By Andrea Martone
Jazz Swings: 2026 Sarasota Jazz Festival Turns Up the Heat with Star Headliners and a HighSpirited Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl
Image: The 2026 Florida All-State Jazz Ensemble, featuring top high school musicians, performed under director Sherrie Maricle at the FMEA conference in Tampa. Recent images from January 2026 show the ensemble in performance with saxophones, brass, and rhythm sections.
The Sarasota Jazz Festival has grown into one of Florida’s signature celebrations of jazz, drawing fans from across the country to Sarasota’s sunny Gulf Coast each March. Presented by the nonprofit Jazz Club of Sarasota, the 46th annual edition runs March 9-14, filling the city with concerts, cabarets, and club dates that showcase both legendary headliners and rising talents. With main stage shows at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium and special events at venues around town, the festival blends big‑stage excitement with the intimate feel that jazz lovers cherish.
Now in its 46th year, the festival’s artistic centerpiece is its main stage series, held indoors at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, where award‑winning, nationally renowned jazz musicians perform evening concerts. For 2026, music director Terell Stafford guides the program, underscoring the event’s commitment to high‑level artistry and jazz education. Highlights include performances by the Terell Stafford Quintet, the John Pizzarelli Trio, percussion great Sammy Figueroa, trumpet icon Arturo Sandoval, and a special appearance by the Florida All State High School Jazz Band, which spotlights promising young players from across the state. Local talent is represented as well, with bassist Michael Ross and the SRQ All Star Band bringing a homegrown flair to the closing night.
Beyond the main stage, the festival offers a variety of experiences that showcase Sarasota’s vibrant downtown and cultural venues. The week opens with the Monday Night Jazz Cabaret at Florida Studio Theatre’s John C. Court Cabaret, pairing an intimate dinner setting with a performance by pianist and vocalist Danny Sinoff. VIP festival packages bundle this cabaret, the main stage concerts, the Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl, and a special reception, giving dedicated fans a seamless way to enjoy multiple events with priority seating. Most festival parking is centered at the Van Wezel parking lot on North Tamiami Trail, where attendees are encouraged to carpool and can park free of charge for many events.
One of the most distinctive elements of the Sarasota Jazz Festival is the Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl, a rolling jazz party that turns downtown Sarasota into an extended club district for a night. Operating from the Van Wezel parking area, a fleet of trolleys makes continuous loops among 12 participating clubs, restaurants, and bars, where live jazz bands perform from early evening into the night. Guests purchase a single wristband or ticket that grants access to the trolleys and preferred seating at many venues, then “hop on, hop off” to sample different bands, atmospheres, and menus at their own pace. Past trolley nights have included stops at spots such as Fogartyville, Cask & Ale, Lefty’s Seafood and Oyster Bar, and Art Ovation Hotel, with music from local favorites including Eddie Tobin, Darcie Allen’s Five Points Quintet, and Hot Club SRQ.
Ed Linehan, president of the Jazz Club of Sarasota, says that the festival draws thousands of attendees from many Gulf Coast counties each year, particularly at the Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl, a highlight of the festival. Last year, 900 people attended the Jazz Pub Trolley Crawl. “Jazz is indeed alive and well here in Sarasota, and obviously the same applies to the St. Petersburg community who also supports the festival,” says Linehan. He says the festival will be expanded next year (2027) to seven full days including Saturdays.
By pairing world‑class concerts with neighborhood‑scale events like the Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl, the Sarasota Jazz Festival captures the spirit of jazz as both an art form and a social experience. Whether you settle into a seat at the Municipal Auditorium or ride the trolley from club to club, the festival offers an immersive way to hear great music, explore Sarasota, and feel part of a passionate jazz community.
For 2026, the main stage lineup includes:
- Terell Stafford Quintet – Featured on the Thursday night main stage concert, led by festival music director and GRAMMY‑winning trumpeter Terell Stafford.
- Florida All State High School Jazz Band – Shares the Thursday main stage bill, spotlighting top student jazz musicians from across Florida.
- John Pizzarelli Trio – Performs on the Friday 7pm main stage show, bringing Pizzarelli’s celebrated guitar‑and‑vocal take on the Great American Songbook.
- Sammy Figueroa – Also on Friday’s main stage program, the GRAMMY‑nominated percussionist appears in a featured set following the John Pizzarelli Trio.
- Arturo Sandoval Band – Headlines the Saturday night main stage concert, billed as the festival’s closing headliner appearance.
Tickets: www.sarasotajazzfestival.com/tickets
About the Jazz Club of Sarasota: www.jazzclubsarasota.org
Image: Gulf Coast Jazz sensation, Michael Ross opens the Jazz Festival’s Saturday’s main stage show, representing the Gulf Coast’s local jazz scene alongside the SRQ All Star Band.