Medicine Hat JazzFest turns 30 this year.
The Medicine Hat Jazz Society hosted the first JazzFest in 1997. Three decades later it has won the Medicine Hat Chamber of Commerce Tourism Award twice, taken the Alberta Chamber of Commerce Arts and Culture Award, and become one of the most consistently respected jazz festivals on the prairies. Not because it tries to be the biggest — because it stays intimate, local, and genuinely good.
The 2026 lineup runs June 16 to 21 across venues throughout the city. Nine featured artists and groups. Free afternoon workshops every day. A brand new dance party at Medalta Potteries. The first-ever Youth Jazz Intensive. Rain or shine — every outdoor performance has an indoor backup venue nearby.
Tickets and passes
Full festival pass: $160. Includes all ticketed events June 16 to 21.
Youth pass: $80. New this year. Open to anyone 25 and under.
Youth ticket: $20 per event. Anyone 25 and under can attend any single JazzFest event for $20.
Tickets at buy.tixx.ca or at the door.
Full 2026 schedule, day by day
Tuesday June 16
2:00 p.m. — Kristin Korb Workshop. Esplanade Front Lawn, lobby as backup. Free. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.
7:00 p.m. — Kristin Korb. Esplanade Terrace, main theatre as backup. Bassist and vocalist based in Denmark, Korb studied under the late Ray Brown — one of the greatest jazz bassists who ever lived — and brings that lineage directly into her playing. Her 2024 album Sweet Dreams reimagines Eurythmics songs as jazz standards. Swinging, inventive, and a strong opening night.
Wednesday June 17
2:00 p.m. — Sara Neufeld with Ray of Sun Drum Circles. Esplanade Front Lawn, lobby as backup. Medicine Hat's own Sara Neufeld leads participatory community drum circles. All welcome.
7:00 p.m. — Jason Marsalis. On-stage in main theatre. Youngest son of Ellis Marsalis Jr. and brother to Wynton, Branford, and Delfeayo — Jason has spent his career building something unmistakably his own as both a drummer and one of the most distinctive vibraphone voices working in jazz today. Seeing him in a room the size of the Esplanade main theatre is not something that happens often. This is the marquee performance of the 2026 festival.
Thursday June 18
2:00 p.m. — MA:Q Workshop. Esplanade Front Lawn, lobby as backup.
7:00 p.m. — MA:Q. Esplanade Terrace, main theatre as backup. Canadian Filipina keyboardist Mary Ancheta leads her quartet through jazz-fusion, funk, and global grooves. Influences run from Weather Report to McCoy Tyner. Her upcoming album When the Light Comes to Play was recorded in Vancouver and is bold, layered, and worth arriving early for.
Friday June 19
2:00 p.m. — Ron DiLauro Sextet Workshop. Esplanade Front Lawn, lobby as backup.
7:00 p.m. — Ron DiLauro Sextet: Kind of Blue. Esplanade Terrace, main theatre as backup. Montreal trumpeter Ron Di Lauro performs a full tribute to Miles Davis's Kind of Blue on the recording's 100th anniversary. If you know the album you know why this matters. If you do not, this is the right way to find out.
9:00 p.m. — The François Bourassa Quartet. On-stage in main theatre. A leading voice in Canadian jazz, Bourassa's quartet is marking 25 years together this year. Lyrical, structured, deeply attuned — one of the quieter bookings on the schedule and one of the most rewarding.
Saturday June 20
2:00 p.m. — Jazz Jam hosted by Christian Ferguson. Esplanade Front Lawn, lobby as backup. Groove guitarist Ferguson leads an open jam session. All instruments and skill levels welcome.
3:00 p.m. — Medalta Dance Party. Medalta Potteries, Historic Clay District. New this year and at one of Medicine Hat's most distinctive venues. Features Medicine Hat's own Ciara Hager Fusion Project, the Klave Latin Band, and the Ray Charles Tribute Orchestra. This is the social event of the festival — a working historic pottery complex in the Clay District hosting a full afternoon dance party. Do not skip this one.
9:00 p.m. — The Robert Lee Group. On-stage in main theatre. Original compositions inspired by Korean folk stories and poetry. The most distinctive and unusual booking on the 2026 lineup.
Sunday June 21
7:00 p.m. — The Ostara Project. Esplanade Terrace, main theatre as backup. Led by bassist Jodi Proznick, The Ostara Project brings together leading Canadian women in jazz. Their JUNO-nominated debut Ancestors' Project reflects deep engagement with lineage, collaboration, and contemporary expression. A strong close to the festival.
Three things that make 2026 different from past years
The Medalta Dance Party is new and the venue choice matters. Medalta Potteries is one of the most atmospheric spaces in Medicine Hat — a working historic pottery facility that hosts art exhibitions and events year round. Moving a festival event there instead of keeping everything on the Esplanade is a genuinely good call. The Ray Charles Tribute Orchestra playing in that space on a Saturday afternoon will be something worth telling people about afterward.
The Youth Jazz Intensive is also new this year. Young Alberta musicians will have a dedicated opportunity to perform and develop during festival week. For a festival in its 30th year, investing in the next generation of jazz players is exactly the right milestone move.
And clubs and pubs programming runs all week across Medicine Hat venues beyond the main Esplanade schedule. The full list is at medicinehatjazzfest.com/clubs-and-pubs — worth checking before you plan your evenings.
Getting there and practical details
The Esplanade is at 401 1 Street SE in downtown Medicine Hat. Medalta Potteries is at 713 Medalta Avenue SE in the Historic Clay District, about ten minutes from downtown.
All outdoor performances have indoor backup venues. Weather is not a reason to skip an event.
Download the digital festival brochure at medicinehatjazzfest.com/schedule. Full schedule, venue maps, and club listings are there.
Tickets and passes: buy.tixx.ca
Follow the festival on Instagram at @medhatjazz for real-time updates during festival week.
Sources:
Medicine Hat JazzFest, Full schedule and lineup 2026 (medicinehatjazzfest.com)
Medicine Hat JazzFest, Tickets 2026 (buy.tixx.ca)
Travel Alberta, Medicine Hat JazzFest 2026 listing (travelalberta.com)
Tourism Medicine Hat, JazzFest feature (tourismmedicinehat.com)
Medicine Hat Jazz Society, Festival history (medicinehatjazzfest.com)
