- The 21st international jazz festival will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
- It reintroduces the original three stages as Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald and a fourth outside stage called Topaz.
- “Africa’s grandest gathering” will see top jazz talent from South Africa and abroad.
It’s a cultural reset for jazz enthusiasts.
The Cape Town International Jazz Festival makes a grand return on 3 and 4 May 2024 after a series of postponements since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 21st edition of the famed festival was initially postponed to February 2024 and the festival introduces a new era in May and four reimagined stages. Previously named stages Kippies, Moses Molelekwa and Rosies are now titled Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald, with the introduction of a new outside stage called Topaz.
Coming back to its home at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the festival boasts itself as “Africa’s grandest gathering”, music lovers will be serenaded by some of the world’s best in jazz and soul music.
Included in the lineup is renowned jazz singer and songwriter Zoë Modiga, who has become synonymous with lively and transcendent performances.
When it comes to bringing to life her signature sound, Zoë shared with DRUM that “Performance for me feels like a trance. It feels like I’m going through a portal to another world. It feels like a fishbowl experience but one where there’s an audience in it as well. It really is just the feeling of being lifted and being carried away in the moment.”
May is clearly the month of jazz, with the second annual Journey to Jazz Festival taking place in Prince Albert on 1 to 5 May 2024 with local and international musicians, workshops, masterclasses and more creating a feast for the soul.
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What to expect
It goes without saying that the jazz festival will welcome attendees with the sounds of some of South Africa's and world’s established and rising jazz musicians but it has also introduced a new offering titled Flavour Junction.
Located on the ground floor alongside the new Topaz stage, the Flavour Junction will house food trucks and bars for replenishment. More upscale food and drink options will also be available beyond the main stage.
The festival is a cashless event, so, eager attendees will be required to load money through the Howler cashless system.
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Tickets and pricing
General admission tickets start at R950 per night per person. This ticket will give you access to the Sapphire and Topaz stages. No under 10s and no pass outs allowed.
Surcharge tickets – which is to manage capacity in the venues that can only seat 1500 people per show – are in operation for the Emerald and Ruby stages at R30 per show.
Festival goers would need to purchase a general festival ticket and then the surcharged show tickets. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster, with surcharge tickets released later in March 2024.
