Jingle Bell Ball 2026 predictions: could Olivia Dean headline?

Capital hasn't officially announced a single act for the Jingle Bell Ball 2026 yet, but that has never stopped anyone guessing, and we are no exception. These are our Jingle Bell Ball 2026 predictions: in our opinion, the artists most likely to take the stage when the Ball returns, picked on chart form, new music and who actually looks free.

Our big call is Olivia Dean. On our reading she has had the strongest 2026 of any British act, and we can't find anything in her diary for early December. If past years are a guide, Capital will reveal the real line-up in early November, so pick your favourite now and see how close you get.

Our Jingle Bell Ball 2026 predictions at a glance

• Olivia Dean
• Becky Hill
• Niall Horan
• Myles Smith
• Tinie Tempah
• Jazzy
• Zara Larsson
• Jax Jones
• Sienna Spiro

We used Capital's line-up pages for every Ball from 2017 to 2025, the Official Charts, album dates and tour diaries, not fan wishlists or AI summaries. Capital has not named its 2026 dates, so our diary checks assume the first weekend of December, as in 2025.

The big name: why Olivia Dean could top the bill

Kylie Minogue closed the 2025 Ball. Katy Perry and Coldplay headlined in 2024. For 2026, the British act with the strongest case is Olivia Dean.

Olivia Dean at New Pop Festival, September 2023. Photo: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0

• She won four Brit Awards on 28 February 2026: British Artist of the Year, British Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Pop Act.
• Rein Me In, her duet with Sam Fender, is the longest-running number 1 in UK chart history. On 31 July 2026 it passed the 18 weeks set by Frankie Laine's I Believe in 1953.
• It is still at number 7 this week, and The Art of Loving is number 5 on the albums chart.
• Her Art of Loving Live tour ends in Auckland on 17 October 2026, with no later dates listed.
• She is on none of the US iHeartRadio Jingle Ball bills. RAYE and Sienna Spiro are.
• She knows the radio Christmas circuit: she played Kiss 108's show in Boston on 14 December 2025, part of last year's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball.
• She played six nights at The Arena, London this year.

Man I Need also sits at 37 in the Big Top 40 listed on Capital's New Music page. And she has not appeared on a Ball bill from 2022 to 2025, so a first booking would be real news.

The case against is real. Her soul-pop sits apart from Capital's usual dance-pop, and we found no new single announced for the autumn. We put her chances of headlining at about 1 in 4: the likeliest big name we found, but far from safe.

Our ranked predictions

1. Becky Hill

Capital called 2024 Becky Hill's fourth Jingle Bell Ball as a solo artist. She sat out 2025, and that may help: three of 2025's acts (RAYE, Leigh-Anne and Jax Jones) had last played in 2023, not 2024. Her third album, REBECCA, is out on 13 November 2026, about three weeks before a typical Ball weekend, and her single Changes is on the Capital Playlist. We found no December dates in the way. A new album, a Capital single and a year off: no one else in our top five has all three.

Becky Hill performing in Sydney, January 2024. Photo: Avatar5991, CC BY-SA 4.0

2. Niall Horan

Niall Horan played Capital's Summertime Ball on 6 June 2026, the day after his album Dinner Party came out. It went straight to number 1. His UK and European tour finishes in Belfast on 15 November 2026 and his Australian dates are not until February 2027, so December looks open. History is the problem: he has not been on a Ball bill since 2017, and summer billing has become a weak guide, with only one billed act from the 2025 Summertime Ball playing the Jingle Bell Ball that December.

3. Myles Smith

Myles Smith has already been on the Ball stage, as a guest when Alex Warren brought him out in 2025. He played the Summertime Ball in 2025 and again in 2026. His debut album, My Mess, My Heart, My Life, reached number 2 after its release on 19 June 2026, and his UK arena tour ends at The Arena, London on 20 November 2026. His one December commitment we found is the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in Dallas on 1 December 2026, which still leaves time to fly back for a London weekend.

Myles Smith on tour in London, February 2025. Photo: Amy Martin Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0

4. Tinie Tempah

Tinie Tempah opened night two in 2025, and his timing for 2026 is better still. The Night's Not Dead, his first album since 2017, is out on 16 October 2026, and his single To The Floor is on the Capital Playlist. Capital has booked at least one returning 2010s name every year since 2023. The worry is repetition: only one act from 2024 came back in 2025, so a second straight booking would break the recent pattern.

5. Jazzy

Jazzy played the Sunday night in 2023, and this autumn she has something she lacked then: a debut album. Peace & Patience is due on 23 October 2026, and her own UK tour does not reach London until 11 December, so the first weekend of December is clear. A fresh record is the simplest reason to book an act, and three of our top five have one out between mid-October and mid-November. What she lacks is chart weight: we found no UK top 10 single for her so far in 2026.

6. Zara Larsson

Zara Larsson has played the Ball twice, in 2018 and 2023, and the Summertime Ball in 2023 and 2025. Midnight Sun reached number 7 on the Official Singles Chart in May 2026 and is on the Capital Playlist now. She was billed for Abu Dhabi on 3 December 2026 but said in September that she will not be going, so we found nothing in her diary for early December. Of the non-British names we looked at, she is the one with a Ball history, a current Capital single and an open diary.

Zara Larsson at Homecoming Festival, August 2024. Photo: Adjoka, CC BY-SA 4.0

7. Jax Jones

No act has played more Jingle Bell Balls since 2017. Jax Jones has six: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025, and he has never missed two editions in a row. A DJ set slots into any running order, which makes him an easy addition to a bill. We could not verify any 2026 releases or December plans, though, and 2026 would be a back-to-back booking, which the recent pattern discourages. His record alone keeps him on our list.

8. Sienna Spiro

Sienna Spiro is the chart story of the autumn. Great Expectation is number 1 this week, her first, and Official Charts says she is the youngest British female artist to top the singles chart since 2014. Her album Visitor is at number 4, and she played the Summertime Ball in June. She ranks this low for one reason: she is billed for the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in Los Angeles on Friday 4 December 2026 and New York on 11 December. A Sunday set in London would mean flying straight back from California.

Sienna Spiro at Bergenfest, June 2026. Photo: Løken, CC BY-SA 4.0

What past line-ups tell us

Eight editions since 2017 show five habits.

• Bills are shrinking: 10 to 13 acts a night from 2017 to 2022, 8 to 11 since 2023.
• Straight repeats have almost stopped. Only Sonny Fodera came back from 2024 to 2025, one act in 20.
• A year off helps. RAYE, Leigh-Anne and Jax Jones all returned in 2025 after missing 2024.
• The Summertime Ball is a fading guide: 35% of Ball acts had played it that summer in 2023, 21% in 2024 and 5% in 2025.
• Every Ball since 2023 has had a nostalgia act, and since 2024 a named surprise slot, Barclaycard Out of the Blue (Craig David, then Five).

Together, these favour 2024 acts who skipped 2025, such as Becky Hill and Tom Grennan, over anyone who played last December.

Wildcards and long shots

Lewis Capaldi

He played the Ball in 2022 and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2026 Brits for Survive. He plays Abu Dhabi on 3 December 2026 and then heads to Australia's Spilt Milk festival from 12 December, which leaves the first weekend of December open. We could not confirm a new 2026 release, which keeps him a wildcard.

Lewis Capaldi at Montreux Jazz Festival, July 2026. Photo: Janeirohy, CC BY-SA 4.0

Tom Grennan

Tom Grennan played every Ball from 2021 to 2024, both nights in 2024. His summer tour ended on 26 July 2026. The year-off pattern suits him, but we found no new album due in late 2026.

Tom Grennan at Boardmasters, August 2022. Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0

Little Mix, as a trio

The most shareable outcome and the least likely. Asked by Attitude in May 2026 about a reunion, Perrie Edwards said "Oh, 100 per cent. I'm ready and raring," and that it would be "A three. Definitely a three." No reunion show has been announced.

Who we think will miss it

Published diaries rule some names out. Ed Sheeran is listed for São Paulo on 5 and 6 December 2026, Harry Styles plays Melbourne on 4 December and Sydney on 12 and 13 December, and Olivia Rodrigo is touring North America.

RAYE is the hard one. She played in 2023 and 2025, but she is billed for iHeartRadio shows in Dallas on 1 December, Los Angeles on 4 December and Chicago on 7 December 2026, then Australia's Spilt Milk festival from 12 December. We would not bet on her.

Jingle Bell Ball or Jingle Ball? Two different events

Search for the 2026 line-up and most of what comes back is about a different show. The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball is a US tour run by iHeartMedia, playing US cities from 1 to 17 December 2026, with its line-up announced on 25 September 2026. Capital's Jingle Bell Ball is the London event. Some names overlap, but the US bill tells you nothing about who Capital has booked.

How Capital usually reveals the line-up

Capital's only firm word is "Autumn 2026". The recent pattern is tighter. Capital Breakfast revealed the first night on 7 November 2022, 15 November 2023, 6 November 2024 and 5 November 2025, with the second night a day or two later. That points to early or mid November 2026, though a pattern is not a promise.