Wichita Jazz Festival
Running since 1972, the Wichita Jazz Festival is one of the oldest continuously held jazz festivals in the country. Its 54th edition ran April 22-25, 2026 across venues in the city.
- City
- Wichita
- Where
- Wichita, Kansas
- When
- Late April
- Since
- 1972
The festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by universities, music venues and cultural institutions around Wichita, and it books a room-by-room program rather than a single site: the 2026 edition moved from Walker's Jazz Lounge to the Wichita Art Museum and then to Miller Concert Hall at Wichita State University over four nights. That structure lets a club quintet and a full concert-hall big band sit in the same week.
Education has been part of the design from early on. The stated mission is to celebrate the history of jazz while encouraging and developing the next generation of musicians, and the program routinely places high school and college ensembles alongside the headliners, as in the 2026 pairing of trombonist Nick Finzer with the WSU Jazz Arts Ensemble 1 and the Mid-Kansas Jazz Ensemble. Master classes run alongside the concerts.
No shows in our listings yet
We don't have any Wichita Jazz Fest shows in our listings yet (its program is usually announced shortly before each edition). In the meantime, explore all our live jazz shows.
Where to stay for Wichita Jazz Fest
Hotels and apartments around Wichita. Prices shown are for one night; you can widen the dates on the map.
Frequently asked questions
- When does Wichita Jazz Fest take place?
- Wichita Jazz Fest takes place in Wichita in late april, and has been running since 1972. The exact dates for each edition can vary, so it's worth confirming them on the official website.
- Where is Wichita Jazz Fest held?
- It takes place in Wichita (Wichita, Kansas).
- How do I follow the program and get tickets?
- At Jazz Live US we publish its shows in our Calendar listings as they are confirmed, and for the full line-up and tickets you can check the festival's official website. If you join Jazz Live US, we'll let you know when the line-up is announced.
The exact dates for each edition can vary. Check the festival's official website to confirm the line-up and tickets.