Four days of festival, over 30 concerts, more than 100 artists from around the world, and over 20 films screened, all spread across 9 locations: St. John’s Square, Brasov Fortress, Council Square, Brassai Square, Nicolae Titulescu Central Park, Coresi District, Juno Wine Garden, Deane’s Irish Pub & Grill, and the Fortified Church in Bod.
The festival’s main stage is in St. John’s Square, Brasov, where entry is ticketed or via a festival pass. Performing for the first time in Romania are Sugar Ray & The Bluetones feat. Rusty Zinn (USA) and Monster Mike Welch (USA). They will be joined on the main stage by Scotland’s King King, Belgium’s Black Cat Biscuit, and Italy’s Umberto Porcaro Band.
A favorite with the Brasov audience, Sharrie Williams returns to the festival’s main stage, joined by renowned German trumpeter and composer Markus Stockhausen, and the charismatic Cuban artist Ana Carla Maza.
For the first time, the Brasov Jazz & Blues Festival is introducing a new stage, the Apollonia Stage, in partnership with the Apollonia Cultural Center, located at the Brasov Fortress on Straja Hill, with free entry.
Here, the British group Hidden Orchestra, described by BBC Radio as “a band unlike any other in the world, one of the most impressive live acts you can witness,” will perform.
The lineup for the Apollonia Stage is completed by Elias D’hooge Trio (Belgium), CaboCubaJazz (Germany/Cuba), Piotr Budniak Essential Group (Poland), and Mehdi Chamma Group (Austria/Morocco/Romania). There will also be a special “friends” concert featuring Nicu Patoi & Lars Kutschke Band with Berti Barbera.
As Brasov Jazz & Blues Festival supports the local scene, a stage for Brasov artists will be set up in Council Square. Here, performances will include Fernet Blues Company, Fusion Core, Maya Ciosa, and Watzzy & The Watzaky Doodle Pigeons.
The festival program is further enriched with activities and workshops for children, outdoor film screenings, music workshops, documentaries, and musical films, along with concerts in Nicolae Titulescu Central Park.
During the day, the central park stage will host students and music workshops led by the Soundbox Music Academy, while in the evening, the audience can enjoy concerts by Berti Barbera, Mariano Castro, Alexandra Fits, and Marcian Petrescu.
The second stage in Nicolae Titulescu Central Park is the DJ stage, sponsored by Aftar Hours, where the fun will be kept alive by Dex & Vygo, UNUM, and DJ Alex. And since it will be hard to stop dancing, after 10:00 PM, the party continues at the Aftar Hours club.
Two Unique Events in Council Square and Central Park
Together with the Sound Box Music Academy, Brasov Jazz & Blues Festival proudly presents “Bate Toba – The Drummers’ Gathering” in Council Square and “The Guitar Meeting” in Central Park. These two events aim to promote music education and connect music lovers from the Brasov community and beyond.
Brassai Square, located behind the walls, transforms into an open-air cinema zone, where documentaries and musical films will be screened on a large screen. The life of David Bowie is captured in Moonage Daydream, a documentary featuring rare footage from Bowie’s personal archives, including live concert recordings.
Music-loving cinephiles will also be able to enjoy films about and featuring Bob Marley, Queen, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, and Amy Winehouse on the big screen.
Also behind the walls, JUNO Wine Garden will host a new stage for the Brasov Jazz & Blues Festival. This year, we will meet again with the Anamaria Galea Trio for a concert of interwar and postwar Romanian music, while Berti Barbera and Nicu Patoi will pay tribute to the music legends who changed music forever, The Beatles.
Coresi District, the most modern neighborhood in Brasov and the largest urban regeneration project in Romania, joins the Brasov Jazz & Blues Festival this year. Here, Burzenländer Blaskapelle or Fanfara Tara Barsei and 4Tune Quartet will perform, and there will be two musical and dance improvisation shows with Swing Dance Academy.
The festival nights will be spent at Deane’s Irish Pub, where attendees can enjoy magical jam sessions with festival artists and the resident band, Lars Kutschke Band.
On the last day of the festival, August 18, the audience can experience the hypnotic energy of the Gospel concert by the Princess of Gospel Rockin’ Blues, Sharrie Williams (USA), at the Fortified Church in Bod.
The full festival program is available at www.brasovjazz.ro, and tickets or passes are exclusively on sale at www.biletebrasov.ro.
Brasov Jazz & Blues Festival is an event organized by the Fanzin Cultural Association, funded by the Brasov County Council, and co-funded by the Brasov City Hall and the Ministry of Culture.