Article Contributed by Shore Fire Media
Published on January 15, 2026
The third annual Montreux Jazz Festival Miami is excited to announce a major expansion of the 2026 edition, growing from three to five nights of music and marking the festival’s first-ever programming in Miami Beach. This milestone represents the first step in a broader multi-year expansion of Montreux Jazz Festival Miami. Made possible with support from the City of Miami Beach and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, the festival will now open with two-nights of music in Miami Beach before continuing at its home venue in Coconut Grove.
A special Miles Davis Night, organized in collaboration with the Miles Davis Estate as part of the Centennial celebrations in 2026, will officially open the festival on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at the Miami Beach Bandshell. A centerpiece of the global celebrations marking the Miles Davis Centennial, the evening honors one of the most influential artists in music history. Miles Davis performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland ten times between 1973 and 1991, with his final appearance immortalized in the landmark recording Miles & Quincy: Live at Montreux. That legacy now extends to Miami through a once-in-a-lifetime tribute featuring the Miles Electric Band (M.E.B.), led by Miles Davis’s nephew and Miles’ band alumni, drummer Vince Wilburn Jr., alongside the Kind of Blue Acoustic Band. The evening will feature an array of special guests including Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Ibrahim Maalouf, and Sammy Figueroa(who played with Miles and recorded on The Man with the Horn), with more to be announced. Featuring Miles Davis alumni, the Kind of Blue Acoustic Band will perform music from Kind of Blue, widely regarded as one of the greatest and best-selling jazz albums of all time, reaffirming Miles Davis’s enduring influence across generations and genres. Additional members of the Miles Electric Band (M.E.B.) include Miles Davis alumni Darryl Jones (bass), Jean Paul Bourelly (guitar), Robert Irving III a.k.a. Baabe (keys & musical director), and Munyungo Jackson (percussion), alongside Jason Kibler a.k.a. DJ Logic (DJ), Greg Spero (keys), Antoine Roney (saxophone), and Keyon Harrold (trumpet). The Kind of Blue Acoustic Band consists of Miles Davis alumni Lenny White (drums), Buster Williams (bass), George Colligan (piano), and Donald Harrison (alto sax), joined by Javon Jackson (tenor sax) and Eddie Henderson (trumpet).
“Expanding Montreux Jazz Festival Miami is about creating space for the kind of musical exchange that feels alive, unrepeatable, and rooted in real connection,” says Jon Batiste. “The Latin American and Caribbean musical traditions that pulse through Miami are a cornerstone to this experience as well as the global jazz community.” The co-owner of the festival continues, “Opening the festival with a tribute to Miles Davis, one of the great architects of musical freedom, sets the tone for everything that follows. As the festival grows, we’re also widening the circle by bringing more of New Orleans into the conversation, inviting artists, collaborators, and communities to come together in that spirit and shared energy that Montreux has always stood for.”
The full 2026 edition of Montreux Jazz Festival Miami will now run Wednesday, February 25 through Sunday, March 1. The expansion includes a second night at the Miami Beach Bandshellon Thursday, February 26, featuring a performance by visionary drummer and composer Makaya McCraven––presented in association with Rhythm Foundation and Brainville. Following the opening two nights in Miami Beach, all remaining festival nights, Friday, February 27 through Sunday, March 1, will take place at The Hangar at Regatta Grove, the festival’s home venue in Coconut Grove, an intimate 1,500-capacity space set along the water.
GRAMMY and Academy Award-winner Jon Batiste will co-host a New Orleans celebration night with Trombone Shorty, who just confirmed that fellow New Orleans luminaries PJ Morton, Tank (of Tank and the Bangas), and La Reezy will join the lineup. This exclusive set will feature surprise guests and high-energy improvisation that embodies the spirit of Montreux. In addition to the NOLA celebration, rising Latin pop star Elena Rose has been added as direct support for Colombian electro-tropical innovators Bomba Estéreo on Sunday, March 1. These artists join a bill that already includes Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and GRAMMY-winning producer Nile Rodgers & CHIC; six-time GRAMMY-winning pop-rock icons TOTO; Cuban percussionist and singer Pedrito Martinez; and French-Caribbean soul-funk bassist and vocalist Adi Oasis.
Montreux Jazz Festival Miami 2026:
Miami Beach Bandshell:
Wednesday, Feb 25: Miles Electric Band (M.E.B.) / Kind of Blue Acoustic Band / Special guests: Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Sammy Figueroa, and Ibrahim Maalouf
Thursday, Feb 26: Makaya McCraven
The Hangar at Regatta Grove:
Friday, Feb 27: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue + New Orleans / PJ Morton / Tank (of Tank and the Bangas) New Orleans Celebration hosted by Trombone Shorty & Jon Batiste, with special guests
Saturday, Feb 28: Nile Rodgers & CHIC / TOTO / Adi Oasis
Sunday, March 1: Bomba Estéreo / Elena Rose / Pedrito Martinez
Ticketing:
Tickets for Montreux Jazz Festival Miami begin at $49 for the opening night in Miami Beach and in Coconut Grove at $139, with VIP tickets at $399 and Legend tickets at $699. Tickets can be purchased at www.mjfmiami.com. Discounted tickets for the Wednesday, Feb. 25 performances at the Miami Beach Beach Bandshell are available for Miami Beach residents only. Use code: MIAMIBEACH. Must show proof of residency.
Please note that 3-Day Legend passes, Friday VIP and Legend passes, and Saturday VIP passes are sold out.
As is tradition with Montreux Jazz Festival – a Montreux Jazz Festival Miami poster for 2026 has been revealed, created by Mambo. Born in Santiago de Chile, 1969, Mambo is a polyglot artist, his different artworks series go from semi-abstract graphic interplays of lines and spontaneous designs (Brainology), to abstract action painting (Strokes) as well as minimal and caricatural portraits (Humans).
