“To jazz or not to jazz, there is no question!” 

— Louis Armstrong

February 19-22, 2026

Set against the iconic desert landscape and modernist skyline of Palm Springs, the four-day jazz festival brings together world-renowned artists for an unforgettable blend of music, culture, and place.

The Palm Springs International Jazz Festival is thrilled to announce a spectacular line up for 2026:

The Exciting 2026 Festival Schedule

1 of 3

Palm Springs International Jazz Festival 2026

The Palm Springs International Jazz Festival kicks off with a special invitation to the swankiest of parties at the inimitable Franz Alexander House. Listed on the National Register, this avant-garde house was designed in 1955 by Walter S. White.

Perched on the rocky mountainside overlooking the valley below is extraordinary. Tour the house for a luxe cocktail party befitting the best of the midcentury. Live music, decadent hors d'oevres in architectural splendor.

  • Friday, Feb 20 - Afternoon show 3:30 pm

    Annenberg Theatre

    Ben Sidran

    Pianist, vocalist, and storyteller Ben Sidran and his trio, who will not only perform but also reflect on the natural kinship between jazz improvisation and modernist architecture, two art forms that define Palm Springs' spirit.

    Ben Sidran 
  • Friday, Feb 20 - Evening Show 8:00 pm

    Annenberg Theatre

    Stanley Clarke and N4Ever

    Legendary bassist Stanley Clarke and his dynamic ensemble N 4-Ever ignite the stage with genre-defying energy and virtuosity. Clarke, a NEA Jazz Master has redefined the sound of modern jazz with his exceptional skill on both acoustic and electric bass.

    Stanley Clarke 
  • Saturday, Feb 21 - 3:30 pm

    Plaza Theatre

    Eliane Elias

    Saturday we celebrate international rhythms and timeless tradition. Grammy-winning pianist Eliane Elias leads her trio in The Soul of Bossa Nova, transporting audiences to the beaches of Rio through her luminous blend of Brazilian jazz and sophisticated swing.

    Eliane Elias 
  • Saturday, Feb 21 - 8:00 pm

    Plaza Theatre

    Preservation Hall Jazz Band

    The evening brings the joyful, unbroken lineage of New Orleans jazz directly to the desert, filling the festival with timeless grooves and second-line spirit.

    Preservation Hall Jazz Band 
  • Sunday, Feb 22 - 4:00 pm

    Plaza Theatre

    Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton

    Sunday offers a journey into the cutting edge of contemporary jazz and soul. The incomparable Lisa Fischer - Grammy-winning vocalist best known for her collaborations with the Rolling Stones and Sting-joins Grand Baton for an afternoon of searing improvisation and raw emotional power.

    Lisa Fischer 
  • Sunday, February 22, 2026

    Plaza Theatre

    Esperanza Spalding

    The festival's grand finale featurs visionary bassist, vocalist, and composer Esperanza Spalding, whose quartet closes the weekend with bold artistry and boundary-pushing sound.

    Esperanza Spalding 

Discover The 2026 Artists

Fri - feb 20, 2026 - 3:30 pm

Ben Sidran

"Sidran is at the peak of his form, delivering standards with verve, panache and sheer delight. The listener can't help but respond, and swing, to all of the intimacy and excitement of a great piano trio at work".

— Vivascene on Swing State

Learn More

Fri - Feb 20, 2026 - 8:00 pm

Stanley Clarke

"Clarke a 'living legend' has the technical skill and ability to make the bass 'bark, and moan' while maintaining a relaxed demeanor." — LA Herald Examiner

"Clarke can toss off more good bass lines in one night than most rock bassists do in an entire career." — Washington Star

Learn more

Sat- Feb 21, 2026 - 3:30 pm

Eliane Elias

“Eliane Elias has become not only one of the most adroit pianists in jazz, but with albums like Quietude, has now entered the top tier of Brazilian vocalists.”

— Jazz Weekly

Learn more

Sat - Feb 21, 2026 - 8:00 pm

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

"The music has an almost limitless potential to arouse and to excite the basic sentiments and emotions of life, from joy to sadness. And it's not a music you have to analyze. It comes out to you. It's a people's music."

— Los Angeles Times

Learn more

Sun - Feb 22, 2026 - 4:00 pm

Lisa Fisher

"Lisa Fischer in concert is addictive. Every performance is so enriching, so exciting, so transcendent that you want more. With remarkable vocal range and vocabulary, Fischer can sing soul, jazz, rock, gospel, pop, folk and classical with equal facility and authority. She often mixes styles in the same song, sometimes in the same vocal line. Her approach tends to be intimate, artful and almost meditative, accompanied by her interpretive dancing, but she also can cut loos and funk with fiercness and rock with abandon."

— Minneapolis Star Tribune

Learn more

Sun - Feb 22, 2026 - 8:00 pm

Esperanza Spalding

"Spalding made her mark not just as a virtuoso jazz bassist or an effortlessly nimble singer but as an exotic hybrid of the two."
New York Times

"Thrilling, virtuosic, baffling and fitfully exasperating."
The Guardian

Learn more