Festival International de Jazz de Montréal 2026: The Complete Guide

With more than 350 concerts over ten days and two-thirds of said shows being free, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is making a resounding and triumphant return in 2026. The festival runs June 25 to July 4, 2026, in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, with the outdoor site open nightly until midnight.

No surprise there. It’s been doing its thing since 1980, and the 46th edition might be its most meaningful yet as it marks what would have been the 100th birthdays of three giants all born in 1926: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Tony Bennett. This is happening at the same time as it simultaneously showcases the generation of artists proving that jazz is nowhere near finished reinventing itself.

That combination of deep reverence and genuine forward momentum is what makes the Jazz Fest feel different from most festivals. You can spend an evening watching Marcus Miller lead a Miles Davis centennial tribute at the Maison symphonique, then wander out to Place des Festivals and catch Smino or Kamasi Washington on the free TD Stage (no wristband required for the latter, either). No ticket, no cover, and no catch is part of the enduring appeal.

Here's everything you need to navigate the festival.

The Basics

Dates: June 25 to July 4, 2026 (Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire close things out at the Bell Centre on July 5)

Location: Quartier des Spectacles, between Saint-Laurent Boulevard, Président-Kennedy Avenue, De Bleury Street, and Sainte-Catherine Street

Outdoor site hours: Open nightly, 5 p.m. to midnight

Free outdoor concerts: Most start at 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. with main shows beginning at 9:30 p.m. on the TD Stage and Rogers Stage.

Tickets: Tickets are required for all indoor concerts. However, the outdoor site and all outdoor performances are free and open to everyone: 20 free indoor concerts at Studio TD as well as the free after-parties at Phono on the 2nd floor of la Maison du Festival and Le Balcon.

Info-Jazz booth: Open 5 p.m. to midnight daily, on Sainte-Catherine Street near Balmoral

The Music and Main Attractions

Not to Miss

A festival with 350+ shows requires some editorial ruthlessness. These are the ones worth planning around.

Kamasi Washington, TD Stage, June 28 (free). His 2022 Jazz Fest appearance is still talked about. This one will be too.

Angine de Poitrine, TD Stage, June 27 (free). The Saguenay duo went viral after their Trans Musicales performance and their Tout le monde en parle appearance. Their second Jazz Fest show will be one of the most anticipated of the summer.

Patrick Watson, TD Stage, July 3 (free). Watson's Jazz Fest appearances have a habit of becoming the kind of show people talk about for years. This one, part of his Uh Oh tour, should be no different.

Coltrane @ 100: World Premiere of The Tiberi Tapes, Académie at Monument-National, June 30 (free). A genuine world exclusive: the first public listen of previously unreleased John Coltrane recordings from the early 1960s, presented alongside Verve Records' Ken Druker ahead of the album's September release.

Isaiah Collier performs A Love Supreme, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, July 3 (ticketed). One of the most compelling young saxophonists working today plays Coltrane's masterpiece in full. For the centenary, this is the one.

St. Vincent Symphonique, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, June 28 (ticketed). St. Vincent with a full symphony orchestra, with Ruby Plume opening. A genuinely unusual pairing that will either be transcendent or unforgettable for the wrong reasons. Worth the gamble.

DJ Jazzy Jeff: Donuts 20th Anniversary Celebration Party, Club Soda, June 25 (ticketed). Twenty years since J Dilla's Donuts, celebrated by one of his closest collaborators alongside the Montréal Loves Dilla collective. Opening night, and already one of the most culturally loaded shows on the calendar.

PHONO at Le Studio TD, nightly from 11 p.m. (free). The festival's late-night vinyl bar runs until 3 a.m. every night with DJ sets from Music Is My Sanctuary and Ferias. If you're the kind of person who considers midnight an early night, this is your home base.

The Headline Acts

The TD Stage is the festival's main outdoor stage, and this year's nightly 9:30 p.m. lineup is as strong as it's been in years. Beyond the picks above, Willow brings her R&B and soul hybrid on June 30, Saint Levant's French-Palestinian genre fusions land on July 2, and Smino closes the TD Stage run on July 4. KOKOROKO, the London collective blending Afrobeat and Jazz, plays June 26, and Larkin Poe makes their Jazz Fest debut on July 1.

For ticketed indoor shows, the range is wide. Diana Krall plays two nights at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier (June 26 and 27). Marcus Miller's We Want Miles tribute opens the festival at the Maison symphonique on June 25. Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Hiromi's Sonicwonder, and the pairing of Christian McBride and Julian Lage all play Théâtre Maisonneuve. Father John Misty with King Tuff hits MTELUS on June 30. Goat, the masked Swedish psychedelic-funk outfit on a rare North American tour, closes MTELUS on July 4.

For something more intimate, the Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill has shows running across the full ten days, and Club Soda hosts several of the festival's most interesting left-field bookings, including Nicholas Payton and Butcher Brown on June 29.

The Centenary Programming

Three jazz giants, all born in 1926, will all be honoured this edition in distinct ways.

For Miles Davis, Marcus Miller leads We Want Miles at the Maison symphonique on June 25, joined by Mike Stern, Bill Evans, and Mino Cinelu. Ron Di Lauro performs Kind of Blue in full at Le Gesù on July 3, and a ciné-concert pairing the Rémi Cormier Quintet with Louis Malle's Ascenseur pour l'échafaud brings Davis's 1958 film score back to life at Le Gesù on July 2.

John Coltrane gets the most layered treatment. Isaiah Collier performs A Love Supreme in full at Théâtre Jean-Duceppe on July 3. The Christine Jensen Sextet presents Modes of Coltrane at Club Montréal Loto-Québec on July 1. The world premiere of The Tiberi Tapes at the Académie on June 30 is detailed above. PHI also runs Habitat Sonore: A Love Supreme, a spatial audio listening experience, daily throughout the festival.

Tony Bennett is honoured through John Pizzarelli Sings Bennett at Théâtre Maisonneuve on July 3.

The Académie: Free Talks, Masterclasses, and One World Premiere

The Académie runs daily at Monument-National and is free and open to everyone on a first come, first served basis. Beyond the Coltrane premiere, this year's lineup includes a discussion with Joshua Redman (June 29), a masterclass with Victor Wooten and the Wooten Brothers (June 29), a discussion with The Alchemist (June 30), a masterclass with harpist Brandee Younger (July 1), a panel on jazz scenes around the world (July 1), and a discussion with Christian McBride (July 3). All events are in English, with simultaneous French translation available via a downloadable app for the first time this year.

After the Last Set: PHONO and After Jazz

The festival doesn't stop at midnight: PHONO, the pop-up vinyl bar on the second floor of Le Studio TD, runs nightly from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. with DJ sets curated by Music Is My Sanctuary and Ferias, plus a cocktail menu designed for people who aren't ready to go home. Le Balcon hosts late-night jams throughout the festival with rotating lineups spanning jazz, R&B, soul, and beyond.

Good-to-Know’s

Getting There and Getting Around

The easiest way in is the metro. Place-des-Arts station (exit D, which has an elevator) on the Green Line drops you directly at the site. Saint-Laurent on the Green Line and Place d'Armes on the Orange Line are also walkable options. Bike parking for more than 340 bikes is available free at the corner of Saint-Laurent and De Maisonneuve. The outdoor site is cashless, so bring a card.

The Info-Jazz booth on Sainte-Catherine near Balmoral handles lost and found, general info, free wheelchair loans, sensory kits, and children's noise-cancelling headset rentals. First aid is stationed at the corner of Jeanne-Mance and Président-Kennedy. Hirondelles and GRIP are both on site throughout the festival for harm reduction and safety support.

TD cardholders get 15% off food, non-alcoholic drinks, and merchandise at participating festival vendors, plus priority line access at select indoor venues.

What Not to Bring

Glass containers, outside alcohol, bikes and skateboards (use the parking lot), folding chairs during performances, and pets (service animals excepted). Up to 30g of cannabis is permitted on site.

The Full Schedule

With over 350 concerts across ten days, the best approach is the official festival app, available on iOS and Android, or the full program at montrealjazzfest.com. Start building your schedule early. The more popular indoor shows sell out, and for the free outdoor headliners, arriving before 9 p.m. gets you a decent spot.