Mark your calendar for the 2026 Detroit Jazz Festival taking place in downtown Detroit, Sept. 4-7, over this year's Labor Day weekend. This free event, operated by the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation, will be held at Hart Plaza, wth have three main stages: Carhartt Amphitheater, Pyramid, and Absopure Waterfront Stage. Additional performances beyond Hart Plaza will take place at the Detroit Jazz Hall, located inside the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University, continuing its role as a key part of the festival programming. More than 300,000 music fans are expected to attend this free jazz festival, partially funded by the state of Michigan and the Gretchen C. Valade Endowment for the Arts, a private foundation generously created by the late Angel of Jazz, Gretchen C. Valade. Changes to this year's Detroit Jazz Festival include coolers not allowed inside Hart Plaza.