Telluride Blues & Blues Festival Announces 2026 Lineup including Jon Batiste, Marcus King & many more!
- James Baldrick
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
By James Baldrick
TELLURIDE, Colo - For more than three decades, the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival has been one of Colorado’s most respected musical institutions and a staple in the southern Colorado music scene with a high-altitude convergence of legendary performers, emerging artists, craft beer culture, and some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery in the country.
While Telluride may sit tucked away in the San Juan Mountains, its cultural impact reaches far beyond its box canyon. For artists, fans, venues, and promoters throughout Southern Colorado, from Colorado Springs to Pueblo to Trinidad and into the San Luis Valley, the Blues & Brews announcement has become an unofficial signal that festival season is officially underway.
The anticipation is over and IT IS OFFICIAL! The 32nd Annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival 2026 Line-up will include a legendary roster to include headliners,
GRAMMY nominated & Top 10 Billboard Blues charter - MARCUS KING BAND
Academy Awards, GRAMMY, Golden Globe winner - JON BATISTE!
Also included in this legendary performance lineup is, Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country, The Record Company, Samantha Fish, G. Love & Special Sauce, Charlie Musselwhite & GA-20, Tab Benoit, Eddie 9V, Greyhounds, Judith Hill, Myron Elkins, DK Harrell, J & The Causeways, Kirk Fletcher, David Jacobs-Strain and Bob Beach, The Zac Schulze Gang, Nigel Wearne & The Spectres, Troy Walker, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Sugar Harp, Donkor Woodward, Little Willie Farmer + more artists to be announced!
There will also be live art featured by legendary Colorado painter Scramble Campbell
& so much more happening at this iconic festival!
Sources close to the festival tell 719 Magazine that this year’s lineup for the weekend of Sept 18-20, 2026, held annually in Telluride Town Park, continues the event’s tradition of blending iconic names with forward-thinking talent, honoring the roots of blues, funk, rock, and Americana while spotlighting where the sound is headed next. It’s a balance Telluride, Colorado has mastered, and one that continues to influence booking trends, tour routing, and regional festival culture across the Front Range and beyond.
One of our core 719 Mag team members and contributors, Teri Senior, also an active member of The Pikes Peak Blues Community (whom also plays percussion with Hoodoo Honey an esteemed blues/Americana band based in Colorado Springs, CO) has the highest regards for this monumental event in Telluride, stating,
"The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival is the largest blues festival in Colorado! It supports acts from the local level, to the national level - in blues styles. Being a place of incredible beauty as well as bringing excellent blues acts each year, has made the festival one of the best in the worldwide blues scene. The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival allows the opportunity for southern Colorado blues musicians to be seen, make connections within the blues society beyond Colorado."
Beyond the music itself, the economic and cultural ripple effect of Telluride Blues & Brews is absolutely undeniable. Southern Colorado artists often find inspiration and opportunity in its programming, while fans plan entire seasons and trips, orbiting the line-up announcement made today. For many, it’s not just a festival; it’s a benchmark and even for some, somewhat of a ritual to be present at this historical 3 day event, held
As anticipation has been building ahead of today's announcements, one thing is certain: Telluride Blues & Brews Festival 2026 is poised to once again shape the soundtrack of the Colorado summer, and Southern Colorado will feel it loud and clear! Several of the VIP Day Pass packages were already sold out before this long-awaited announcement was made, leaving a limited amount of VIP 3 Day Passes available.
Tickets went on sale earlier than ever, which became available in November 2025.
Those tickets and passes included:
Early Bird GA 3-Day Pass
Super VIP 3-Day Pass
VIP 3-Day Pass
MMF Fundraiser Dinner (with or without VIP 3-Day Pass)
VIP Glamping
4-Day Camping Pass (Warner Field)
5-Day Camping Pass (Main Campground)
5-Day Camping Pass (Zone 1)
Campground Vehicle Pass
Campground RV Pass
Beer Tasting Sessions
For more info and to purchase tickets*, please visit:
*Early Bird & limited VIP Day Pass tickets are NOW AVAILABLE while Single-Day, After-hours Shows, Juke Joint, Bal De Maison and Fais Do-Do will be on sale March 18, 2026 (10am MDT)
There are also Music Maker Fundraiser Dinner spots available (With & without vip 3-day pass)
Featuring dinner by chef Eliza Gavin + a performance by Music Maker Foundation which is a
$500 tax-deductible donation as a charitable contribution.
As described on tellurideblues.com, "Encompassed by a box canyon boasting 13,000-foot mountain peaks and unmatched beauty, the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival experience expands far beyond the parameters of the awe-inspiring Telluride Town Park with endless recreating, but is rooted in presenting an intimate connection to the best performers in music.
Throughout the years, the Festival has hosted some of the most legendary artists on our Town Park stage culminating in a rich legacy of once-in-a-lifetime performances from The Allman Brothers Band, Lou Reed, BB King, Robert Plant, James Brown, Joe Cocker, Etta James, John Fogerty, Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, B-52’s, Joe Walsh, The Black Crowes, Peter Frampton, Steve Winwood, Taj Mahal, Bruce Hornsby, Sharon Jones, Buddy Guy, Ceelo Green, Gary Clark Jr. and so many more.
Our team strives to curate an artist lineup with a consistent, diversified and eclectic mix of blues, rock, soul, funk, gospel, roots, jam bands, and stand-up comedy.., sign up for The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival newsletter here."
Get ready for another unforgettable weekend of live music under the San Juan peaks in southern Colorado!
