for separate purchase, private restrooms, indoor and outdoor patio seating, and more. Arena or Grounds Ticket purchase is required.
The multiple GRAMMY Award-winning Arena lineup on the Jimmy Lyons Stage begins on Friday night September 25 and includes the Eddie Palmieri Experience — a tribute to the late salsa master with special guests Alain Pérez, David Sánchez, Carlos Henriquez, Melissa Aldana, and others; and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis with special guest Cécile McLorin Salvant. This will also be Marsalis’ final appearance at Monterey as the leader of this influential big band.
The Saturday September 26 Arena lineup includes a Blues Jam with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram & Friends with special guest Shemekia Copeland; the only-in-Monterey “Monterey Surprise: Throwback to ‘58” with soon-to-be-announced artists; Ravi Coltrane Quartet; Reggie Watts; the MJF69 commission piece: America 250; and Cécile McLorin Salvant. The Monterey Commission Artist will be announced in May.
The Sunday September 27 Arena lineup includes Brittany Davis and Black Thunder; Next Generation Jazz Orchestra with Ambrose Akinmusire and Gerald Clayton; aja monet; Charles Lloyd Quartet; and Herbie Hancock & Ron Carter, making their first appearance together at the festival in 34 years and their first appearance as a duo.
Weekend Grounds Artist highlights include the Ron Carter Foursight Quartet; Alexa Tarantino Quartet, Melissa Aldana Quartet, the J.J. Johnson Legacy Project, and the USAF Commanders Jazz Ensemble on Friday; Shemekia Copeland Band, Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, David Sanchez’s Carib Ensemble, Linda May Han Oh Trio, and Reggie Watts on Saturday; and Joey Alexander Quartet; The Bad Plus; Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet; Greg Hutchinson’s Kind of Now; and Amy Tan & Joey Alexander on Sunday.
The lineup for the 69th Monterey Jazz Festival can be found on https://montereyjazz.org/festival/schedule
MJF69 promotional video can be seen at https://youtu.be/xGw7x2BplFg
High-resolution photos available at https://montereyjazzfestival.canto.com/v/MontereyJazzImagePortal
69th Monterey Jazz Festival, September 25-27, 2026
(In order of appearance / Partial list, more to be announced)
All artists and times are subject to change.
Weekend Package Tickets on sale April 10, Single-Day Tickets on sale May 8
Friday, September 25
ARENA/Jimmy Lyons Stage: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis with special guest Cécile McLorin Salvant; Eddie Palmieri Experience special guests Alain Pérez, David Sánchez, Carlos Henriquez, Melissa Aldana
GROUNDS:
Garden Stage: USAF Commanders Jazz Ensemble; Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice; J.J. Johnson Legacy Project with Nick Finzer, Isaiah J. Thompson, Rufus Reid, Lewis Nash; Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet
West End Stage: Alexa Tarantino Quartet; Patrick Bartley Quartet; Melissa Aldana Quartet; Ron Carter Foursight Quartet
Pacific Jazz Café: Jazz House Big Band; Veronica Leahy – Emmanuel Michael Duo; Katie Thiroux; Kate Kortum
Courtyard Stage: Inn at Spanish Bay Presents; Wild Fish Presents: The Lighthouse Jazz Quartet; Pearl Hour Presents: Zach Westfall Group; NGJO-WIJ Combo Jam Session
Saturday, September 26
ARENA/Jimmy Lyons Stage: Blues Jam with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram & Friends featuring Shemekia Copeland; Monterey Surprise! 1958 Throwback; Ravi Coltrane Centennial Celebration; Reggie Watts; MJF69 Commission: America 250; Cécile McLorin Salvant
GROUNDS:
Garden Stage: Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo; Shemekia Copeland Band; Monterey Jazz Regional All-Star Ensembles; Sylvia Cuenca’s Bridging Generations with David Kikoski, Wallace Roney, Jr., Rico Jones and Essiet Essiet
West End Stage: Mariachi Herencia de Mexico; David Sanchez’s Carib Ensemble; Reggie Watts; Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band; Rufus Reid with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra; Bulldog Bass Jam
Pacific Jazz Café: DownBeat Double Blindfold Test: Tim Jackson vs. Gerald Clayton; Paul Cornish Trio; Atom String Quartet; Linda May Han Oh Trio with Fabian Almazan & Mark Whitfield Jr.; Isaiah Collier Plays Coltrane
Courtyard Stage: Texas Southern University Jazz Combo; MidiCi Monterey Presents: Janice Perl & Friends; PG Meetinghouse Presents; Pop & Hiss Presents: TJ Kuenster & Ricketts Folly; Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice
Sunday, September 27
ARENA/Jimmy Lyons Stage: Brittany Davis & Black Thunder; Next Generation Jazz Orchestra directed by Gerald Clayton; aja monet; Charles Lloyd Quartet: 60th Anniversary of Forest Flower; Herbie Hancock & Ron Carter Duo: For Miles
GROUNDS:
Garden Stage: Gospel with Tammy L. Hall & Friends; Dabin Ryo Trio; Gregory Hutchinson’s Kind of Now with Ambrose Akinmusire & Gerald Clayton; Brittany Davis & Black Thunder; aja monet
West End Stage: Joey Alexander Quartet featuring Jaleel Shaw; Kris Davis Trio with Robert Hurst & Johnathan Blake; Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet; The Bad Plus Farewell Tour; Bulldog Bass Jam
Pacific Jazz Café: Bokani Dyer Trio; Akira Tana’s Osaka Quartet feat. Atsuko Hashimoto with special guest Jackie Ryan; Denise Thimes; Amy Tan & Joey Alexander: Backyard Bird Chronicles Live; Artifacts Trio feat. Tomeka Reid, Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed; Michael Mayo
Courtyard Stage: Monterey Jazz Presents: Trading Fours; June Cavlan (2 sets); Student Jam Session
About Monterey Jazz Festival
Founded in 1958 by the late Jimmy Lyons and late jazz critic Ralph Gleason, the Monterey Jazz Festival is the longest continuously-running jazz festival in the world. Set upon the oak-filled grounds at the scenic Monterey Fairgrounds, the festival hosted virtually every major artist in the art form’s history, including Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. In addition to the annual presentation of an iconic jazz festival, Monterey Jazz Festival is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) whose mission is to provide year-round opportunities for jazz education and performance for youth of all ages and backgrounds.
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For more information, high-resolution photographs and interviews, please contact
Timothy Orr
Marketing and Archives Manager
Monterey Jazz Festival
Direct Line: 831.646.8670
Monterey Phone: 831.373.3366
[email protected]
https://montereyjazz.org
