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The Saskatchewan Jazz Festival has a new name to go with new branding ahead of releasing its 2026 concert lineup.
The festival will now be known as Sask Jazz Fest, a nod to how the Saskatchewan community has been referring to the festival for years, according to executive director Shannon Josol.
She said the event has been fondly referred to as “saskjazz” and “jazzfest” by festival-goers over the years and the decisions by the festival to rebrand has been done with the thought of attendees front and centre.
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“We felt it was time to embrace that name as part of our new brand identity,” Josol said.
According to a news release from Sask Jazz Fest, the planning behind the new brand identity took months of listening and market research, led by Saskatoon-based creative studio Howard and Lloyd Design.
An online public survey launched last spring by the festival garnered triple the amount of responses as was anticipated and focus groups with artists, sponsors, partners, volunteers and festival-goers followed, with the hope of gaining a deeper understanding of how people view SaskJazz and what they wanted to see in the future.
“Between the focus groups, the (more than) 1,400 incredibly thoughtful survey responses, and the many passionate conversations I’ve had with people about JazzFest over the past year, it was impossible to miss how deeply the community cares,” said Cody Schumacher, owner of Howard and Lloyd Design.
According to the research, SaskJazz has had a strong legacy in the province since 1987 and people who were asked said they wanted to see the festival both honour that history and look to the future.
“Knowing how much this festival means to people and artists here at home, the only way we felt we could show our respect and say thanks for that passion, was to build something unique, jam-packed with symbolism, and a whole lot of fun,” Schumacher said.
The new logo includes various references to the province in its elements, including the shape of Saskatchewan in the “F,” and “Sask” written on a green highway sign, while the “S” is a nod to the South Saskatchewan River which flows through Saskatoon and doubles as a music staff.
The heart behind the lettering in the new logo is a nod to street signage in Saskatoon’s Riversdale neighbourhood, home to the festival’s main site at Victoria Park.
Josdal said the entire rebrand is rooted in Saskatchewan and meant to encapsulate the uniqueness of Saskatoon and the province.
“It’s unmistakably grounded in prairie roots, but it’s so vibrant and colourful,” Josdol said.
“Jazz has been massively influential in my life, like so many other musicians I know,” she continued. “I think it’s fair to say that jazz is like a living, breathing thing. It evolves, it changes — very much like people.”
The phrase, “Prairie loud, no wrong notes,” symbolizes there is space for everyone at the jazz festival, while interweaving some spirited music wordplay.
SaskJazz is thanking the City of Saskatoon and Tourism Saskatchewan for their support of the festival rebranding and the various groups that participated in the process.
The 2026 SaskJazz festival will run from July 5 to 11. Headliner announcements for this summer’s lineup will be shared on a rolling basis between Feb. 24 and March 9.
