Blue Note Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl 2026, Los Angeles

A Legendary Jazz Weekend, Reborn Again

Every June since 1979, the Hollywood Bowl has hosted Los Angeles's biggest jazz weekend — a two-day marathon of legends, rising stars, and only-in-LA crossover bills that mix straight-ahead jazz with funk, soul, hip-hop, and R&B. The festival has worn three names in its history, and in 2026 it returns for its second year as the Blue Note Jazz Festival, the newest chapter of one of America's longest-running jazz institutions.

Event at a Glance

• Event: Blue Note Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl 2026
• Location: Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA
• When: Saturday-Sunday, June 13-14, 2026; shows begin at 6:00 PM with a musical prelude starting at 5:40 PM
• Price: Lawn seating from roughly $20-45 per day; box and terrace seats run considerably higher, with a Hollywood Roosevelt hotel-and-festival package also available
• Main Audience: Jazz heads, soul and funk fans, LA culture-seekers, multigenerational Black music lovers
• Travel Vibe: Elegant picnic-in-the-hills energy — part concert, part sunset dinner party under the stars

From Playboy to the Bowl to Blue Note: A Rebrand History

The festival's roots go back to 1959, when Hugh Hefner launched the original Playboy Jazz Festival at Chicago Stadium. It didn't return as an annual event until 1979, when Hefner relocated it to the Hollywood Bowl to mark Playboy magazine's 25th anniversary — and the Bowl has been its home ever since. For decades the Playboy Jazz Festival was one of the most star-studded weekends on the LA calendar, with comedian Bill Cosby serving as its emcee from 1979 all the way through 2012, followed by George Lopez from 2013-2019.

Behind the scenes, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association took over presenting and booking duties in 2014, gradually shaping the festival's direction even while the Playboy name stayed on the marquee. After the festival went dark in 2020 during the pandemic, the LA Phil made a bigger move: in November 2021, it announced the event would drop the Playboy branding entirely, re-launching in June 2022 as the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, with Arsenio Hall stepping in as host.

That name lasted through the 2024 edition. Then, in early 2025, the LA Phil announced a new partnership with the Blue Note Jazz Club — the storied jazz brand behind New York's Blue Note and clubs around the world — rebranding the event once more as the Blue Note Jazz Festival. LA Phil President and CEO Kim Noltemy called it "a shared dedication to celebrating jazz," while Blue Note President Steven Bensusan described the tie-up as "a powerful union of two iconic institutions." Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper, deeply involved in shaping the new era's programming, put it simply: "Los Angeles has always been a second home to me. I'm honored to partner up with Blue Note." The partnership also brought a new Blue Note Jazz Club to Sunset Boulevard in March 2025, giving Los Angeles its first dedicated Blue Note venue and a year-round complement to the festival weekend.

The inaugural Blue Note Jazz Festival ran June 14-15, 2025. Hollywood Bowl and Blue Note have both confirmed a second edition for June 13-14, 2026 — directly on hollywoodbowl.com and bluenotejazz.com — so the rebrand has staying power rather than being a one-off.

A Legacy Stage

Whatever name has been on the marquee, the Hollywood Bowl jazz weekend has long been a Black music institution. Over more than four decades, the festival has hosted an extraordinary run of legends — exactly the kind of multigenerational, genre-blending lineup that keeps LA's jazz weekend distinct from single-genre festivals elsewhere. The Bowl's setting only adds to it: a concentric-arch band shell built into the Hollywood Hills, with the sky turning from gold to indigo over the course of a single set.

The 2026 Lineup

The 2026 edition splits its bill across two very different nights. Saturday, June 13 leans into groove and instrumental firepower, with Wyclef Jean, R+R=NOW, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Chief Adjuah, Derrick Hodge, Justin Tyson, Taylor McFerrin, Yussef Dayes, Kokoroko, and Elena Pinderhughes, alongside the LA County High School for the Arts Big Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, with Arsenio Hall returning as host. Sunday, June 14 turns toward vocalists and soul, headlined by Patti LaBelle and Gregory Porter, with rising star Samara Joy, Cuban Afrobeat-funk artist Cimafunk, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble at UCLA, and the LAUSD Beyond the Bell All-City Jazz Big Band rounding out the bill. The festival is presented in association with LA's jazz radio station, 88.1 KJAZZ.

Organizers have also shifted the festival's format for 2026: shows now start at 6:00 PM instead of the traditional 3:00 PM daytime start of years past, giving the whole weekend more of a sunset-into-night concert feel rather than an all-day festival grounds experience.

Where to Stay and How to Do It Right

The official Blue Note Jazz Festival hotel package is built around the Hollywood Roosevelt, the historic hotel just off Hollywood Boulevard, and includes a multi-night luxury stay, exclusive Pool Circle seating for festival-adjacent parties, curated events at the new Blue Note LA club on Sunset Boulevard, and shuttle transportation between the hotel and the Bowl — a genuinely convenient option given how tight Bowl-adjacent parking gets on show nights. If you're booking independently, look at hotels in Hollywood or the Sunset Strip corridor so you're a short rideshare from the venue; driving and parking directly at the Bowl on a sold-out jazz festival night is not for the faint of heart.

Getting There

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) both serve the area well, with Burbank generally the faster, less congested option for reaching Hollywood. Once in town, the Hollywood Bowl strongly encourages taking its Park and Ride shuttle service from lots around the city, or rideshare — both are far less stressful than the Bowl's own hillside parking lots on a packed festival weekend.

Who This Festival Is For

This is the trip for jazz purists and soul-and-funk fans alike, multigenerational family groups who want a shared night out, and any Black music lover who wants to experience a stage that has hosted decades of jazz greats in one of the most beautiful outdoor venues in the country. It's equally suited to a couples' date-weekend or a group trip built around two very different nightly vibes.

BTN Insider Tips

Pick your night based on your taste. Saturday runs heavier on groove, funk, and instrumental firepower; Sunday leans toward vocalists and soul — if you can only do one night, match it to what you want to hear.

Bring a real picnic. The Hollywood Bowl is built for it — bench and box seating areas allow food and (sealed) wine, and a well-packed spread is part of the tradition here, not an afterthought.

Book the shuttle, skip the parking stress. The Bowl's Park and Ride lots fill fast on festival nights; reserving a shuttle spot in advance saves real time and frustration.

Dress in layers. LA evenings in June can start warm and cool off quickly once the sun drops behind the hills — a light jacket or wrap is worth the space in your bag.

Book early. With the shift to a single 6:00 PM show format, single-day tickets have historically moved quickly once the full lineup drops — don't wait until the week of the show.

Plan Your Trip

Whether you knew it as the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, or now the Blue Note Jazz Festival, this June weekend remains one of the great live-music traditions in Black music culture — and one of the best excuses for a Los Angeles getaway. Grab a seat, pack a picnic, and watch the sky change color over one of America's most storied stages.

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