Jools Holland's Annual Hootenanny: what time does it start and who is on it? How to watch this year
Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny has confirmed its line-up for 2026! 👀📺
- It would not be New Year’s Eve without Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny.
- The musical extravaganza is back to help see in 2026.
- But who are the guests on the special this year?
Jools Holland is back to help see in yet another New Year on the BBC. The musical wizard has assembled yet another all-star line-up for his Annual Hootenanny.
It might be hard to believe but 2025 is almost over and the calendar will soon be flipping over to 2026. The BBC has the perfect way to help see out the final few hours of the year.
But who can you expect to join Jools Holland for this year’s Hootenanny? Here’s all you need to know:
What time is Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny on today?
It would not be a New Year’s Eve without the year-end musical feast from Jools Holland - and guests. The BBC has confirmed that the Hootenanny will start at 11.30pm tonight (December 31).
The special will help to see in 2026 and will continue through to the early hours of January 1.
How to watch Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny?
It will be live on BBC Two once again tonight (December 31). Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Who are the guests on Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny?
Joining Jools and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra are Ronnie Wood, Olivia Dean, Lulu, Jessie J, Craig David, Heather Small, The Kooks, Imelda May, Joe Webb, David Hermlin and Ruby Turner.
Legendary Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood recently celebrated his 60-year career in music. He joins Jools to perform songs from his recent anthology Fearless.
Olivia Dean has already had a stellar 2025 and has broken chart records with songs from her second album, The Art of Loving. She performs a couple of songs from it with her band and also joins Jools on a version of Natalie Cole’s 1975 debut hit This Will Be (An Everlasting Love).
Scottish legend Lulu joins Jools and his band to revisit two songs from two different decades. She performs David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World, which she had a hit with in 1974, and Relight My Fire, which saw her hit the No 1 spot when she joined up with Take That almost 20 years later in 1993.
Essex-born singer and songwriter Jessie J returned in 2025 with her sixth studio album and first since 2018, Don’t Tease Me with a Good Time. From it, she and Jools perform the Radio 2 favourite Living My Best Life and also take on a Frank Sinatra classic.
British R&B and garage superstar Craig David from Southampton first appeared on the Hootenanny in the year he released his multimillion-selling debut LP Born to Do It. He returns this year to celebrate its 25th anniversary along with his recent ninth album Commitment.
The voice of 90s soul and dance sensations M People, Heather Small, joins Jools and his band to perform two of their anthems, dance floor classic Moving On Up and the feel-good Search for the Hero.
From Brighton, The Kooks released their debut album Inside In/Inside Out in 2006, and its summery songs dominated the airwaves, leading to over two million copies sold. They perform a couple of songs from it on the eve of its 20th anniversary following a summer of big live shows, along with a track from their recent album Never/Know.
Completing the line-up are four artists joining Jools who have jazz, soul and boogie-woogie in their veins.
Irish jazz and blues singer-songwriter Imelda May joins Jools and his band for a couple of numbers, including their version of Billie Holiday’s Now or Never. Welsh jazz pianist and recent Mercury Prize-shortlisted artist Joe Webb joins Jools at the piano for a unique duet. From Berlin, singer and drummer David Hermlin keeps the swing sound alive with his version of the Louis Armstrong standard Jeepers Creepers, and completing the line-up is the queen of boogie-woogie herself, Ruby Turner.
Also, Jools welcomes in the new year with the help of the Pipes and Drums of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, and if you throw in a few celebrity faces of stage and screen in the audience to offer their predictions and resolutions, you’ve got the best New Year’s Eve party in town!
What has been your favourite watch over the Christmas period and 2025 in general? Let me know by email: [email protected].