In alignment with BRIC’s year-long curatorial vision of bringing Radical Joy to life, BRIC JazzFest 2026 expands the circle of what we consider jazz and welcomes those who have yet to find their home within its tent. The lineup presents jazz as a collective experience, as regions to move through and music to dance to.

Across two nights, Bilal, Mohini Dey, Braxton Cook, Sparklmami, Marcus Gilmore, Melvis Santa presents Gata Jazz, Takuya Kuroda, Salin, Tyreek McDole, and Laura Anglade move jazz into conversation with soul, R&B, funk, hip-hop, electronic music, rock, house, Afro-Caribbean traditions, Indian rhythms, Indigenous Thai instrumentation, and American standards. Together, they demonstrate that jazz remains most alive when it returns to its roots in freedom and improvisation while opening itself to new voices, new bodies, and new possibilities.

The festival culminates with Toribio & Bring Dat Jazz Orchestra’s special after-hours dance party, transforming the curatorial vision into a collective experience on the dance floor.

Next Gen Jazz carries that future-facing spirit into the VIP Lounge with Devon Dates, Nathaniel Coben, Ruby Laks, and Isaac Byrd – emerging artists helping shape where jazz goes next.

Two nights of open doors and collective motion. Come as you are, find your place in the tent, and dance.