The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual event that takes place every second weekend of July in the Netherlands. It is held at the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam, and is one of the most established jazz festivals in the world. Since its inception in 1976, the festival has become a major international event, with up to 70,000 visitors each year. It is known for its diverse lineup of artists, ranging from jazz legends like Miles Davis and Count Basie to modern stars like Erykah Badu and Alicia Keys.
The festival also features a variety of other genres, such as blues, soul, funk, hip hop, world, pop and more. The North Sea Jazz Festival is a unique event that has managed to preserve its intimate character despite its large size. It is the world's largest indoor music festival, and it has been held in Rotterdam since 2006. The first edition of the festival was held in The Hague in 1976 and featured jazz legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz. Due to the high demand for tickets and accommodation during the festival days, it is recommended to book tickets and hotel rooms well in advance.
The festival offers a wide range of performances from traditional New Orleans jazz to swing, bop, free jazz, fusion, avant-garde jazz and electronic jazz. In addition to jazz performances, there are also blues, gospel, funk, soul, R&B, hip hop, world beat and Latin music acts. The North Sea Jazz Festival is an institution that has become the number one jazz event in the Netherlands. It is known worldwide as the event where the past, present and future of jazz are presented in three days.
Every year more than 65,000 visitors have the time of their lives with 1,300 artists who show them what they have on fifteen stages of Ahoy Rotterdam. Expect to see jazz legends like Wayne Shorter, Erykah Badu, Paul Anka, Steve Coleman, Candy Dulfer, Alicia Keys, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Jamiroquai and The Zawinul Syndicate at this year's festival.
