Atlanta Jazz Festival marks 49th year with three-day 2026 Piedmont Park main-stage lineup announced
A free Memorial Day weekend fixture returns to Piedmont Park
The Atlanta Jazz Festival will return to Piedmont Park on Memorial Day weekend, running Saturday, May 23, through Monday, May 25, 2026, as the event enters its 49th annual edition. The long-running festival is produced by the City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and has been promoted as free and open to the public, continuing a format that draws large crowds for daytime-to-evening performances.
Festival materials posted for the 2026 edition describe a three-day schedule anchored by one main stage in Piedmont Park, with daily programming listed from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on May 23–25. Additional festival programming is typically packaged around a broader “31 Days of Jazz” series staged across metro Atlanta during May, culminating in the Piedmont Park weekend.
2026 main-stage schedule: headliners and set times
The 2026 lineup released through festival channels outlines five billed performances per day, with sets beginning at 1 p.m. and continuing into the night. The posted schedule is as follows:
Saturday, May 23: Buddy Red (1 p.m.), Aja Monet (3 p.m.), Nate Smith (5 p.m.), Christian McBride & Ursa Major (7 p.m.), Kamasi Washington (9 p.m.)
Sunday, May 24: Cleveland P Jones (1 p.m.), Myron McKinley Trio (3 p.m.), Donnie – The Colored Section (5 p.m.), Esperanza Spalding (7 p.m.), The Roots (9 p.m.)
Monday, May 25: Cody Matlock (1 p.m.), Nicole Zuraitis (3 p.m.), Destin Conrad (5 p.m.), Butcher Brown (7 p.m.), PJ Morton (9 p.m.)
How the bill reflects the festival’s programming approach
The announced slate blends artists identified with contemporary jazz and jazz-adjacent performance, placing prominent late-evening slots on each day alongside earlier sets that broaden the stylistic range. The schedule structure also signals a festival design intended for rolling attendance, with multiple entry points throughout the afternoon and evening rather than a single nightly concert format.
What’s known about logistics and surrounding programming
Piedmont Park remains the central venue, with the festival listing its location within the park footprint in Midtown Atlanta. In parallel, the city’s cultural programming associated with the festival includes the “31 Days of Jazz” series and a Neighborhood Jazz Series hosted at various city parks on select dates in May, positioning the Piedmont Park weekend as the capstone event.
Key dates: May 23–25, 2026 (Memorial Day weekend). Main-stage set times begin at 1 p.m. each day, with closing performances scheduled for 9 p.m.
What to watch for next
Festival postings for 2026 describe the event as “coming soon” in some locations, indicating that operational details beyond the main-stage schedule—such as site maps, transportation guidance, vendor lists, and any additional partnered programming—may continue to be updated as May approaches.