The Newport Jazz Festival will unveil its 2026 lineup on Tuesday, April 21, with tickets going on sale the same afternoon for what will be the first festival under newly appointed Artistic Director Nate Smith.
The festival returns to Fort Adams State Park on July 31, Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, marking its 72nd year as one of the longest-running and most storied festivals in America.
Ticket on-sale details
The lineup announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on April 21, coinciding with the opening of specially priced 3-day general admission tickets. That promotional window will run for 48 hours, closing Thursday, April 23, at 1 p.m. ET, when full-price 3-day and all single-day ticket types become available.
Specially priced 3-day GA passes are listed at $278.10, including fees. Full-price 3-day GA passes will be $314.15, while premium 3-day Jazz Lounge tickets are priced at $1,514.10. A 3-day student pass is available for $189.52. Single-day tickets are $117.42 for general admission and $63.86 for students. All prices include fees.
Organizers noted that specially priced 3-day GA passes purchased at the promotional rate cannot be returned to the waitlist.
Children 9 and under are admitted free, except for Jazz Lounge tickets, with a limit of two children per ticketed adult. Children 10 and over will need a full-priced admission ticket.
The festival is urging fans to buy only through its official ticketing partner, DICE, and to steer clear of the secondary market.
“Please do not purchase tickets you may see on the secondary market, they are speculative tickets,” organizers said. “Don’t trust individual or corporate resellers claiming to have tickets before they have officially gone on sale to the public.”
All festival tickets are mobile through DICE, and no PDF tickets will be issued.
A new era under Nate Smith
The 2026 festival will be the first with Nate Smith at the artistic helm. The two-time Grammy-winning drummer, producer and bandleader was appointed Artistic Director in February, succeeding Christian McBride, who held the role for a decade. McBride had taken over from festival founder George Wein.
Smith will serve a three-year term and will work alongside the Newport creative team on booking, artistic direction, community building and the Newport Festivals Foundation’s year-round jazz education work. He steps in following three consecutive sold-out festivals.
Earlier this year, Smith won two Grammy Awards for his 2025 album “LIVE-ACTION” — Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals for “BIG FISH.” The album was also nominated by the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Jazz Album. Smith has toured and recorded with artists including Brittany Howard, Childish Gambino, Jon Batiste, Norah Jones, Pat Metheny, Ravi Coltrane and Michael Jackson.
“With humility and gratitude, I am thrilled to accept the appointment as Artistic Director of the legendary Newport Jazz Festival,” Smith said at the time of his appointment. “I’d like to also acknowledge my predecessor, the one and only Christian McBride, who leaves behind some awfully big shoes to fill. I hope to help foster a more personal connection between fans and artists, in an effort to ensure that our beloved music continues to thrive.”
Bruce Gordon, chairman of the Newport Festivals Foundation board, said the foundation considered a deep pool of candidates before settling on Smith.
“We were looking for someone willing and able to honor the rich traditions of jazz, staying rooted in what the genre is at its core. At the same time, we needed someone we could count on to push the envelope, keeping the music fresh and forward-looking,” Gordon said. “That person is the remarkable Nate Smith.”
Gordon added: “Nate is family, and has been playing this festival for many years. We were so fortunate to have Christian McBride bring his excellence to the team, and we know Nate will do the same.”
The late festival founder George Wein was an early admirer, writing in 2019 after catching Smith’s group Kinfolk at the Blue Note: “Nate Smith is a leader who will make his mark felt on the future of jazz.”
About the foundation
The Newport Festivals Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festivals. Beyond the festivals, the foundation funds music education and artist relief programs, including free private music lessons, instrument donations to public schools, assembly programs and summer camps in Newport.
Nationally, its Artist Gives initiative has provided more than 197 grants to music education programs in more than 35 states since 2018.
More information on the foundation’s education initiatives is available at newportfestivals.org.
