Riga’s city music festival Pink Noise Riga has announced its 2026 festival dates and the first glimpse of a star-studded programme. From today, tickets are available for two major concerts: British jazz star and saxophonist Nubya Garcia at Palladium on 11 April, and the Baltic debut of legendary American musician Wynton Marsalis together with the world-famous Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) at Dailes Theatre on 29 November 2026.
In 2026, the festival will replace its traditional summer format with two off-season sessions – in spring (10–12 April) and in autumn (27–29 November) – with the aim of attracting cultural tourism to Latvia’s capital also during the quieter months of the year.
Riga’s city music festival Pink Noise Riga, which in previous seasons has delighted music lovers with performances by Branford Marsalis and Kamasi Washington, has now opened ticket sales for the key concerts of the 2026 season. The spring session (10–12 April) will culminate on 11 April, when Riga welcomes British jazz star Nubya Garcia. In the autumn session (27–29 November), Riga will, for the first time in Baltic history, host legendary American jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis together with the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Nubya Garcia in Riga – 11 April
Nubya Garcia is one of the leading icons of the new generation of jazz worldwide. Her success, including Mercury Prize nominations, Jazz Act of the Year awards, and critically acclaimed albums such as Odyssey (2024) and Source (2020), is just part of the reason why she will appear in Riga with her quartet on 11 April.
“A simple tradition has already become part of Pink Noise: we ask artists to recommend the next music stars that Riga simply cannot miss. Branford Marsalis once ‘insisted’ we invite Kamasi Washington, and Kamasi – without a moment’s hesitation – named Nubya Garcia,” comments Aigars Nords, founder of Pink Noise Riga. “We are proud that both Nubya Garcia’s concert and the performances by Marsalis and his orchestra will be Baltic premieres, further strengthening Pink Noise Riga as one of the region’s key music events.”
Born in London, the saxophonist and composer blends elements of jazz, classical music, dub, R&B, broken beat and more, creating a unique, nuanced and contemporary sound rooted in an expressive groove.
Nubya Garcia has appeared at many of the world’s leading festivals and sold-out venues, including Glastonbury, Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz à Vienne, Radio City Music Hall in New York, and others.
The concert by Nubya Garcia’s quartet on 11 April, for which tickets are already available via fienta.com and the festival website, will not be the only highlight of the spring session. The organisers are also planning performances by other international artists and leading Latvian musicians, including the Latvian Radio Big Band, on stages such as Palladium, M/Darbnīca and Kongresu nams. The full spring programme will be announced at the beginning of 2026.
Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra – 29 November
Wynton Marsalis is a legend and one of the most influential musical personalities in the world – an outstanding trumpeter, composer and ambassador of American culture, whose achievements span far beyond the boundaries of jazz and classical music. His output includes symphonies, ballet music, oratorios, musicals, jazz works, classical compositions and big band music.
In 1997, Marsalis became the first jazz musician in history to receive the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Music, awarded for his large-scale oratorio Blood on the Fields.
He is a nine-time Grammy Award winner and remains the only artist ever to win in both the jazz and classical categories in the same year, which he achieved in 1983 and 1984.
Marsalis’s contribution to music has been recognised with numerous honours, including the Praemium Imperiale (2023 – one of the world’s highest art awards, presented by the Japan Art Association), the title Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (2009 – France’s highest distinction), his appointment as a UN Messenger of Peace (2001), and more than 40 honorary doctorates from leading universities such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
Big Band Holidays in Riga – for the first time outside the USA
The orchestra founded by Marsalis – the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra – is widely regarded as one of the finest jazz orchestras in the world. Together with Marsalis, who also serves as its artistic director, JLCO has toured extensively across the globe, but on 29 November 2026 the famous big band will arrive in Riga – and the Baltics – for the very first time.
Their visit to Riga is made even more special by the fact that the orchestra will perform its “Big Band Holidays” programme – a Christmas-themed concert with arrangements written specifically for this big band. The programme features original arrangements of well-known festive melodies created by members of the orchestra, including Marsalis himself, performed in swinging big-band style and joined by outstanding guest vocalists. In previous seasons, these have included artists such as Kurt Elling and Samara Joy.
“The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is the benchmark of jazz classics and academic excellence. I believe their performance in Riga on the first Sunday of Advent, 29 November, will not only offer a rare chance to experience world-class big band artistry live, but will also bring a unique, previously unseen festive atmosphere to the capital,” says Dāvis Jurka, artistic director of Pink Noise Riga and director of the Latvian Radio Big Band.
Marsalis and JLCO will perform at Dailes Theatre on 29 November 2026, closing the festival’s autumn session. The remaining autumn events, which will be announced in full in spring 2026, will take place from 27 to 29 November at Dailes Theatre and other concert venues across the city.
Latvian Radio Big Band and educational programme
The organisers emphasise that both in spring and in autumn, the Pink Noise Riga programme will devote a prominent place to the Latvian Radio Big Band, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2026, as well as to a range of educational activities.
Tickets
Tickets for Nubya Garcia’s concert on 11 April and for Wynton Marsalis & Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on 29 November 2026 are already available via fienta.com and on the festival’s official website.
Further events in the spring and autumn sessions, along with ticket information, will be announced at a later date.
