The Cheltenham Jazz Festival hits its 30th birthday 29 April to 4 May 2026 with a mix of jazz, pop, blues, soul and R&B. Among the jazz contingent are the Guy Barker Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra playing “Miles Davis Symphonic: Kind Of Blue” to mark the centenary of Miles Davis, guitarist Bill Frisell (although he has declared himself uneasy with the term “jazz”) and saxophonist Joshua Redman. British saxman Courtney Pine will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his debut album Journey To The Urge Within, an exemplar of the so-called 1980s jazz revival, a perennial media property ever since.
Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca will be among those appearing in the DEYA Arena, as will soul-jazz saxophonist Kim Cypher. For those with a taste for 1930s-style swing the Easy Rollers will appear on the Dunkerton’s stage, and so will clarinettist and swing master Giacomo Smith. The Parabola Arts Centre will feature performances by saxophonist Emma Rawicz, trumpeter Yazz Ahmed and tubaist Theon Cross as well as saxophonist Camilla George and singer China Moses.
The town’s 2000-capacity Big Top will be host to more mainstream, pop-oriented acts such as Jessie J, Van Morrison, the Earth, Wind & Fire Experience by Al McKay, Joss Stone, 10cc and ABC but it will also feature sets from Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra with Mica Paris and from Nigel Kennedy. Tickets and more details are at cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz.
The full lineup as of 1 April is:
Big Top
James Morrison
Van Morrison
Jessie J
ABC
Joss Stone
Corinne Bailey Rae
The Earth Wind & Fire Experience by Al McKay
10cc
Jack Savoretti
Mica Paris with Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra
Miles Davis Symphonic: Kind of Blue – Guy Barker Big Band & BBC Concert Orchestra
Jalen Ngonda
Town Hall
Nigel Kennedy
Joshua Redman
The Puppini Sisters
Bill Frisell & Eyvind Kang
Courtney Pine
Georgia Cecile – American Songbook
Lady Blackbird
DEYA Arena
DJ YODA
Gotts Street Park
Blue Lab Beats
Emma-Jean Thackray
Tinariwen
Makaya McCraven
Gentleman’s Dub Club
Roberto Fonseca
Nectar Woode
Kim Cypher featuring Ashley Slater
The Big Family Gig
Dunkertons
The Easy Rollers
Giacomo Smith
Elysia Biro
Parabola Arts Centre
China Moses
Yazz Ahmed (Tony Dudley Evans Commission)
Theon Cross
Camilla George
Emma Rawicz
Black Sabbath Mode
RBC & Siena Co-collaboration
Ladies of Midnight Blue
Elaine Mitchener
Matt Carmichael
Robinson Khoury
Family Tent
Tots Tunes with Tara Franks
Jazz Kids
Discover Kathak with Sonia Sabri
Aga Serugo-Lugo: Family Sing
Afro-Latin Adventures: Ladies of Midnight Blue
Family Ceilidh
Suntou Susso
Alice Zawadzki
