Rotterdam's North Sea Jazz Festival marks its 50th anniversary this year, having grown from a small event in The Hague to a massive indoor festival hosting over 1,000 artists and 90,000 attendees each July. Held in a vast windowless warehouse complex, the festival has featured legends such as Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Etta James, Wayne Shorter, and Prince.
A Festival Built on Jazz History
Founded in 1976 by jazz enthusiast and publishing magnate Paul Acket, the festival originally took place at a concert venue in The Hague, with acts playing from 4pm until 4am. Highlights included three-hour performances from Ray Charles and Count Basie, as well as Dutch composer Misha Mengelberg. Senior programme manager Sander Grande, who joined as an intern in 1993, recalls the 1990s as a decade of jazz identity battles: You had people from the Marsalis family complaining that jazz had become too pop, and then acid jazz with Gilles Peterson and Galliano, or rappers like Guru sampling jazz on the same lineups. That's the beauty of what we do: bringing together all spectra of Black music influenced by jazz.
Late-Night Magic at the Bird Club
A key feature is the Bird club, which opens after headliners finish each night. Late trumpeter Roy Hargrove famously turned up in the early hours to play with Erykah Badu and D'Angelo, who made some of their earliest international performances at the festival in the late 1990s. In 2011, Prince took over the venue from midnight for three consecutive nights, inviting Seal and Carlos Santana to play until dawn. Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper says: Having a jam session is integral to a jazz festival. At 1am, you know the cool kids will be at the Bird, chopping it up and waiting for legends. It's what makes North Sea the best music festival in the world.
Musician Memories and Chance Encounters
Glasper has played the festival about 15 times, both as bandleader and sideman. In 2026, he will perform three shows in different configurations, including one with Christian McBride and Questlove playing all-new material. He recalls: I saw Herbie Hancock play with D'Angelo and got my head blown off by Nicholas Payton's quintet. Even in the hotel lobby you meet your heroes.
Veteran bebop pianist Kenny Barron remembers chance encounters in the 1970s and 1980s: I saw everyone from James Brown to Cesária Évora. One year, drummer Grady Tate and singer Marlena Shaw asked me to join their European tour after their pianist dropped out. I changed my flight.
New Generations and a Golden Age
American saxophonist Alden Hellmuth, preparing for her debut at the festival, says: I grew up studying clips of Joe Henderson and Kenny Garrett playing on the North Sea stage. It feels like a place where everyone is at the top of their game.
To attract younger audiences, the festival books R&B, soul, and Afrobeats acts alongside jazz luminaries like Chick Corea and John Zorn. Festival director Irene Peters notes: When it started, there were no other jazz festivals in the Netherlands. Now we've grown to have more than 1,000 artists playing to 90,000 attendees.
Sander Grande adds: Around 80% of our attendees return each year, so we need to draw in the next generation. We have Burna Boy but also Pat Metheny and Kris Davis. It's about striking a balance and paying homage to music from the Black tradition.
Jazz's Enduring Appeal
Grande believes jazz is in a golden age: You have the UK jazz scene and people like Kendrick Lamar using Robert Glasper in his records. Audiences will always seek out this music, and it will live on for a very long time.
The North Sea Jazz Festival takes place at Ahoy Rotterdam, the Netherlands, through 12 July.
