Seoul Jazz Festival just did the thing every major-city festival claims it can do and very few actually pull off. The final poster for the 2026 edition is absurdly stacked, moving from jazz royalty to art-pop spectacle to Korean indie essentials without ever feeling like a playlist assembled by committee.
Set for May 22–24, 2026 at Seoul’s Olympic Park, the 18th Seoul Jazz Festival now has a top line that reads like a flex: Herbie Hancock, Janelle Monáe, Jon Batiste, FKJ, Of Monsters and Men, Arturo Sandoval and more. Then the undercard starts landing body blows with names like Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles, Alfa Mist, Thee Sacred Souls, Free Nationals, Yerin Baek, Epik High, HYUKOH, Silica Gel and wave to earth. That is not filler. That is a city festival trying to embarrass the competition.
Essential Details for Seoul Jazz Festival 2026
- Dates: May 22–24, 2026
- Location: Olympic Park, Seoul, South Korea
- Tickets: Available via Melon Ticket
- Official Festival Info: Seoul Jazz Festival final lineup announcement
- Nearest Airport: Incheon International Airport (ICN), with subway and airport rail connections into Seoul
Three days, zero soft spots
What makes this poster hit is the range. Seoul Jazz Festival 2026 does not treat “jazz” like a museum term. It stretches from trumpet masters and keyboard assassins to indie rock, neo-soul, K-indie, hip-hop and sleek pop crossover bookings, which is exactly why this event has lasted long enough to reach edition number 18.
Friday, May 22 – Janelle Monáe opens the weekend in style
Janelle Monáe at the top of a festival bill is instant voltage. She brings the theatrical precision of The ArchAndroid, the political edge of Dirty Computer and the loose summer glow of The Age of Pleasure. Pair that with Arturo Sandoval, one of the great trumpet players alive, and Friday already looks expensive before lunch.
Then it keeps going. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue should turn the park into a brass-fueled block party, LEISURE and Jenevieve bring the silkier side of the bill, and Joe Armon-Jones adds the sort of UK jazz circuitry people build entire taste profiles around. The Korean side is no afterthought either, with DxS (Dokyeom x Seungkwan of SEVENTEEN), CNBLUE, Jang Beom June, Tabber and jeebanoff making Friday feel broad rather than random.
- Janelle Monáe
- Arturo Sandoval
- Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
- LEISURE
- DxS (Dokyeom x Seungkwan of SEVENTEEN)
- CNBLUE
- Jenevieve
- Emily King
- Mamas Gun
- Joe Armon-Jones
- Jang Beom June
- Kawasaki Takaya
- Buena Vista Orchestra
- Galdive
- The Poles
- Original Love & Cadejo
- Tabber
- Don West
- jeebanoff
- S.A.R.
Saturday, May 23 – The groove-head day
Jon Batiste Live, FKJ and Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles on the same day is borderline rude. Batiste gives Saturday its showman center of gravity, FKJ covers the immaculate sunset set slot, and Cory Henry arrives with enough chops to make every musician in the crowd suddenly stand a little closer to the stage.
Saturday also might be the most locally magnetic day on the poster. Epik High, Yerin Baek, PREP, TAEYONG, HAECHAN, Stella Jang and Jin Ah Lee Jazz Quartet give the lineup a Seoul-specific pulse instead of a generic international-festival blur. Add Alfa Mist, Summer Salt, Stacey Ryan and Enji and the whole day plays like a very convincing argument for arriving early and leaving your schedule open.
- Jon Batiste Live
- FKJ
- Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles
- Alfa Mist
- Epik High
- Yerin Baek
- PREP
- TAEYONG and HAECHAN
- Peder Elias
- Choi Yu Ree
- Anson Seabra
- Summer Salt
- Stacey Ryan
- Enji
- Jin Ah Lee Jazz Quartet
- Stella Jang
- Park Chanyoung
- MIHYANG MOON
- SM Jazz Trio
- Latin Kitchen Luna with Elaine
Sunday, May 24 – Herbie Hancock, then the rest of your life
Herbie Hancock is one of those bookings that makes the entire poster feel more serious. He is not there to decorate the top line. He is there as a living chapter of modern music. Put him on the same day as Of Monsters and Men, Medeski Martin & Wood, Ella Mai, Cimafunk, Free Nationals and Thee Sacred Souls, and Sunday becomes the day that can convert casual attendees into annual returners.
The Korean bookings are especially sharp here. HYUKOH, Silica Gel and wave to earth give the final day a modern alternative backbone, while HANRORO, JUKJAE, youra and Seokcheol Yun Artifaction keep the curation feeling rooted in Seoul rather than imported into it.
- Herbie Hancock
- Of Monsters and Men
- Medeski Martin & Wood
- Ella Mai
- HYUKOH
- Silica Gel
- wave to earth
- Cimafunk
- Free Nationals
- HANRORO
- Danny Koo
- Thee Sacred Souls
- aron!
- JUKJAE
- Sangji Koh
- Seokcheol Yun Artifaction with guest Yuleum
- youra
- Mulasaki Ima
- Milena
- Tomonari Sora
Why this lineup lands harder than a standard city festival
It actually reflects Seoul. Plenty of international festivals parachute in a few global stars, throw some local names in a smaller font and call it cultural exchange. Seoul Jazz Festival does the opposite. It treats Korean artists as part of the event’s identity, not as a compliance box.
The booking philosophy is broad without getting sloppy. A poster that moves from Arturo Sandoval to DxS, from Cory Henry to Epik High, from Herbie Hancock to Silica Gel should feel chaotic. Here it feels intentional. The connective tissue is groove, musicianship and stage presence, not genre purity.
The headliners are not carrying dead weight. This matters. The middle of the bill has real bite, whether you are showing up for Emily King, Joe Armon-Jones, Alfa Mist, Enji, Free Nationals or Thee Sacred Souls. There are very few blank spaces on this poster where you would think, “cool, time to go stand in a merch line for an hour.”
What to know before you book the trip
Pick your day strategically. If you want maximal crossover star power, go Friday, May 22. If you want the musician day, make it Saturday, May 23. If you want the legacy-booking flex, Sunday, May 24 is the obvious move.
Use Seoul’s transit, not your optimism. Olympic Park is one of the cleaner large-event settings in Asia, but a festival weekend is still a festival weekend. Give yourself extra time on the subway, especially if you are trying to bounce between sets without entering a panic spiral.
Do not treat this like a pure jazz event. The name tells one story. The actual weekend tells a much better one. This is a hybrid city festival with jazz at its core and enough indie, soul, pop, funk and alt booking intelligence to keep every day moving.
Watch ticket availability closely. Seoul Jazz Festival tends to move quickly once the full poster is out, so if this lineup is for you, delaying the purchase is just a very elegant way to become annoyed later.
Seoul Jazz Festival 2026 looks like one of those weekends where the top names get people through the gates and the depth keeps them talking for months. A city, a park and a poster with almost no dead air. Hard to argue with that.
Secure your tickets at Melon Ticket.
