The first edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival took place in 1976 in the Nederlands Congresgebouw in The Hague. Some figures from those early days: six venues, three hundred artists and around nine thousand visitors. In that very first festival year, internationally renowned jazz legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz performed, as well as most of the Dutch avant-garde artists.
In 2006, the festival moved to its current, larger location in Rotterdam. This year, the organization expects more than a thousand musicians, spread over 150 performances and fifteen different stages. Although the number of visitors has been between 70,000 and 75,000 in recent years, the festival retains its intimate character.
The NN North Sea Jazz Festival is the largest indoor music festival in the world, known worldwide as the event where the past, present and future of jazz are presented over three days. In addition to a solid base of jazz, many genres will pass by, such as blues, soul, funk, hip hop, world, pop and much more. In addition to top names from all over the world, visitors will have the opportunity to discover new favorite artists.
This year's 46th edition of the NN North Sea Jazz Festival will feature: Lizzo, Stormzy and Tom Jones as well as Buddy Guy, Gabriels, Jacob Banks, Jill Scott, Little Simz, Loyle Carner, The Teskey Brothers and Van Morrison. There is a strong presence of legendary jazz greats with Jan Garbarek, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Pat Metheny Side-Eye.
July 7 to 9, 2023
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