Jazz Fest is giving music fans an early Christmas present. The fest will announce its music lineup today.
Just who might be playing Jazz Fest 2026? NOLA.com music writer Keith Spera is making a bold guess:.
"I will buy everybody's Jazz Fest ticket is David Byrne is not on the lineup this year," said Spera, half-jokingly. Spera said the former Talking Heads frontman had a great show at the Fairground in 2018, will be touring this spring, and just happens to have a hole in his calendar around Jazz Fest Time.
Anyone else? Spera says Rod Stewart and Bob Dylan are touring in the region during the Jazz Fest time, and country music performer Tyler Childers might be on the list.
"He's got a tour that's starting in early June, but suspiciously, he also announced a stand-alone April 23rd date in Dallas, so that looks a whole lot to me like it's a warm-up show before he pops over to Jazz Fest that same weekend," said Spera.
He says festival producers may have filled the lineup early, hence the earlier that usual talent announcement... or Jazz Fest officials may be trying to get in on the holiday shopping season.
April 23 is also when Jazz Fest starts -- eight days over two weekends.