NN North Sea Jazz 2026 programme announced
We proudly present the programme for our anniversary edition. With 40 more names added, the line-up is complete. Across 17 stages, more than 150 performances will take place on July 10, 11 and 12. View the full schedule via Programme in the menu.
On July 16, it will be exactly 50 years since the doors of North Sea Jazz first opened, back then still in The Hague. NN North Sea Jazz celebrates its anniversary by experiencing the present and looking ahead, but also by reflecting on the past.
Fifty years of North Sea Jazz does not tell a single story, but shows how jazz is constantly evolving in new directions. Since the 1960s and '70s, various movements have emerged, each with its own sound, audience, and cultural context. This anniversary edition reveals how those lines — from spiritual and political jazz to free improvisation, from fusion to neo-soul, and from European experiments to contemporary global scenes — have continued to influence one another and converge in the here and now. In this anniversary year, the festival brings together artists who each occupy a unique position within that broad spectrum.
This year, the festival has awarded the free composition commission to saxophonist and composer Ben van Gelder. Van Gelder has built an international reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in the jazz world, with his album Manifold (2023), hailed by The New York Times as a sensational release, marks a high point in his career to date.
For North Sea Jazz, Ben van Gelder is creating The Whole Wide World Is Round, in which he connects fifty years of festival history with personal and musical memories. Van Gelder performs the piece with an international ensemble of musicians with whom he shares a strong artistic and personal bond.
On Saturday, July 11, the Paul Acket Award "Artist Deserving Wider Recognition" will be presented to Brazilian jazz pianist Amaro Freitas. At the Central Park Stage, in the center of the festival, there will be clinics and interviews with performing artists, and visitors can once again showcase their own musical talents during the sessions on the Open Stage. In addition to music, as every year, a prominent place has been reserved for visual arts in various forms at multiple locations.
To add extra luster to the anniversary, each festival day will be festively concluded in Ahoy with an NSJ50 Afterparty. On Friday, Questlove will take the turntables; on Saturday, it is Gilles Peterson's turn; and on Sunday, Anderson .Paak will close the festival as DJ Pee .Wee.
