EFG London Jazz Festival 2026 Reveals First Wave of Artists

Organisers have unveiled the first wave of artists for the EFG London Jazz Festival 2026, running from 13 to 22 November across London venues. Headliners include Fatoumata Diawara at the Roundhouse and Samara Joy at the Royal Festival Hall. The announcement highlights centenary tributes to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, alongside Ben Folds, Morcheeba, GoGo Penguin and the Kronos Quartet.

• Dates 13 to 22 November 2026
• Venues include Roundhouse; Royal Festival Hall; Barbican; EartH; Troxy; KOKO; Queen Elizabeth Hall

The EFG London Jazz Festival 2026 is scheduled to run from 13 to 22 November 2026 and spans ten days across various venues in London. Organisers have announced the first wave of artists for the festival, while stating that additional acts will be revealed in the coming months.

Programming will be presented at multiple London venues, with initial performances announced for venues including the Roundhouse, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, EartH, Troxy, KOKO and Queen Elizabeth Hall.

The initial announcement also references performances that mark the Miles Davis and John Coltrane centenaries.

Confirmed headline artists and their associated venues have been included in the festival’s initial announcement. The announcement names Fatoumata Diawara at the Roundhouse and Samara Joy at the Royal Festival Hall, Morcheeba at Troxy and GoGo Penguin at KOKO, and Ben Folds at the Royal Festival Hall alongside the Kronos Quartet at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Organisers have indicated that additional acts will be revealed in the coming months, expanding the festival programme across London venues.

The EFG London Jazz Festival 2026 announcement includes special programming to mark the Miles Davis centenary. Emma-Jean Thackray’s Dear Miles – A Love Letter will be presented at EartH as part of that centenary programming. The Dear Miles show reimagines Davis’s electric-era work. It is listed among the first acts named in the festival’s initial announcement. Organisers have stated that additional acts will be announced in the coming months.

The festival’s John Coltrane centenary programming is presented at the Barbican under the title Coltrane 100: Both Directions At Once. The Barbican performance will feature Joe Lovano, Melissa Aldana, Nduduzo Makhathini, Linda May Han Oh and Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts. This concert is included in the initial wave of performers announced for the festival. Organisers have indicated that further additions to the programme will be revealed in the coming months.

The festival’s initial announcement included other performances in addition to the headliners, covering a range of venues across London.

GoGo Penguin are listed to perform two nights at KOKO in the initial announcement. The announcement also lists Morcheeba at Troxy, Ben Folds at the Royal Festival Hall and the Kronos Quartet at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Organisers have indicated that further acts will be announced in the coming months.

The EFG London Jazz Festival 2026 is scheduled to run from 13 to 22 November 2026 and the initial announcement lists first-wave headliners including Fatoumata Diawara at the Roundhouse and Samara Joy at the Royal Festival Hall. Other confirmed performances named in the announcement include Morcheeba at Troxy, GoGo Penguin appearing for two nights at KOKO, Ben Folds at the Royal Festival Hall and the Kronos Quartet at Queen Elizabeth Hall.

The festival’s centenary tribute programming is listed in the announcement and includes Emma-Jean Thackray’s Dear Miles – A Love Letter at EartH for the Miles Davis centenary and Coltrane 100: Both Directions At Once at the Barbican featuring Joe Lovano, Melissa Aldana, Nduduzo Makhathini, Linda May Han Oh and Jeff “Tain” Watts. Organisers have stated that additional acts will be announced in the coming months, and further updates will be released when new performers are confirmed.