New names announced:anaiis & Grupo Cosmo • Another Taste (live) • BONITA • Celine Dessberg • Five Points Project • Helena Casella • Jembaa Groove • Joe Armon-Jones • Lucy Park • Rohan Rakhit Presents • Stella & The Longos • Tanhai Collective • Tina Edwards b2b Tim Garcia (DJ Set) • Yoni Mayraz
Brick Lane Jazz Festival announce the latest wave of artists for their fifth birthday edition, which will take place from 24th – 25th April 2026. The announcement includes the final two headliners for the festival, Joe Armon-Jones and anaiis & Grupo Cosmo. Growing from its modest debut across four venues in 2022 to a 12-stage extravaganza spanning Brick Lane and Shoreditch in just three years, the festival was named #1 Best London Festival by The London Standard in 2024, and has earned plaudits from the likes of
The Guardian, Metro, NOTION, Clash, The Line Of Best Fit, Jazzwise, All About Jazz, UK Jazz, Elle, Wonderland, TimeOut, Jazz FM, Rinse FM, One Jazz, Worldwide FM, and many more. Since 2024, the festival has also amplified its impact with the launch of BLJF Presents – a year-round series of events showcasing the UK’s most exciting artists, record labels, and parties. After sell-out shows in Manchester, Brighton, London and more, BLJF Presents is heading to new heights in 2025/26 with more regional stops in the likes of Bristol and Glasgow, as well as two international shows in Brussels.
Having firmly established itself as a cornerstone of East London’s musical landscape, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has earned a reputation for spotlighting local artists and emerging trailblazers from the city’s thriving underground scenes, whilst honouring the jazz legends that have come before them. 2026’s edition sees them continue to hold down this tradition, bringing together an eclectic range of genre-defying artists to play against the backdrop of some of the capital’s most renowned cultural hotspots. All the festival venues are within a short walk from the central hub at the iconic Truman Brewery space on Brick Lane, transforming the site and surrounding area into a vibrant hive of gig-hopping excitement for three days every April.
Reflecting on this fifth birthday edition, the festival’s Founder, Juliet Kennedy says, “From day one, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has been about shining a light on the incredible talent in London’s jazz scene. Five years on, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has grown into a landmark celebration of the UK’s underground music community. It’s been incredible to see the festival become a space where artists and audiences connect so powerfully – and this is only the beginning. Our ambition is to keep pushing boundaries and championing the next wave of talent for many years to come. We’re only just getting started!”
The first wave of 2026’s stellar line-up saw them bringing together a borderless array of artists that span jazz, alt-rap, neo-soul, R&B, neo-classical, electronic music, and more. It also included the announcement of the festivals first headliner, jazz-funk legend and Gil Scott-Heron collaborator, Brian Jackson . Today, multi-award-winning London jazz proponent Joe Armon-Jones joins Jackson as the festival’s second headliner. Armon-Jones is a significant player on the UK circuit, having earned widespread acclaim both as a solo artist with records on Brownswood and his own label AQUARii, and as a founding member of the Mercury Prize-winning band Ezra Collective, who sold-out Wembley Arena last November. In addition to all this, he has appeared on albums by everyone from Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, and SEED Ensemble, through to Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela.
The festival’s final headliner, anaiis & Grupo Cosmo , have also been announced today.
Their appearance will mark the new collaborative project’s UK live debut. Having earned a BBC Radio 6 Music and Apple Music Best New Album nod, French Senegalese singer anaiis recently released a collaborative album titled “anaiis & Grupo Cosmo”, which saw her collaborating with the Brazilian outfit Grupo Cosmo. The album has been on the receiving end of plaudits from a vast array of press for their genre twisting blend of R&B, soul, and Brazilian music. In addition to the new headliners, the festival has also added a host of further exciting artists to the line-up, including Latin London outfit BONITA and Belgian Brazilian composer and singer Helena Casella, as well as beloved DJs such as Rohan Rakhit, Tina Edwards, and Tim Garcia.
In keeping with the festival’s ethos of championing the most exciting new talent, the festival also recently announced that it will once again partner with Jazz re:freshed and Tomorrow’s Warriors , both vital community organizations that nurture emerging talent in UK jazz. Each organisation will once again have it’s own stage, and will feature performances from the likes of rising tenor saxophonist Maddy Coombs, jazz-funk luminaries Resolution 88, emerging nu-jazz / UK soul artist MADELEINE, lauded percussionist
Richard Spaven, the much-hyped quartet from multi-instrumentalist Genevieve Namazzi, flautist Poppy Helmer & Friends, and many more.
The full line-up so far is as follows:
Joe Armon-Jones | Brian Jackson | anaiis & Grupo Cosmo
A Grime Supreme • Aby Coulibaly • Alexander Flood • Alici • Amanda Whiting • Another Taste (live) • Arjuna Oakes • Bad Influence • Benji “chief” Appiah • Bibi Tanga & The Selenites • BONITA • BXL X LDN Interplay III • Celine Dessberg • Charlie Stacey • Christ-Stéphane Boizi • C-Sé Quartet • daoud • Eliane Correa • Five Points Project • Footshooter (live) • Gabriele Poso (live) • Genevieve Namazzi Quartet • Haseeb Iqbal • Helena Casella • IAMNOBODI • Jembaa Groove • Kassa GJ Quartet • KAU • Kianja • Kivnzogianna • Knats • Kwame Yeboah • Kyla Kilzer & Max Noir • Kyra • Leif Kaner-Lidström • Levitation Orchestra • Lucy Park • Maddy Coombs • MADELEINE • Marlon The Pannist • Meron T • Nídia & Valentina • Oliver Night • Poppy Helmer & Friends • Resolution 88 • Richard Spaven • Robert Luis • Rohan Rakhit Presents • Rhys Baker • Ruby Rushton • Saiming • Sam Wise • SHOLTO & Finn Rees • Stella & The Longos • Steppin’ Over • Sticky Dub • TABLE • Tanhai Collective • Tawiah • Tia Gordon • Tina Edwards b2b Tim Garcia (DJ Set) • Tomorrow’s Warriors • Yoni Mayraz • ZENA + many more TBA
Early bird tickets for the festival are now on sale with day passes starting from just £29.95 and weekend passes from £89.95. Payment plans are also available from just £11 per month. Tickets and more info are available HERE
As always, those without tickets can also enjoy free-entry spaces throughout the site, including special live performances at The Nord Zone, The Brick Lane Tap Room, the Main Bar at 93 Feet East, and Cafe 1001.