SPILL NEWS: THE KENSINGTON MARKET JAZZ FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR ITS 11th YEAR SEPTEMBER 18 TO 20 WITH FIRST ARTISTS CONFIRMED

THE KENSINGTON MARKET JAZZ FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR ITS 11th YEAR, SEPTEMBER 18 TO 20 WITH FIRST ARTISTS CONFIRMED

ALEX BIRD, HILARIO DURAN, ROBI BOTOS, RICH BROWN, JANE BUNNETT, MARC JORDAN & ROBERT PRIEST

The Kensington Market Jazz Festival (KMJF) is coming back. Now in its 11th year, the festival returns to the streets, stages, patios and intimate venues of one of Toronto’s most storied neighbourhoods on September 18, 19 and 20, 2026. More announcements are coming, but the festival is kicking things off with five of the biggest names in Canadian jazz: Alex Bird, Hilario Duran, Robi Botos, Rich Brown, Jane Bunnett, and book readings from Marc Jordan and Robert Priest, including the premiere of a new event – the Poetry Slam.

Since its inaugural weekend in September 2016, when over 200 Toronto musicians filled 9 Kensington Market venues and the Globe and Mail called it “wildly successful,” KMJF has operated by a principle that sets it apart from every other festival in the country: Better, Not Bigger. No massive sponsorship infrastructure, no distant stadium stages. Instead, year after year, the festival brings hundreds of Canadian musicians into the cafes, courtyards, community halls and open-air patios of Kensington Market, including the new addition of the iconic El Mocambo, giving audiences experiences that feel genuinely intimate, spontaneous and alive. Over 11 years, KMJF has presented more than 500 Canadian artists across dozens of venues, powered entirely by over 100 dedicated volunteers and sustained by a community that believes deeply in what the festival represents.

KMJF was founded by Molly Johnson, O.C., collaborating with Tracy Jenkins of Lula Lounge and the 2025 Shaw Festival, and remains artist driven and volunteer powered in every sense of those words. Johnson, a two-time JUNO Award winner, Officer of the Order of Canada, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and 2023 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award recipient for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, grew up in Kensington Market and built the festival from a deeply personal vision of what a community arts event could be. “I started KMJF to showcase the cultural tapestry of our market,” Johnson has said. “Your support makes this celebration possible.”

That vision has never wavered, and as Johnson continues to be one of the most creatively active figures in Canadian music, her new EP ‘Long Time Running’ features a soulful reimagining of The Tragically Hip’s iconic anthem alongside Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, as well as a striking new collaboration with JUNO Award winning rapper Haviah Mighty, KMJF heads into its 11th year with its founder at full creative force.

The first five artists confirmed for 2026 reflect exactly the kind of connected, community-built lineup KMJF has always stood for, several with direct ties to Johnson herself. Two-time JUNO nominated vocalist Alex Bird brings his swinging take on the Great American Songbook to the festival alongside pianist Ewen Farncombe and The Jazz Mavericks, the duo behind Canada’s Thanksgiving anthem, “The Sweetest Moments.” Cuban born, Toronto based pianist Hilario Duran, a two- time JUNO winner and Grammy nominee who once succeeded Chucho Valdes in Cuba’s famed Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, returns to the festival alongside longtime collaborator Jane Bunnett, the five time JUNO Award winner, Order of Canada recipient and soprano saxophonist whose decades long exploration of Afro-Cuban jazz began the same year Duran first appeared on her JUNO winning album ‘Spirits of Havana.’ JUNO winning pianist Robi Botos, the last protege of Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson and Molly Johnson’s own pianist of choice for close to 15 years, joins the lineup alongside acclaimed bassist and composer Rich Brown, JUNO nominated for his album ‘Abeng’ and another longtime collaborator of Johnson’s, rounding out a first announcement built on the same web of relationships and mutual respect that has defined KMJF since its founding.

A typical KMJF weekend sees more than 100 Toronto-based Canadian musicians performing across 10 venues in over 100 shows, drawing upwards of 5,000 engaged audience members and generating meaningful foot traffic for the more than 240 independent businesses that call Kensington Market home. The festival’s programming has always extended beyond performance, encompassing the KMJF Kids Music Series in the park sponsored by Long & McQuade, artist recording initiatives, seasonal music series and a busking programme that brings live music to corners of the neighbourhood that rarely see a stage. Tickets are available for cash at the door, ranging from $20 to $25, and audiences are always encouraged to arrive early: these are intimate shows, and they fill up.

Last year’s 10th anniversary edition was a landmark moment for the festival, bringing together a lineup that included Jane Bunnett, Afro-Cuban piano master Hilario Duran, powerhouse vocalist Alana Bridgewater, JUNO winning reggae-jazz fusionist Jay Douglas and festival favourite Alex Pangman, among many others.

This year sees the return of a live painting by Jared Olsever made the 2025 weekend one the community will not soon forget. The 2026 edition builds on that momentum, and this first wave of artists is only the beginning.

As a registered charitable arts organisation since 2021, KMJF relies on the generosity of its community to keep the music going year after year. Donations above $25 are tax deductible and can be made at kensingtonjazz.com. Volunteers are also a vital part of everything the festival does. If you would like to be part of the team that makes KMJF happen, volunteer sign up is open now at kensingtonjazz.com.

This year’s festival is made possible with the help of Canada Council, City of Toronto, Ontario Creates, Canada Life, Slaight Family Foundation, Long & McQuade, Yamaha, and KMBIA.

Festival Links