First Artists Announced for 2026 North Sea Jazz Festival
On July 16th, 1976, the first North Sea Jazz Festival opened its doors at The Hague. It had six halls, 300 musicians, and an audience of about 9.000 visitors. Today, with the festival now based in Rotterdam, the 3-day event draws a crowd of about 90.000 visitors who can witness around 1.300 artists on 17 stages. And just a few minutes ago, the first names for this year’s edition have been announced. On the first day, Friday, July 10th, among the artists performing in Rotterdam will be Esperanza Spalding, Diana Krall, Joshua Redman Quartet, Patricia Brennan Septet, The Roots, The Isley Brothers, James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Jalen Ngonda, and more.
Saturday, July 11th, will have performances by Cassandra Wilson, Alex Isley, Anouar Brahem with Django Bates, Anja Lechner, and Mats Eilertsen, Incognito, Kiefer, Marcus Miller We Want Miles! with Mike Stern, Bill Evans, Mino Cinelu, Russell Gunn, Brett Williams, and Anwar Marshall, Bill Frisell Trio & Greg Tardy, and more. And on Sunday, July 12th, we will get to see Adrian Younge, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Kris Davis Trio, Nate Smith, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Fred Hersch Trio, John Legend, Marie Froes, Pat Metheny Side-Eye III+, plus more.
You can find the full list of the first artists plus all other relevant info at northseajazz.com. There will be a lot of more names announced at a later date.
