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Why Love Supreme Jazz Festival Should Be on Your Summer Radar

Ezra Collective, Loyle Carner, De La Soul, and 150+ artists at one of the UK's most beloved festivals. Here's what you need to know.
De La Soul - Love Supreme Festival. Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC
De La Soul - Love Supreme Festival. Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC

Four weeks out from its return to the grounds of Glynde Place in East Sussex, Love Supreme Jazz Festival is shaping up to be one of the strongest weekends in its history. Running from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July 2026, the festival has always occupied a particular space in the UK’s festival landscape — serious about music, seriously good fun, and genuinely committed to the idea that jazz in its broadest sense should feel alive and accessible rather than academic.

This year’s lineup makes that case with some force.

The Headliners

Ezra Collective

Friday belongs to Ezra Collective, who arrive as one of Britain’s most exciting live acts of recent years — and with a new album in the works, this feels like a moment worth catching. What makes this booking particularly interesting is that the band aren’t just headlining: frontman Femi Koleoso has been involved in curating Friday’s Temple Of Joy programme, giving the day a genuine sense of artistic vision rather than just a billing.

Koleoso has spoken about what the festival means to him personally: “I remember coming to Love Supreme as a young musician, watching the artists on the Main Stage and imagining what it would be like to be up there one day. Being invited to help curate this year’s festival gives us the chance to create opportunities for the next generation of artists — the next Ezra Collective.” That kind of intentionality, from a headliner invested in what happens before their own set, tends to produce a better festival day.

Saturday brings Loyle Carner to the Love Supreme stage for the first time — a long-awaited debut from one of the most thoughtful figures in British music. His set will sit alongside a strong supporting bill that includes Free Nationals, Samara Joy, Moses Boyd, Kokoroko, and Jalen Ngonda, among others.

Sunday closes with De La Soul, performing their only full-band UK show of 2026. The hip-hop pioneers bring something no other act on this year’s circuit can: a catalogue that has shaped British music culture for decades, delivered live with a full band. If you’re going for one day, this is a compelling argument.


Beyond the Main Stages

The wider lineup is where Love Supreme earns its reputation for depth. The Temptations and The Four Tops, Sister Sledge, Gabrielle, esperanza spalding, Courtney Pine, Alex Isley, Durand Bernarr, Lemar, The War & Treaty, Young Gun Silver Fox, Loose Ends, Bill Frisell Trio — it’s the kind of spread that rewards wandering between stages as much as it rewards planning.

The late-night programme, always a highlight, returns with Anderson .Paak performing as DJ Pee .Wee — which alone is worth staying up for — alongside sets from Horse Meat Disco, Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy, Luke Una, Aroop Roy, and others across curated club takeovers that give the weekend a second wind long after the main stages close.

The festival also continues its investment in emerging talent, with rising names including Knats, Emma Rawicz, Kiefer, D.K. Harrell, James Emmanuel, and Tomorrow’s Warriors Junior Band among those given space across the weekend.

The Experience

Glynde Place is genuinely one of the better festival settings in the UK — the grounds of a Sussex country estate with the South Downs as backdrop. Love Supreme leans into this: wellness and yoga sessions, a dedicated kids area, Ottolenghi on-site for when you want something better than festival food, and a Jazz Lounge hosting artist interviews, talks, and screenings for those who want the conversation as well as the music.

There are also two Supremium VIP areas for those who prefer their weekend with a little more room.

For ticket and ‘how to get there’ information visit lovesupremefestival.com

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