Dave Koz & Friends Announce 2026 Christmas Tour
(JK PR) The longest-running jazz-based Christmas tour returns for its 29th - and second-to-last - year with a new line-up, lead once again by 10-time GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist Dave Koz.
The 2026 Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour will feature South African guitarist/singer Jonathan Butler plus special guests vocalist Haley Reinhart, singer/songwriter/guitarist Dylan Chambers and vocalist Erin Stevenson.
With its upbeat and moving combination of Christmas classics, Chanukah songs and hits from each of the artists' respective catalogues, the tour has been hailed as "a holiday institution" (The Oakland Press) and "a must see! An experience that both delights and inspires" (Tampa Bay Music News) while Esquire has noted, "A man who digs Dave Koz, is a man who digs life."
The run will kick off on Wednesday, December 2, at Kravis Center's Dreyfoos Hall in West Palm Beach, FL and take them across the country, wrapping up with six West Coast shows just before Christmas.
"Hard to believe it, but this will be our 29th Annual Christmas Tour! What started years ago as a few scattered holiday concerts has become one of the greatest joys of my life," said Dave Koz. "As this will be our second-to-last Christmas Tour (our 30th and final tour will take place in 2027), I plan to savor every single moment! This year's show will be filled with everything I love most about the holidays...music that brings back wonderful memories, a few fun surprises, lots of laughter, and moments that remind us how powerful it is simply to all be in one room, celebrating the season and looking ahead."
Earlier this year, a new record was set aboard the 2026 Dave Koz & Friends at Sea cruise. This year's South America sailing raised $247,000 for Starlight Children's Foundation, marking the largest fundraising total in cruise history over 20 years. This brings the total amount fundraised across all Koz cruises to $2.5 million. Funds from the auction will support the production of 4,000 music-themed Starlight Adaptive Gowns - a brand-new version of the Starlight Gown designed specifically for older children, teens and kids with higher adaptive needs. Many of these programs will directly benefit hospitals along Koz's Christmas tour route, continuing the impact year-round, Koz, who has served as global ambassador for the Foundation for 30 years, received the Starlight Children's Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
After performances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Seabreeze Jazz Festival, Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns 2026 went international, performing in Indonesia, China and Japan. They wrapped up the outing with a three-night stand at Blue Note Hawaii and performances in Napa and Newport Beach, CA. On November 6, Koz will depart on the one-week Jewels of the Adriatic cruise to Greece, Montenegro, Croatia and Italy with his new cruise brand SOMMA, which offers the ultimate in luxury, relaxation and entertainment.
Koz has racked up an astoundingly impressive array of honors and achievements: 10 GRAMMY nominations, 12 No. 1 albums on Billboard's Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, numerous world tours, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, performances for multiple U.S. presidents and a 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from the White House. He has released eight holiday albums, including his most recent, Christmas Ballads 25th Anniversary Collection. In over 30 years of constant touring, Koz has graced the stages of some of the most prestigious venues the world over, including Royal Albert Hall in London, Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Carnegie Hall in New York City and various symphony orchestras across the U.S.
Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2026
Featuring Jonathan Butler
With Special Guests
Haley Reinhart, Dylan Chambers & Erin Stevenson
All dates are subject to change:
12/2 - West Palm Beach, FL - Kravis Center, Dreyfoos Hall
12/3 - Sarasota, FL - Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
12/4 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
12/5 - Ft. Pierce, FL - Sunrise Theatre
12/6 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theater
12/8 - Newport News, VA - Ferguson Center For The Arts
12/9 - North Bethesda, MD - The Music Center at Strathmore
12/10 - Lansdowne, PA - Lansdowne Theater
12/11 - Detroit, MI - Music Hall Center For The Performing Arts
12/12 - Carmel, IN - The Palladium
12/13 - Warren, OH - Robins Theatre
12/14 - Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre
12/16 - Mesa, AZ - Mesa Arts Center
12/17 - San Diego, CA - Balboa Theatre
12/18 - Cerritos, CA - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12/19 - Cerritos, CA - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12/20 - Palm Desert CA - McCallum Theatre
12/21 - Modesto, CA - Gallo Center For The Arts
12/22 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Civic for Arts
12/23 - Santa Rosa, CA - Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
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