Los Angeles Launches Inaugural Jazz Festival Aiming to Be World's Third Largest

The 25-day event in August 2026 is envisioned as the largest Black-owned jazz festival ever, blending world-class performances with community engagement and cultural education.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Los Angeles has announced the launch of the inaugural Los Angeles Jazz Festival, a 25-day cultural celebration set for August 2026 that is envisioned as the third-largest international jazz festival in the world and the largest Black-owned jazz festival ever. The festival is designed to blend world-class performances with deep community engagement, cultural education, and environmental stewardship, and is expected to attract over 250,000 attendees.

Why it matters

The Los Angeles Jazz Festival represents a major milestone in positioning the city as a central hub for global jazz culture, honoring the music's roots in the African, African American, and Caribbean experience. The festival's scope and ambition signal Los Angeles' desire to showcase inclusive, community-centered cultural celebrations as the city prepares to host a series of major global events in the coming years.

The details

The festival was officially announced on February 4 at Los Angeles City Hall, drawing an energetic crowd of city officials, sponsors, community leaders, labor representatives, artists, and jazz lovers. Founder Martin Ludlow envisions the 25-day experience as blending world-class performances with deep community engagement, cultural education, and environmental stewardship. The festival will culminate in a massive closing weekend, August 22–23, on Dockweiler Beach that is expected to draw roughly 40,000 people per day. Airbnb has been named the festival's inaugural title sponsor, a partnership grounded in shared values around belonging, diversity, and community-based tourism.

  • The Los Angeles Jazz Festival was officially announced on February 4, 2026.
  • The festival is scheduled to take place over 25 days in August 2026.
  • The closing weekend of the festival will be held on August 22-23, 2026.

The players

Martin Ludlow

The founder of the Los Angeles Jazz Festival, who is designing the event to be a 25-day experience blending world-class performances with deep community engagement, cultural education, and environmental stewardship.

Karen Bass

The Mayor of Los Angeles, who called the festival "a powerful and beautiful act of cultural storytelling, rooted in the African diaspora that is so important to L.A.'s history."

Airbnb

The inaugural title sponsor of the Los Angeles Jazz Festival, a partnership grounded in shared values around belonging, diversity, and community-based tourism.

Justin Wesson

The Senior Public Policy Manager in California for Airbnb, who said the company sees the festival as a model for the kind of travel experience that benefits neighborhoods, supports local and community-owned businesses, and keeps culture rooted in the places where it was born.

William D. Smart Jr.

The individual who provided the benediction at the festival announcement, underscoring the spiritual and cultural significance organizers say lies at the heart of the event.

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What they’re saying

“With the Los Angeles Jazz Festival, 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.”

— Martin Ludlow, Founder, Los Angeles Jazz Festival (lafocusnews.com)

“The Los Angeles Jazz Festival is a powerful and beautiful act of cultural storytelling, rooted in the African diaspora that is so important to L.A.'s history. It represents an opportunity to unite Angelenos through shared culture and pride.”

— Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles (lafocusnews.com)

“Airbnb sees the Los Angeles Jazz Festival as a model for the kind of travel experience that benefits neighborhoods, supports local and community-owned businesses, and keeps culture rooted in the places where it was born.”

— Justin Wesson, Senior Public Policy Manager in California, Airbnb (lafocusnews.com)

What’s next

The festival organizers will continue planning and preparing for the inaugural event in August 2026, including finalizing the lineup of performers, securing additional sponsors and partners, and coordinating the various community engagement and educational programs.

The takeaway

The Los Angeles Jazz Festival represents a bold and ambitious effort to establish Los Angeles as a global hub for jazz culture, honoring the music's roots in the African diaspora while also serving as a model for inclusive, community-centered cultural celebrations that can drive economic activity and social impact.