Breda Jazz Festival
New at Breda Jazz Festival 2025
That jazz music unites and the Breda Jazz Festival is still vibrant after 53 years proves itself through the festival's programming.
With a new Breda Jazz Award to be presented and several exciting collaborations in the city, there is plenty of news to discover. The Breda Jazz Festival 2025 will take place from 29 May to 1 June.
Breda Jazz Festival X Chassé Theater and Cinema
In the run-up to the Jazz Festival, Chassé Cinema is the place to get into the mood. During the week preceding the festival, three different jazz films are on the programme. First up is Ray on Tuesday 20 May. A compelling biography of the legendary American singer Ray Charles.
On 24 May, you can dive into Cuban music with Wim Wenders' documentary Buena Vista Social Club.
The documentary Blue Notes & Higher Grounds shows that the passion for making music is for all ages.
On Saturday evening 31 May, Chassé Theater will roll out the red carpet for singer Claron McFadden. Together with others, she will pay tribute to Ada Smith and her nightclub Chez Bricktop, a lively meeting place for African Americans in Paris in the first half of the last century.
Breda Jazz Festival X Stedelijk Museum Breda
That jazz music is only loved by people of a certain age is a persistent misconception. Jazz also inspires young people. To demonstrate this, Stedelijk Museum Breda collaborates with the Fontys Academy for the Arts from Tilburg during the Breda Jazz Festival.
Every festival day, you can enjoy a performance by Fontys students in the museum from 11.00-13.00 and 14.00-16.00 hours.
If you're in the museum anyway, be sure to check out one of the fascinating exhibitions. There are several; from a permanent exhibition about the mighty Breda Nassaus to a new exhibition on street art.
Breda Jazz Festival X Sound of Europe Foundation
The Sound of Europe Foundation brings modern jazz to the Breda Jazz Festival. This genre has not been heard here before and therefore provides a wonderful addition to the festival programme. The two concerts will take place on Thursday 29 May at Brandpunt on Reigerstraat.
- 16:00 - 18:00: Global Jazz Rhythm Ensemble (NL)
- 21:00 - 23:00: Vertigo 4 (NL)
New! Breda Jazz Festival Award
The Breda Jazz Festival has been dedicated to keeping jazz and related styles alive for over fifty years. This can only be achieved when passionate musicians transmit their authentic sound and love for jazz to future generations.
From this year onwards, the Breda Jazz Festival will award its own prize annually to a musician who, as an ambassador, makes a special contribution in this regard. The recipient of the award in 2025 will be announced in mid-May.
This consists of a sculpture and a prominent role during the opening and within the programme of the Breda Jazz Festival 2025.
The sculpture will be presented during the opening on Thursday, 29 May.
Feet on the floor during Lindy Hop dance workshops
The Lindy Hop dance workshops on the Kasteelplein were such a success last year that the organization has decided to make them a permanent feature in the programme. This year, you can improve your dance moves on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday under the guidance of Swing City Breda. This can be done on the Kasteelplein north stage where the most fun swing bands perform during the Breda Jazz Festival. This way, you can put into practice what you've learned. Wear your most swingin' outfit and join in!
- Friday 30 May: 15:15-16:15
- Saturday 31 May: 15:15-16:15
- Sunday 1 June: 12:30-13:00