News / Bristol festivals
Global music festival drops biggest lineup yet
The music festival that has filled St Jude’s with global sounds for the last three years is returning in May with its most ambitious lineup to date.
Jam on the Horizon, a multi-venue festival organised by the Jam Jar with Lost Horizon that also takes over the Swan with Two Necks and the Volunteer as well as nearby outdoor spaces, has added Sawmills to its list of venues for 2026.
Artists will bring a mix of live and electronic sounds including afrobeat, cumbia, reggaeton, dub, disco and jazz to the festival’s eight stages, while DJs and award-winning food stalls will create a carnivalesque street party feel to carry the expected 2,500 attendees through from day to night.
“I haven’t seen a lineup of this scale, and this particular style of music in Bristol for decades, if ever,” said lead booker Laurence Walker.
Sawmills, a big capacity space which has recently hosted Alfresco Disco parties and a live bluegrass show, has been added to this year’s list of venues – photo: Chris Cooper/ ShotAway
Quantic heads up proceedings this year, bringing an extended set spanning Latin rhythms, deep house, disco, jazz and broken beat to Sawmills.
He’s joined at the top of the bill by cult melodic trip-hop DJ duo Zero 7.
Other big names in global music include East African Soukous legend Kanda Bongo Man, Cuban DJ and selectors Cami Layé Okun and Bahraini dancefloor duo Dar Disku whose self-titled debut album was recorded at Bristol’s Humm Studios in 2024.
Acclaimed Afro futurist electronic dance duo Raz and Afla will make an appearance following a clutch of high flying UK festival appearances including WOMAD and Shambala, and Swiss soul outfit Siselabonga make their UK debut.
The day will also feature takeovers from Bristol projects AnExperience with Scotland Yard Soundsystem and Void Radio.
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Jam Jar co-founder Hadie Abido emphasised the community spirit that he believes makes Jam on the Horizon a one-of-a-kind event:
“This festival is a reflection of how Bristol works best when independents support each other,” he said. “Jam On The Horizon is about trust, collaboration and shared energy. It is about bringing global sounds into a local neighbourhood and watching that connection come alive.”
Lost Horizon founder Robin Collings, co-founder of Glastonbury festival’s Shangri-La area, said there’s plenty to spotlight in the previously neglected area of Bristol that has more recently become a burgeoning destination for independent culture.
“St Judes has become one of the most exciting cultural areas in Bristol, but it is still overlooked by many,” he said. “This festival is our way of continuing to open it up, inviting people in and celebrating the creativity that already exists here. Every year the sense of community grows stronger, and 2026 feels like the biggest expression of that yet.”
Lost Horizon was instrumental in bringing the festival into being in 2023, and their lineup for this fourth edition is stronger than ever – photo: Eddy Hubble
Jam on the Horizon takes place on May 2 from 2pm to 5am. More acts are still to be announced. Tickets are on sale at headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/jam-jar/sat-2-may-jam-on-the-horizon-2026
Main image: the Jam Jar
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