On Air Fest adds Wyclef Jean, Broken Record, Ari Shapiro, Dan Harris (10% Happier), Payne Lindsey (Up and Vanished), Andrew Jarecki (The Jinx) to 2026 lineup
Alec Baldwin, Malcom Gladwell, Roxane Gay, Don Lemon, Kara Swisher, Audie Cornish, Radiolab, Heavyweight, NPR’s Code Switch, Hirishikesh Hirway, The Kid Mero, Stef Dag(Hot & Single) previously announced
On Air Fest 2026 returns to Brooklyn February 23rd - 26th: Ambie Awards 2/23, Bloomberg Podcast Business Summit 2/24, public programming 2/25 - 26
Tickets and full lineup HERE
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On Air Presents, the premier storytelling events and creative studio behind On Air Fest - “the Coachella of podcasts” (Fast Company) and the annual epicenter for the evolving worlds of podcasting, the creator economy, and culture - is revealing the third wave of talent and programming for its 2026 flagship festival, taking place February 23rd - 26th in Williamsburg.
New names joining the lineup for the Fest are:
- Award-winning artist, producer and composer Wyclef Jean in conversation with Justin Richmond for the music interview podcast Broken Record
- Former All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro
- 10% Happier creator and podcast host Dan Harris
- Host of The Sam Sanders Show, Sam Sanders
- Host and co-creator of Up and Vanished, Payne Lindsey
- Director/documentarian Andrew Jarecki (The Jinx) in conversation with Malcolm Gladwell for Revisionist History
- Vibe Check co-hosts Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford
- Co-host of Another Round Tracy Clayton
- Attorney and commentator Beth Karas (The Curious Case of Natalia Grace)
- The acclaimed rapper and author Dessa
- The producers behind the hit podcast Heavyweight, Stevie Lane and Kalila Holt will john host Jonathan Goldstein
- Brad Stone of Bloomberg Businessweek
- Business History co-hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith (both formerly of Planet Money)
- Stars and Stars with Isa host, Isa Nakazawa
- Author/Bone Valley host Gilbert King
- Industry leaders Tom Webster (Partner at Sounds Profitable), Julie Shapiro (Audioflux co-founder), John De Lore (Starlight Diner Studio owner), and Jonathan Hirsch (VP, Global Podcasts at Sony Music)
Previously announced talent and shows taking part in On Air Fest 2026’s public programming days (the 25th and 26th) are:
- New York Times-Bestselling author Roxane Gay
- Don Lemon live with his The Don Lemon Show podcast
- Alec Baldwin live with Here’s the Thing
- Gladwell (Revisionist History)
- Radiolab live with hosts Latif Nasser & Lulu Miller
- Audie Cornish’s hit CNN podcast The Assignment live
- Heavyweight live with host and humorist Jonathan Goldstein
- Code Switch, NPR’s hit podcast about race in America
- Radiotopia hosts Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder) and Jody Avirgan (This Day: A History Show)
- Victory Light with The Kid Mero
- Comedian Stef Dag (Hot & Single)
- A special event from Futuro Media’s dual English/Spanish-language podcast La Brega
- The Telepathy Tapes, about the science of consciousness
- Bloomberg’s Odd Lots and Everybody’s Business podcasts
- Music journalist Touré (Why Did They Break Up?)
- CBC Podcasts’ creation stories deep-dive Creation Myth with Helena de Groot, ft. a special session with Sean Cole (This American Life)
- The Town Show hosted by comedians Mark Chavez and Ryan Bell
- The Antlers’ Peter Silberman
- The award-winning audio storyteller Keisha “TK” Dutes
- PRX/GBH’s limited investigative series The Big Dig with host Ian Cross
- The award-winning human behavior podcast A Slight Change of Plans
- Blake Pfeill’s multimedia travelogue All-American Ruins
- Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras
- The Ambie-winning podcast Weight for It with Ronald Young Jr
- The Black history comedy podcast Our Ancestors Were Messy
- Podcaster Zak Rosen and artist Sharon Mashihi
- Industry insiders Arielle Nissenblatt (Earbuds Podcast Collective) and Lauren Passell (Tink Media)
Breakdown of lineup by day is HERE, and full schedule details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Taking place across all three of On Air Fest’s walkable venues in Williamsburg - Wythe Hotel, Arlo Williamsburg, and The XX Venue - the 25th and 26th will focus on intimate talks and performances, exhibitions, panels, interactive events, creative experiments, and live podcast tapings that explore how changing storytelling formats through audio, visual, and experiential are changing culture, media, and the entertainment industry as we know it. Tickets for the 25th and 26th are HERE.
The 24th will be the Bloomberg Podcast Business Summit at Wythe, hosted by Bloomberg reporter Ashley Carman. An invite-only convening of leaders who are trending now and charting the path for podcasting’s future, the Summit's headliners are:
- Tech reporter and Pivot co-host Kara Swisher
- Stand-up comedian, talk-show host, and podcaster Adam Friedland
- Sports journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre
- Head of Audio & Podcasts for Paper Kite Productions (Good Hang with Amy Poehler) and Pineapple Street Media co-founder Jenna Weiss-Berman
- Ky Dickens (host of The Telepathy Tapes)
- Megan Lightcap, Partner at Slow Creator Fund (the creator-focused arm of VC firm Slow Ventures)
- Jack Davenport, co-founder at Goalhanger, the biggest independent podcast producer outside of the US.
And preceding both the Business Summit and the public programming on the 25th and 26th, On Air Fest 2026 will kick off on Monday, February 23rd with a reimagined presentation of The Podcast Academy’s Sixth Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio – otherwise known as The Ambies – the medium’s most prestigious award. Presented by The Podcast Academy, the preeminent industry organization advancing the medium, The Ambies will be produced and directed by On Air Fest’s creative team for the first time.
Since it launched in 2018, On Air Fest has hosted hundreds of luminaries, including Anderson Cooper, Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Meyers, Norah Jones, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Audie Cornish, David Remnick, Jad Abumrad, Terry Gross, Francis Ford Coppola, and Ira Glass.
Sponsors and Partners for On Air Fest 2026 include Audible, iHeartPodcasts, ESPN 30 for 30 Podcasts, Patreon, CNN, Pushkin Industries, WNYC, Futuro Media, Bloomberg, Supporting Cast, CBC Podcasts, NPR, Radiotopia/PRX, Spotify Sounds Profitable, The Podcast Academy and The Ambies.
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