North Sea Jazz Rotterdam

North Sea Jazz: the world's biggest jazz festival

The North Sea Jazz Festival at the Ahoy Concert Hall in Rotterdam is the world's biggest indoor jazz festival with 13 stages, around 200 shows and 1500 musicians. North Sea Jazz offers many musical genres ranging from traditional New Orleans jazz, swing, bop, free jazz, fusion, avant garde jazz and electronic jazz to blues, gospel, funk, soul, hiphop, R&B, world beat and Latin. It's impossible to see all performances, as at North Sea Jazz each single stage offers five performances, every evening! Tip for beginners in Jazz: Check out the largest stage in Ahoy called Nile.

Big jazz legends visit Rotterdam...

Many great jazz legends have performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival over the years: Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Nat Adderley, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Tony Bennett, Santana, Alicia Keys, Youssou N'Dour, Erykah Badu, The Brecker Brothers, Ibrahim Ferrer, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Al Jarreau, B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis, Bugge Wesseltoft, John Zorn and Joe Zawinul.

And also brand new jazz talent

Besides these jazz legends, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam gives newcomers a chance to make it to the stage. Every year, The North Sea Jazz Festival presents the Paul Acket Award to an artist for his/her exceptional musicianship. Some of the talents that were introduced at the North Sea Jazz Festival to a European audience for the first time include Shirley Horn, Tania Maria, Roy Hargrove and Rachelle Ferrell.

Tickets North Sea Jazz 2018

The North Sea Jazz Festival Rotterdam is not cheap, but your day pass entitles you to see most shows, except the so called plus concerts, for which an additional fee is required. With your NSJ ticket you get a discount with these museums Nederlands Fotomuseum and Museum Boijmans - Van Beuningen.

North Sea Round Town

During the three weeks prior to the big North Sea Jazz weekend, Rotterdam is home of jazz music. During these two warming up weeks you can see 200 different performances on big stages. At North Sea Round Town, there are shows in the Park at he Euromast, Hotel New York,  LantarenVenster, in the Old Harbour and aboard the ss Rotterdam. Most shows of North Sea Round Town are free.