After nine incredible days, the Ottawa Jazz Festival 2026 came to a close on one of the hottest days of the festival.
Headlining the Main Stage was Ibrahim Maalouf, and I was honestly surprised by his set. Going in, I was expecting a more traditional jazz performance, but instead it turned into a global dance party filled with infectious rhythms and incredible energy. I literally couldn’t stop dancing.
It was undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights of the festival and a perfect way to close out an amazing nine days.
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Over at the Elgin St. Stage, I caught part of Curtis Nowosad’s Noisy World, which delivered an engaging set of modern jazz.
Later that night, Kassa Overall closed out the late-night series with a genre-blending performance that mixed jazz, hip-hop, and experimental sounds. It was another standout set and an equally fitting way to end both the evening and the festival.
While these nine days seemed to fly by, they also marked the true beginning of Ottawa’s summer festival season.
If this festival is any indication, it’s going to be another fantastic summer of live music.
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