Airbnb Partners With City of L.A. for Inaugural 'World-Class' Los Angeles Jazz Festival

The 25-day festival will culminate with a weekend of live music on Dockweiler Beach.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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Airbnb and the city of Los Angeles have partnered on the first Los Angeles Jazz Festival, which is slated for the summer of 2026. The 25-day festival will feature multiple components, including a closing weekend of live music on Dockweiler Beach, a multi-cultural Caribbean Street Festival, free concerts in urban parks, and a two-day summit focusing on the global jazz industry.

Why it matters

The Los Angeles Jazz Festival is being billed as a 'world-class' event that will celebrate jazz as America's classical music, drive significant regional economic activity, and champion social justice. It is part of the city's efforts to unite Los Angeles through community celebrations as it prepares to welcome the world for upcoming major events like the NBA All-Star Weekend and the World Cup.

The details

The Black-owned Los Angeles Jazz Festival is the brainchild of founder & CEO Martin Ludlow. The festival's closing weekend of live music on Dockweiler Beach is being called 'Jazz on the Beach.' Other components include a multi-cultural Caribbean Street Festival, 'Jazz in the Park' free concerts, 'Jazz After Dark' shows in woman- and person-of-color-owned venues, Coastal Cultural Tours, and a 'State of Jazz Conference' summit. Organizers are expecting the 25-day celebration to attract 250,000 attendees and be one of the 'greenest' mega festivals globally with a commitment to ban all fossil fuels and run green technologies.

  • The inaugural Los Angeles Jazz Festival is slated for the summer of 2026.
  • The festival's closing weekend of live music on Dockweiler Beach will take place on August 22-23, 2026.

The players

Martin Ludlow

The founder and CEO of the Black-owned Los Angeles Jazz Festival.

Karen R. Bass

The Mayor of Los Angeles, who commented that the festival will be a 'powerful and beautiful act of cultural storytelling' that is important to L.A.'s history.

Airbnb

The title sponsor of the inaugural Los Angeles Jazz Festival, which the company says reflects the kind of tourism it believes in that brings people into neighborhoods, supports local and community-owned businesses, and keeps culture rooted where it belongs.

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What they’re saying

“We are establishing a world-class festival that honors those historic human beings who gathered in Congo Square, New Orleans and — through their 'strange sound called Jasm' — have impacted the world to this day and beyond. We are ready to celebrate jazz as America's classical music, drive significant regional economic activity and champion social justice; all while partnering with world-class companies like Airbnb, whose values align perfectly with our mission.”

— Martin Ludlow, Founder & CEO, Los Angeles Jazz Festival (Press Announcement)

“As we prepare to welcome the world for upcoming major events, we are also determined to unite Los Angeles through community celebrations like the Los Angeles Jazz Festival. This will be a powerful and beautiful act of cultural storytelling, rooted in the African diaspora that is so important to L.A.'s history. l'm looking forward to joining Angelenos from across the region this summer at the festival.”

— Karen R. Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles (Press Announcement)

“Airbnb is proud to be the inaugural title sponsor of the Los Angeles Jazz Festival, an event that celebrates jazz as America's classical music while investing directly in the culture and communities that created it. This festival reflects the kind of tourism we at Airbnb believe in: one that brings people into neighborhoods, supports local and community-owned businesses, and keeps culture rooted where it belongs. We're honored to partner with the City of Los Angeles to help welcome people from around the world in a way that is inclusive, authentic and centered around community.”

— Justin Wesson, Senior Public Policy Manager, Airbnb (Press Announcement)

What’s next

Performers and guest speakers for LAJF's multiple components will be announced in the coming weeks.

The takeaway

The Los Angeles Jazz Festival represents a major community celebration that will showcase jazz as America's classical music, drive economic activity, and champion social justice - all while partnering with a leading global company like Airbnb that shares the festival's values of inclusivity, authenticity, and community.