Gem & Jam, Tucson, AZ’s long-running music, art, gem, and mineral festival, has announced that it will not return as planned for its 17th annual event in 2025. Instead, organizers are looking February 6th-8th, 2026, when the next Gem & Jam will now take place.
A note from organizers to the Gem & Jam community posted to the festival’s social media channels on Monday was relatively vague on regarding the reasons for the postponement of the planned February 2025 event. “We know how much you’ve been anticipating the 2025 lineup announcement,” the note reads, “and we’ve been just as excited to share it with you. Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter how much heart and effort we pour into something, the stars don’t align in the way we’d hoped. That’s the position we’ve found ourselves in as we’ve worked to curate the next rendition of Gem & Jam. Rather than push forward and force something to happen, we’ve made the difficult decision to take a year off and postpone the festival in 2025. This way, we can come back stronger in 2026.”
The last edition of Gem & Jam took place in February 2024 and featured performances by The Disco Biscuits, Of The Trees, Boogie T, LP Giobbi, Lettuce, Spafford, Daily Bread, Break Science, Maddy O’Neal, Michal Menert, Andy Frasco & The U.N., The Main Squeeze, TRUTH, Gone Gone Beyond, Too Many Zoos, Yheti, Sam Grisman Project, Dimond Saints, lespecial, Toubab Krewe, Jazz Is Phsh, and many more.
Fans who already purchased tickets for Gem & Jam 2025 will have the option of requesting refunds or carrying their ticket over to the festival’s 2026 edition. Ticket-holders who opt to keep their 2025 tickets for 2026 will automatically receive a free VIP upgrade. Those who wish to request a refund can do so by filling out this form by Monday, November 18th at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Gem & Jam is the latest in a growing list of long-running festivals both large and small that postponed or canceled events in the last year, a trend that underscores the difficult nature of the modern festival market. Others in similar hiatus situations this year include Firefly Music Festival, Sonic Bloom, Riverbend, Okeechobee, Made In America, Music Midtown, and more, while events like Ventura, CA’s Skull & Roses, Mammoth, CA’s Horseshoe Music Festival, and Ozark, AR’s Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain attempted to mount 2024 events but eventually pulled the plug. Meanwhile, SweetWater 420 Fest downsized its planned 2024 event at the last minute, shifting to a free ticket model and cutting roughly half of its artists.
Read the full message from the organizers of Gem & Jam on the postponement of the 2025 event below.
Dear Gem & Jam Community,
We know how much you’ve been anticipating the 2025 lineup announcement, and we’ve been just as excited to share it with you. Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter how much heart and effort we pour into something, the stars don’t align in the way we’d hoped. That’s the position we’ve found ourselves in as we’ve worked to curate the next rendition of Gem & Jam. Rather than push forward and force something to happen, we’ve made the difficult decision to take a year off and postpone the festival in 2025. This way, we can come back stronger in 2026.
We’ve shared such magical memories together, and we know your expectations reflect the magic we’ve all felt. After tirelessly working on the lineup and things not falling into place like they usually do, it just didn’t feel right. Our goal has always been to elevate the experience year after year for our beloved community.
That being said, mark your calendars for February 6-8, 2026, because we’ll be back at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, ready to deliver something truly special. We are endlessly grateful for your love, patience, and understanding during this time. You are the soul of Gem & Jam, and we couldn’t do any of this without you.
If you’ve already purchased a ticket for the 2025 event, you can hold onto your ticket which will automatically transfer to 2026. As a thank you for your loyalty, anyone who keeps their 2025 ticket will receive a FREE VIP Upgrade for 2026!
Alternatively you have the option for a full refund. If you’d like a refund, please fill out the form in our bio and follow the instructions.
However, if you’re keeping your ticket with a FREE VIP Upgrade, no action is needed on your part.
The deadline to request a refund is Monday, November 18th at 11:59pm PST.
For any additional questions, please email us at [email protected]
We love you all more than words can tell, and while we’ll miss seeing everyone in 2025, know that we are already dreaming of what’s to come. We’ll see you soon, and until then, keep shining that beautiful light of yours.
With all our love,
Team G&J
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