Music and Minerals: Gem and Jam Festival returns to Tucson

The Gem and Jam Festival is set to return to the Sonoran Desert in February, coming back from a gap year. Co-producer Josh Pollack said the team is grateful for the festivalgoers’ patience, assuring them that it is delivering on its promise.

“It’s going to be the same Gem and Jam that everyone knows and loves,” he said. “We’ve developed a special vibe and a magic in the air at Gem and Jam that we do not want to change.” 

Returning with a lineup of over 50 artists, The Gem and Jam festival will run from Feb. 6 through Feb. 8. The musical acts include CloZee, Tycho, TroyBoi, Boombox and The Polish Ambassador, Cool Customer, Desert Dwellers, Flamingosis, J.Worra, Ivy Lab and various other artists across a multitude of genres. Pollack said that the team curated the lineup aligned with its audience’s eclectic tastes and has leaned slightly into electronic and dance music for this year’s selections. He said that the team is reinterpreting the “jam” aspect of the celebration, including options beyond the typical jam bands. 

As the name of the event suggests, the festival also features a collection of gems and minerals for patrons to purchase. There will also be various crafts vendors, art installations, live painters and food trucks for festivalgoers to enjoy, but Pollack said he encourages everyone to bring their own food as well.  

Attendees camp out on the 640-acre festival grounds, with multiple options for them to approach the experience — from car and grounds camping to RV camping and glamping. As of Oct. 17, tickets and camping passes are on sale online at gemandjam.com.   

Since its inception in the early 2000s, the Gem and Jam festival has gone on hiatus a few times for various reasons, including the direction of the economy and restrictions presented by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The co-producer said he wanted to assure everyone that the event’s most recent break this year was spent gearing up for the next festival and ensuring that the team would be able to deliver the experience its patrons have come to expect. 

“It was a surprise to our fans and the community because there were so many other festivals that were getting canceled or postponed,” he said. “Gem and Jam is not canceling outright, this is just a year off — things aren’t really aligning.

“We’re very excited and grateful to follow through and bring the festival back in 2026.”

After a three-year hiatus between 2010 and 2013, the festival returned before taking an additional break in 2019 and this year as well.   

For several years, the Gem and Jam festival has been hosted on the Pima County Fairgrounds — moving from various clubs in downtown Tucson. Pollack said the change in venue has allowed the event the leg room it needed to accommodate additional activities, amenities and participants.

For the co-producer, much of the magic associated with the Gem and Jam experience lies in the memories and bonds that festivalgoers make at the fairgrounds. Pollack said that at the festival, participants can arrive alone and easily meet new people, strike up conversations and make friends.  

“People look forward all year to coming back and it has turned into a bit of a reunion — even more now that we’ve skipped a year,” he said. “The kind of people that we attract make up a very inclusive, accepting, loving and creative community and they all come to the event with an open mind. 

“It’s not just the music — it’s the whole experience.”  

Gem and Jam Festival
WHEN: Various times, Feb. 6 to Feb. 8
WHERE: Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road, Tucson
COST: Various pricing
INFO: For ticket and camping pass info, visit gemandjam.com