CLEARWATER — The Clearwater Jazz Holiday powered by Duke Energy will celebrate 47 years of live music on the waterfront. The festival will be presented on four consecutive nights, from Oct. 15-18, on the large green in Coachman Park, 300 Cleveland St., Clearwater.
The festival will once again feature Tampa Bay Times main stage concerts, with two headline performances each night. This year’s celebration also includes a free daily festival pre-party featuring live music on two side stages located in Coachman Park’s Lower Plaza and Promenade Pier overlooking Clearwater Harbor before the headliners take the main stage each evening.
Single day tickets start at $49.92 in advance. Multi-day packages, VIP and reserved seating also are available for purchase. For information, call 727-461-5200 or visit ClearwaterJazz.com. Food and beverage vendors will serve festival attendees throughout Coachman Park during all four days of the event.
According to Steve Weinberger, Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation CEO, event organizers continue to honor the storied history of the Clearwater Jazz Holiday.
“We’re excited to continue building on the Back to Our Roots format this year,” Weinberger said. “It creates many unique ways for people to experience the festival and in one of the most beautiful waterfront settings in the bay area. There’s something truly special about live music on Clearwater’s waterfront in October.”
From the side stages to the main stage, the 2026 lineup continues Clearwater Jazz Holiday’s tradition of presenting a fun and musically diverse festival experience with distinct daily themes including Cool Jazz Thursday, Feel the Rhythm Friday, Blues & Brass Saturday, and Roots & Funk Sunday.
Following is a look at this year’s performance schedule:
Thursday, Oct. 15
4 p.m. — Gates open
4:15-5:45 p.m. — The Reinhardt/George Group featuring Barry Greene on the VSPC Plaza Stage
4:30-6 p.m. — Tomkats Jazz Orchestra ft Scotty Wright & Tony Castellano on the Surfside Pier Party Stage
6-7 p.m. — Kim Waters, Jeff Kashiwa and Steve Oliver on the Tampa Bay Times Stage
7 p.m. — CJH Lighting Ceremony
7:30-9:30 p.m. — Chris Botti on the Tampa Bay Times Stage
Friday, Oct. 16
4 p.m. — Gates open
4:15-5:15 p.m. — O Som Do Jazz on the Surfside Pier Party Stage
5:45-7 p.m. — ARConnection on the Surfside Pier Party Stage
4:15-5:15 p.m. — Latin Jazz Knights on the VSPC Plaza Stage
5:45-7 p.m. — Ronnie Dee & The Superstars on the VSPC Plaza Stage
7-8:30 p.m. — Arturo Sandoval on the Tampa Bay Times Stage
9-10:30 p.m. — Sheila E. & The E-Train on the Tampa Bay Times Stage
Saturday, Oct. 17
3:30 p.m. — Gates open
3:45-5 p.m. — Julie Black & Her Band on the Surfside Pier Party Stage
5:30-7 p.m. — Shawn Brown on the Surfside Pier Party Stage
3:45-5 p.m. — Young Lions Alumni Jazz Blues Collective on the VSPC Plaza Stage
5:30-7 p.m. — Carl Fischer & Sunshine City Brass on the VSPC Plaza Stage
7-8:30 p.m. — Big Sam’s Funky Nation on the Tampa Bay Times Stage
9-10:30 p.m. — Larkin Poe on the Tampa Bay Times Stage
Sunday, Oct. 18
3:30 p.m. — Gates open
3:30-6 p.m. — The Chilltronic Lounge on the Surfside Pier Party Stage
3:30-4:15 p.m. — CJH Youth All-stars on the VSPC Plaza Stage
4:45-6 p.m. — Norside on the VSPC Plaza Stage
6-7:30 p.m. — Dumpstaphunk on the Tampa Bay Times Stage
8-9:30 p.m. — The Wood Brothers on the Tampa Bay Times Stage
Grammy winning trumpeter Chris Botti will perform as he takes the headline slot on the festival’s opening night, hitting the Tampa Bay Times Stage at 7:30 p.m.
Botti has been one of the most popular instrumentalists in the world for nearly three decades. He has collaborated with some of the biggest superstars on the planet, including Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, and others. Botti has topped the jazz charts with numerous albums, earned multiple gold and platinum records, performed with symphony orchestras and on prestigious stages from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House.
Cuban-American jazz musician Arturo Sandoval performs on Oct. 16. Sandoval is one of the most acclaimed musicians in contemporary jazz. Born just outside Havana, Cuba, Sandoval has been and continues to be one of the most ardent champions of not only Latin jazz but the broader influence of Latin music on jazz.
Grammy Award–winning artist Sheila E. has built a legacy as one of the most influential and trailblazing figures in modern music. Born into a musical family, Sheila Escovedo (Sheila E.) has been driven by an inner rhythm her entire life. As a young girl, she was influenced and inspired by her percussionist father, the legendary Pete Escovedo; her musical uncles Coke Escovedo, Alejandro Escovedo, Mario Escovedo, and Javier Escovedo; and her godfather, the iconic Tito Puente. Her music incorporates a wide variety of styles, including R&B, funk, jazz, pop, synth-pop, latin pop, and salsa.
Scheduled to perform on Oct. 16, Sheila E. rose to mainstream success with release of her debut album, “The Glamorous Life,” in 1984. That album included the singles “The Glamorous Life” and “The Belle of St. Mark,” both of which became international hits. The album earned four Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist.
Big Sam’s Funky Nation takes the stage on Oct. 17. From national performances at Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits, to hometown appearances at Voodoo Fest and Jazz Fest, Big Sam’s Funky Nation have built their reputation onstage. The band’s live performances are legendary, filled with blasts of brass, bursts of electric guitar, and the charisma of Big Sam, a frontman who sings, plays, dances and involves the audience in everything he does.
Hitting the Tampa Bay Times Stage on Oct. 17 is the roots rock duo Larkin Poe.
Multi-instrumental sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe are creating their own brand of roots rock ‘n’ roll: gritty, soulful, and flavored by their Southern heritage. Originally from Atlanta and currently living in Nashville, they are distant relatives of tortured artist and creative genius Edgar Allan Poe.
After releasing their Grammy-nominated album “Venom & Faith” in 2018, Larkin Poe kicked things off in 2020 with their fifth studio album, “Self Made Man,” topping an array of Billboard charts while earning unanimous acclaim around the world. In 2021, they partnered with innovative hybrid orchestra Nu Deco Ensemble for a collaborative livestream concert, performing live from Miami’s North Beach Bandshell. The show was recorded and turned into the band’s latest album ”Paint the Roses: Live in Concert,” that reinterprets Larkin Poe’s music through an orchestral lens.
“Bloom,” Larkin Poe’s most recent album, was released in 2025.
Dumpstaphunk stands out amongst New Orleans’ best, cementing themselves as one of the funkiest bands to ever arise from the Crescent City. The band takes the stage Sunday at 6 p.m.
Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and descended from Neville and Meters family bloodlines, these soldiers of funk ignite a deep, gritty groove that dares listeners not to move. Their performances combine ingenious musicianship through complex funk, rock, and jazz arrangements accompanied by soulful melodies and Big Easy traditions.
Dumpstaphunk has performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival every year since 2003 and continues to tour all over the world. The band was honored to support The Rolling Stones in New Orleans at the Superdome in 2019. The band was recently on the road with George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic for his farewell tour.
The Wood Brothers close out the festival, performing on Sunday at 8 p.m.
The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, they’ve cemented their reputation as freethinking songwriters, road warriors, and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience who’ve grown alongside them through the years. That evolution continues with “Heart is the Hero,” the band’s eighth studio album. Recorded analog to 16-track tape, this latest effort finds its three creators embracing the chemistry of their acclaimed live shows by capturing their performances in real-time direct from the studio floor with nary a computer in sight. An acoustic-driven album that electrifies, “Heart is the Hero,” released in 2023, is stocked with songs that target not only the heart, but the head and hips, too.
Clearwater Jazz Holiday is presented by the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which also celebrates the art form of jazz year-round with innovative jazz appreciation and instructional programs, online education resources, exciting performance opportunities, special funding, and creative learning experiences. For information, visit www.clearwaterjazz.com.