One of the biggest names in modern blues is coming to the Morristown Green. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, the Grammy Award winning guitarist Rolling Stone has called a “rare 21st century guitar hero,” headlines the 2026 Morristown Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday, August 15, 2026. Admission is free, and the music runs from noon to 10 pm.
The day opens at noon with the James Langton New York All-Star Big Band, playing swing-era charts from Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, featuring clarinetist Dan Levinson and vocalist Molly Ryan. At 2 pm, the Grammy nominated Richard Baratta Gotham City Latin/Jazz Septet takes the stage, followed at 4 pm by LaBamba and the Hubcaps, led by trombonist Richie “LaBamba” Rosenberg of Southside Johnny and Conan O’Brien band fame. Dylan Triplett, the 2023 Blues Music Award winner for Best Emerging Artist, sings at 6 pm before Kingfish closes out the night.
Mayor Dougherty started the festival in 2011, and it now draws music fans from well beyond Morris County. The 2026 edition again honors festival founders Linda Smith and Michael Fabrizio, who both passed away in 2021. Bring lawn chairs and blankets, and expect specials at local restaurants throughout the day.
The festival anchors a packed late-summer stretch in Morristown. Our guide to 2026 summer festivals in Morris County has more on what is coming up, and two days before the festival, Art on the Lawn brings a free evening of art to the Morristown and Morris Township Library on August 13.
Photo via Pexels.
