33RD İSTANBUL JAZZ FESTIVAL
30 June – 13 July 2026
Cazda Buluşalım (Let’s Meet in Jazz)
The 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival is getting ready to welcome music lovers with a programme featuring names such as Marcus Miller, Robert Plant, Thee Sacred Souls, Arooj Aftab, Mari Froes, Ayhan Sicimoğlu, Selen Beytekin, Joe Lovano, Antonio Faraò and Veronica Swift. General ticket sales for the festival open on Friday 6 March. During the general sale, tickets are 10% off with all Garanti BBVA credit cards.
Organised by the İstanbul Kültür Sanat Vakfı (İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, İKSV) and sponsored by Garanti BBVA, the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival is set to meet music lovers from 30 June to 13 July.
Over 14 days, the festival will host almost 30 concerts featuring nearly 200 artists, with a programme spread across more than 10 venues and ranging from innovative exponents of contemporary jazz to masters steeped in traditional roots, and from projects that push boundaries with electronic touches to acoustic expression at its purest.
The 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival will welcome three big names to the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre over its first three days. The festival opens on the evening of Tuesday 30 June with Marcus Miller. Miller will take the stage with his WE WANT MILES! project, featuring Bill Evans, Mike Stern, Mino Cinelu and Russell Gunn, to honour his mentor Miles Davis in the centenary year of his birth. On the evening of Wednesday 1 July, soul’s rising stars Thee Sacred Souls, known for songs such as Can I Call You Rose? and Will I See You Again?, will meet festival audiences at their first ever concert in Turkey, with the much-loved Los Angeles trio LA LOM opening the show. Then, on the evening of Thursday 2 July, Robert Plant, the lyrical and vocal treasure of Led Zeppelin, will take the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival stage with his new band Saving Grace, which has made an extraordinary impact around the world, and Suzi Dian.
Following these three major concerts, the festival will welcome Grammy winner Arooj Aftab, one of music’s most innovative recent voices, with her distinctive interpretations of Sufi poetry and her characteristic sound; Joe Lovano and the Antonio Faraò Trio, regarded among today’s finest jazz musicians; Mari Froes, one of modern Brazilian music’s faces to the world; Veronica Swift, one of the most accomplished and prolific jazz vocalists of our time; Senem Diyici with Okay Temiz, who made the West fall in love with Turkish-language jazz; world-famous percussion master Ayhan Sicimoğlu with Harikalar Bandosu, and Selen Beytekin with Hermon Mehari & Tony Tixier, Beytekin being one of the artists who lend İstanbul’s distinctive and dynamic jazz scene its energy through her vocal colour and sparkling presence.
The festival’s much-loved traditions continue this year too. At the +1’li Gece Gezmesi (+1 Night Out), where music lovers follow great music around Kadıköy, a musical marathon awaits festival audiences, with L’Eclair, TurkodiRoma, Jazzbois, 3pillie and Lhodos Project taking the stage one after another at Moda Sahnesi and Komünite.
The Caz Vapuru (Jazz Ferry), which brings one of İstanbul’s best-loved symbols, the Şehir Hatları ferry, together with jazz at its most joyful, will this year host Kamucan Yalçın and his band Kamucan Yalçın and Friends along with Brassist, the İstanbul swing wind quintet carrying New Orleans’ brass band tradition into the present day.
The festival’s free Parklarda Caz (Jazz in the Parks) concerts, which spread music to every corner of the city and appeal to audiences of all ages, will once again turn İstanbul’s parks into festival grounds. Alongside the bands selected for the festival’s Genç Caz+ (Young Jazz+) programme, who will enjoy the thrill of performing before an audience, the series will also welcome Kumpania Algazarra from Portugal.
33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival programme announced at press conference
The programme of the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival was announced at a press conference held at The Marmara Taksim on Monday 23 February.
Speaking at the conference, İKSV Deputy General Director Yeşim Gürer Oymak said: “For 33 years, we at İKSV have been carrying on the İstanbul Jazz Festival, which brings the spirit of jazz and its neighbouring genres to our city. At the festival we take great care to be inclusive and to support young artists. Bringing together artists from different regions and generations under one roof, our festival continues to offer the Parklarda Caz concerts in line with our aim of bringing music to a wide audience, to make room for young musicians through the Genç Caz+ programme, and to make concerts more accessible to young people with the Eczacıbaşı Genç Bilet (Young Ticket). For the past two years, our Foundation has also been helping young jazz musicians reach stages around the world throughout the year through the international mobility programme of the İKSV Young Artists Fund. I sincerely thank all our supporters, above all our festival sponsor Garanti BBVA, which has stood by us for 29 years and made a great contribution to the festival and all of this work.”
Garanti BBVA Deputy General Manager Ebru Taşcı Firuzbay said: “Holding a very special place in the city’s cultural calendar for 33 years now, the İstanbul Jazz Festival is not just a music event; it is a precious cultural heritage that carries the rhythm, the feeling and the inspiration of this city. For 29 years, we have accompanied the festival on this wonderful journey. For us, this long-standing partnership is not simply a sponsorship; it is an expression of the deep and sincere bond we have formed with culture, the arts and the city. Carrying meaning far beyond the performances on stage, the Festival brings together outstanding Turkish and international artists this year, as it does every year. We greatly value its approach of making room for rising new talents and young musicians alongside the legendary names who have left their mark on music. This shared outlook, which makes new projects possible and encourages the artists of the future, forms the foundation of our long-standing collaboration with İKSV. We are delighted to help bring the arts to more music lovers and make them accessible to everyone. I thank everyone who has made this festival possible for 33 years, above all the İKSV team, and invite all music lovers to share in the unique festival spirit together. Long live the İstanbul Jazz Festival.”
İstanbul Jazz Festival Director Harun İzer said: “This year, once again, the İstanbul Jazz Festival opens its doors to other musical genres alongside jazz, and as always it visits different parts of the world. In a programme stretching from North America to South America and Brazil, and on to Europe and Pakistan, we will hear great masters and new voices. At a time when societies in many parts of the world are increasingly turning inward and conflicts are on the rise, bringing different cultures and forms of expression together is also becoming harder. Yet if we don’t listen to and hear one another, how can we understand each other? At the İstanbul Jazz Festival, we try as best we can to bring these different voices together in harmony. We look forward to welcoming you to the festival with the words ‘Cazda Buluşalım’ – let’s meet in jazz.”
The festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Senem Diyici
The 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to jazz musician Senem Diyici, who has pursued her career in France for many years and has successfully represented Turkey internationally through her distinctive music blending Turkish melodies with jazz, her albums and her concerts in dozens of countries.
Festival venues
This year’s festival venues include Ataşehir Amfili Park, the Atatürk Kültür Merkezi Theatre Hall, Gün Bahçesi – Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus, the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre, İKSV Alt Kat, the Garden of the Consulate General of Italy in İstanbul, Komünite, Moda Sahnesi, Salon İKSV, Sultan Park – Swissôtel The Bosphorus, the Şehir Hatları ferry and The Marmara Esma Sultan Yalısı.
33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival Programme
Marcus Miller reunites a legendary line-up for Miles Davis’s centenary
Festival Opening Concert: Marcus Miller presents WE WANT MILES! The Reunion Tour 2026
Tuesday 30 June, 21.30, Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre
To honour his mentor Miles Davis in the centenary year of his birth and celebrate his musical legacy, Marcus Miller is reuniting, with the “WE WANT MILES!” project, the band that accompanied Davis on tour in his final years, and adding İstanbul, one of his sources of inspiration, to the itinerary. Just like in the old days, Bill Evans on saxophone, Mike Stern on guitar, Mino Cinelu on percussion and, of course, Marcus Miller on bass will take the stage with a selection from Miles Davis’s We Want Miles album as well as repertoire from the master’s late period. Joining this legendary line-up will be Anwar Marshall on drums, Brett Williams on keyboards and, on trumpet, Russell Gunn, the accomplished jazz musician acclaimed for his contemporary interpretations of Miles Davis.
Soul’s rising stars Thee Sacred Souls in İstanbul for the first time
Thee Sacred Souls I LA LOM
Wednesday 1 July, 20.00, Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre
The hallmarks of Thee Sacred Souls are analogue recording, the spirit of ’60s soul, slow tempos, accompanying Latin rhythms, a dash of Los Ángeles Negros, a breeze of ’70s Spanish soul, and at times a hint of 1930s Delta blues… Hailing from San Diego, Thee Sacred Souls carry the R&B and soul tradition into the present with soul-stirring lyrics and their own distinctive touch, winning over a younger generation to the music of the 1960s and ’70s. Made up of bassist Alex Garcia, drummer Sal Samano and vocalist Josh Lane, the band have since 2020 earned a considerable place in music lovers’ hearts with songs such as Can I Call You Rose?, Give Us Justice, Will I See You Again? and We Don’t Have To Be Alone. They have toured relentlessly, rocked Coachella, shared a stage with Stevie Wonder and counted Beyoncé among their famous fans. Now they are getting ready to appear at the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival to meet İstanbul’s music lovers. The concert will be opened by LA LOM, the instrumental trio also known as The Los Angeles League of Musicians.
Robert Plant at the festival with his acclaimed new band Saving Grace
Robert Plant with Saving Grace and Suzi Dian
Thursday 2 July, 21.00, Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre
Robert Plant, the lyrical and vocal treasure of Led Zeppelin, is getting ready to appear at the festival with his new band Saving Grace, which has made an extraordinary impact around the world. Led Zeppelin emerged from the musical richness and exuberance of the ’70s with an original sound woven from many genres, stayed in the charts for years, wrote its name in music history in letters of gold with dozens of hits, above all Stairway to Heaven, and became a cult that held the world under an almost spiritual spell. Since the band’s break-up, its “Golden God”, Robert Plant, has gone on bending time and music and creating intriguing musical combinations. The latest stop on a journey that has taken him from hard rock to New Wave, from blues to Americana and on to world music is Saving Grace. With Saving Grace, his latest project bringing together master musicians, Robert Plant wanders gently through folk, country, blues and gospel; his voice and Suzi Dian’s entwine in rhythm like a flawless dance routine; and, reaching once more into mystical realms, he doesn’t forget to give a nod to his Led Zeppelin days. This summer, as fans all over the world await them, İstanbul is one of the lucky stops.
Grammy winner Arooj Aftab comes to the festival
Arooj Aftab
Friday 3 July, 20.00, Atatürk Kültür Merkezi Theatre Hall
Having enchanted crowds at festivals such as Primavera Sound Barcelona, Coachella, Glastonbury and the Montreal Jazz Festival, Arooj Aftab opens the doors to her Neo-Sufi world at the İstanbul Jazz Festival this summer. The Brooklyn-based Pakistani composer, producer, arranger and singer has for some time been upending conventions on the American jazz scene with the Neo-Sufi music she has created. The style she calls Neo-Sufi is more than a simple blend of genres; in her words, it is “a personal story that lives in its own world”. Listen to her music and it isn’t hard to see what she means. “Mohabbat”, meaning “love” in Urdu, is a ghazal by the poet Hafeez Hoshiarpuri; “Last Night” brings Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi’s poem of the same name together with jazz and reggae. “Na Gul”, from the album Night Reign, takes its lyrics from the 18th-century poet Mah Laqa Bai Chanda, the first woman to publish a collection of works in Urdu. From her first full-length album, Vulture Prince, which brought her many awards, nominations and plaudits, and her Grammy for “Mohabbat”, to the present day, Aftab has continued to multiply her worlds with a presence that convinces us genres are a lie.
Senem Diyici, who made the West fall in love with Turkish-language jazz, on the festival stage with Okay Temiz
Senem Diyici Mavi Yol Quartet feat. Okay Temiz
Saturday 4 July, 21.00, Salon İKSV
With her healing voice, her command of every kind of percussion instrument, her distinctive music uniting Anatolia with the West, and albums that each leave a different taste on the palate, Senem Diyici has for more than half a century carried us from calm waters to surging waves – an artist who listens closely to the sound of her own land. When she was blending Turkish melodies with jazz in France in the 1980s, nobody was yet as familiar with the concept of world music as we are today. She attracted the attention of music circles with the albums Anadolu in 1983 and Takalar in 1989. Folk songs such as “Yemen Türküsü”, “Arzu Gızım”, “Haydar, Haydar” and “Ah Bir Ateş Ver”, and many more that she blended with jazz, found new life through her. During her 26 years in France she sang only in Turkish, winning the West over to Turkish-language jazz. Bringing together a printed cotton dress, a purple headscarf and jazz melodies in her healing voice, Senem Diyici will also honour the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival, which has chosen her for its Lifetime Achievement Award, with a concert. Joined by Tom Gareil on vibraphone, Can Ömer Uygan on trumpet and Enver Muhamedi on bass, the artist will perform a repertoire of her best-loved works. She will be accompanied by percussion master Okay Temiz, one of the pioneers of jazz in Turkey, who has achieved great international success by introducing undiscovered Turkish motifs to the jazz world.
Mari Froes, modern Brazilian music’s face to the world, in Turkey for the first time
Brazilian Night: Mari Froes
Monday 6 July, 21.00, The Marmara Esma Sultan Yalısı
With songs sung in Portuguese, Mari Froes is making a wide-ranging impact from Morocco to the Netherlands and from South Africa to India. On one side there are MPB (Música Popular Brasileira), which has captivated the world for several years, and samba rhythms; on the other, Froes’s soft, deep vocals. Combined with the melodic, naturally flowing sound of Portuguese, these gifts quickly turned Froes into a musical talent that Brazil has given to the whole world. Indeed, though she is only 23, she is already counted among the rising names of Latin music worldwide. Mari Froes first drew attention by sharing videos reinterpreting songs she loved on her acoustic guitar; the turning point was her cover of Baco Exu do Blues’s “Girassóis de Van Gogh”, viewed millions of times. Riding the power of social media, “Vaitimbora”, her collaboration with the French electronic duo Trinix, became one of the most-streamed songs of 2025 and proved once again that she is a rising star. Froes brings together bossa nova, samba and MPB with her powerful voice and gentle interpretation; she loves to roam freely between genres with touches of jazz and rock, all of which make her live performances original and open to surprise. On a night with show sponsorship from SNOC, samba rhythms will suit the Esma Sultan Yalısı, and Mari Froes will suit the festival’s Brazilian Night, beautifully.
Star saxophonist Joe Lovano and Italian jazz master Antonio Faraò meet in İstanbul for the festival
Joe Lovano feat. Antonio Faraò Trio with Ira Coleman & Johnathan Blake
Tuesday 7 July, 21.00, Garden of the Consulate General of Italy in İstanbul
“The giant of the tenor saxophone”, an iconic Blue Note Records artist and one of today’s most important jazz musicians, Joe Lovano is one of the world’s leading saxophonists. A Grammy and countless other awards, an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music, teaching at Juilliard, and dozens of albums and bands including collaborations are just a few of Lovano’s many achievements – but most importantly, he has created an original Lovano style, recognisable from the very first note. Antonio Faraò, for his part, is one of the finest jazz pianists of his generation, thanks to his formidable technique, his hard-hitting, energetic attitude, his creative approach, his stage presence and a technique that spans European and American jazz. Alone with his piano he masterfully becomes a one-man orchestra; playing with others, he uses every possibility of musical communication to produce creative combinations. Two master musicians who converse in the language of jazz, they come to the festival with their project “Joe Lovano & Antonio Faraò: Explorations”. The duo’s musical dialogue is completed by bassist Ira Coleman, who has worked with Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Dee Dee Bridgewater, and drummer Jonathan Blake, one of the driving forces of today’s jazz scene.
One night in Kadıköy: two stages, six concerts
+1’li Gece Gezmesi
Wednesday 8 July, 19.30, Moda Sahnesi & Komünite
One of the festival’s traditional events, the +1’li Gece Gezmesi (+1 Night Out) carries Wednesday evening on into the night in Kadıköy, with a musical marathon awaiting festival audiences as a host of musicians take the stage one after another at Moda Sahnesi and Komünite. Moda Sahnesi welcomes Switzerland’s L’Eclair, one of Europe’s leading contemporary instrumental groove ensembles, while indie fusion band TurkodiRoma closes the night with their cinematic touch. At Komünite, the evening opens with electro-jazz fusion quintet Lhodos Project, continues with 3pillie, an eclectic musician inspired by İstanbul’s chaos, and ends with Jazzbois, energetic representatives of Budapest’s rising jazz, hip-hop and improvisation scene.
World-famous percussion master Ayhan Sicimoğlu at the festival with Harikalar Bandosu
Ayhan Sicimoğlu Harikalar Bandosu
Thursday 9 July, 21.00, Gün Bahçesi – Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
Percussion master, businessman, traveller, writer, presenter, photographer and producer… in love with Latin music, the sea, İstanbul and world cuisine… Ayhan Sicimoğlu, one of Turkey’s master musicians, feeds his music with this many-sided personality and is leaving a colourful portrait in our musical history. His interest in music began at an early age with the accordion, which he learned from a teacher who came to the house, but his heart was always set on the drums. He studied percussion at Berklee and presented his own programme, “Latin Lover”, on Açık Radyo. Founding the Latin All Stars orchestra, he left Turkey’s music history timeless performances and two iconic albums bringing together Özkan Uğur, Fahir Atakoğlu, Rodrigo Rodriguez, Balık Ayhan, Mirkelam, Armando Miranda, Aydın Esen, Sibel Tüzün, Ayşe Sicimoğlu, Banu Kunt and more. With the distinctive music he calls Turcolatino, his colourful performance whose energy never flags for a moment, and his Harikalar Bandosu, the master percussionist is set to become one of the festival’s unforgettable moments.
Selen Beytekin on the festival stage with Hermon Mehari and Tony Tixier
Selen Beytekin feat. Hermon Mehari & Tony Tixier
Friday 10 July, 21.00, Gün Bahçesi – Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
Selen Beytekin, one of the artists who lend İstanbul’s distinctive and dynamic jazz scene its energy through her vocal colour, her singing and her sparkling presence, joins the İstanbul Jazz Festival with a very special project and two guests from France. Beytekin began her musical life with classical piano lessons at a very young age, and when her path crossed with İlham Gencer’s she stepped onto the professional jazz scene, playing piano and singing in jazz clubs. She became one of the most sought-after names at jazz clubs and festivals, and her performances were the talk of the town. She has shared the stage with musicians such as Aşkın Arsunan, İlham Gencer, Volkan Öktem, Kent Mete, Kerem Görsev, Tony Jones, Ricci Benson, Neşet Ruacan, Atilla Şereftuğ and Spyro Gyra. She presented her own music show on NTV and has hosted programmes on Joy FM, NTV and Karnaval radio stations. Selen Beytekin will bring her music to the festival stage in a vocal-led performance. She will be joined on stage by award-winning jazz trumpeter Hermon Mehari, who has travelled the world with his music, and by Tony Tixier, composer and one of the most notable jazz pianists on the contemporary European jazz scene.
One of the festival’s traditions, the Caz Vapuru sets sail on the Bosphorus once again
Caz Vapuru
Sunday 12 July, 11.00, Kabataş Transfer Centre
The Caz Vapuru (Jazz Ferry), one of the festival’s most riotous and best-loved events, is ready to weigh anchor once more. On this music-filled ferry trip along the Bosphorus, with one of the most beautiful views in the world and some of the city’s most characteristic sounds, much-loved Turkish jazz artists will fill the deck with joyful melodies. The music will start at the pier, and the rhythm rising from the shore will spread in waves along the Bosphorus. Experienced musician Kamucan Yalçın and his band Kamucan Yalçın and Friends will be on board the Caz Vapuru with a repertoire drawn from early jazz and a performance that nods to the dramatic style of ragtime and Dixieland. Meanwhile, the joyful music of Brassist, the İstanbul swing wind quintet carrying New Orleans’ brass band tradition into the present day, will turn the ferry into a dance floor. The full Caz Vapuru programme, with further bands and musicians to be added, will be announced in the coming days.
All eyes are on her: Veronica Swift, one of the most accomplished and prolific jazz vocalists of our time, on the festival stage for a true jazz night
Veronica Swift
Monday 13 July, 21.00, Sultan Park – Swissôtel the Bosphorus
One day Veronica Swift is on stage showing off her mastery of scat; another day she is tossing her hair and flinging off her jacket with the rock band Dame. At one concert she accompanies Chris Botti; at another she reinterprets Aerosmith’s “Rag Doll” as hot jazz; on her latest album she breaks every rule. Calling her simply a bebop star doesn’t do her justice: Swift’s hallmark is a soul rooted in jazz with rock’n’roll breathed into it. She is one of the most versatile, many-voiced natural talents of her generation, and she uses that wealth of talent for explorations, creations and performances that cross and transcend genres. The world has its eyes on her, and nobody stops being amazed by her talents for a moment. She is currently working on an album due out in May and continues to leave her mark on this era as a fearless interpreter determined to shatter the constraints of even the world’s most liberating music. With her impeccable vocals, exuberant energy and performance, Veronica Swift is coming to give the festival a fitting finale.
Let’s meet in the parks for the festival’s free concerts
Parklarda Caz
Saturday 4 July, 17.30, Ataşehir
Sunday 5 July, 17.30, Kadıköy
Parklarda Caz (Jazz in the Parks), the festival’s annual tradition of bringing İstanbul residents together with music in the parks, returns to the city’s parks this year. Alongside the bands selected for the festival’s Genç Caz+ programme, who will enjoy the thrill of performing before an audience, the series will also welcome Kumpania Algazarra from Portugal. Born on Portugal’s lively streets, which buzz at every hour of the day, Kumpania Algazarra is one of the country’s most powerful brass bands, with a rich musical palette spanning ska, folk, reggae, Balkan melodies, Latin rhythms and funk. Having celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024 and preparing to release a new album in May 2026, the band continues to share its world music by travelling the globe and turning every performance into a celebration. This summer the festival invites the people of İstanbul to Parklarda Caz to join in the celebratory joy with Kumpania Algazarra. The detailed Parklarda Caz programme will be announced soon.
The Genç Caz+ programme continues with the support of İKSV New Stage Partner Rönesans
Running for 24 years, the festival’s Genç Caz+ (Young Jazz+) programme gives young musicians and ensembles under 28 in Turkey who play music as amateurs or semi-professionals a platform to appear in the festival programme. This year’s Genç Caz+ programme is made possible with the support of Rönesans, which backs İKSV as New Stage Partner; the musicians and ensembles chosen after the call for applications will have the chance to share the stage with international artists at the free Parklarda Caz events held in parks in different districts of the city as part of the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival. The selected ensembles will also each earn a place with an original piece on the Genç Caz+ 26 album, to be released on digital platforms. Realised with the support of the İKSV Young Artists Fund, the album project will support the creativity and career development of talented and promising young musicians and help them make their voices heard from Turkey to the world. The deadline for Genç Caz+ applications is Friday 17 April. For more information: caz.iksv.org/tr/genc-caz/hakkinda
Garanti BBVA Festival Talks
Held in the run-up to the festival, the Garanti BBVA Festival Talks continue this year. Three talks at Salt Beyoğlu in March and April will address various topics relating to the development of jazz and contemporary music in Turkey.
On Tuesday 24 March at 18.30 at Salt Beyoğlu, the panel “Yapay zekâyla müzik: Alıştık ama anlaştık mı?” (Music with AI: We’re Used to It, But Do We Get Along?), moderated by Merve Eryürük, will bring together Lalin Akalan, founder of xtopia, known for the projects she has designed and curated on technology and artistic production in the creative industries, and producer and musician Orkun Tunç, who closely follows the global role of artificial intelligence in album-making and questions its potential in the field.
On Tuesday 7 April at 18.30 at Salt Beyoğlu, in the talk “Müziğin 40 yıllık hafızası: Pan Yayınları” (Forty Years of Music’s Memory: Pan Yayınları), moderated by experienced publisher and journalist Cem Erciyes, Pan’s founders Işık and Ferruh Gencer will discuss the publishing house’s founding vision, the risky books that brought surprise success, the balance between popular titles and niche projects, and what it means to be a music publisher in Turkey.
On Tuesday 28 April at 18.30 at Salt Beyoğlu, the panel “Müzik mekânı nasıl işler?” (How Does a Music Venue Work?), moderated by radio presenter Hasan Cenk Dereli, will bring together architect and musician Mert Üçer; Deniz Kuzuoğlu, events and content manager at Pulse, representing festivals, whose two main elements are venue and programming; and Uluç Dündar, an entertainment, events and venue management professional who builds both physical and experiential bridges between venue and music.
İstanbul Jazz Festival children’s workshops
During the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival, İKSV Alt Kat will host ‘Selen Beytekin ile Caz: Müzikten Resme’ (Jazz with Selen Beytekin: From Music to Painting) workshops for children on 7–8 July, as part of the Sanata İlk Adım (First Step into Art) programme and with the support of Alarko Holding, Sponsor of İKSV 2026 Festivals Children’s and Youth Workshops. In the workshops, aimed at the 4–6 and 7–9 age groups, children will paint in response to the music they hear, discovering how sounds, rhythms and feelings can be expressed through colour and form. The workshops will be led by musician Selen Beytekin at İKSV Alt Kat. Participation is free, and bookings open on 18 June.
Festival tickets on sale on Friday 6 March
Early-bird tickets for the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival will go on priority sale to Siyah Lale Kart (Black Tulip Card) members on Tuesday 3 March, to Beyaz Lale Kart (White Tulip Card) members on Wednesday 4 March and to Kırmızı Lale Kart (Red Tulip Card) members on Thursday 5 March.
General sales for the festival begin on Friday 6 March.
Festival tickets can be bought at early-bird prices from passo.com.tr, the Passo mobile app and Passo retail outlets.
Thanks to İKSV Founding Sponsor Eczacıbaşı, a limited number of Eczacıbaşı Genç Bilet tickets at 50 TL will be available for students at the festival.
Tickets for the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival can be bought at 10% off with all Garanti BBVA credit cards.
Discounts and priority booking for İKSV Lale Kart members
Lale Kart members, who support all of İKSV’s work through their membership, can buy tickets for İstanbul Jazz Festival concerts with priority booking and at discounted prices.
Siyah Lale Kart members can buy tickets with priority booking from Tuesday 3 March at 10.30; Beyaz Lale Kart members from Wednesday 4 March at 10.30; and Kırmızı Lale Kart members from Thursday 5 March at 10.30.
Siyah and Beyaz Lale Kart members can buy their tickets on passo.com.tr at 25% off, with the option of choosing their seats exclusively during the pre-sale days. Kırmızı Lale Kart members can buy their tickets at 15% off.
Run by İKSV since 2002, the Lale Kart membership programme gives members who make a personal contribution to culture and the arts through their support privileges and priority at the Foundation’s events. While supporting İKSV, Lale Kart members enjoy discounts and priority booking at festival events as well as discounts at many cultural, arts and lifestyle venues across İstanbul. To become a Lale Kart member and for more information: lalekart.iksv.org
The festival’s supporters
The Festival Sponsor of the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival is once again Garanti BBVA.
The festival is also supported by Rönesans Gayrimenkul as New Stage Partner, +1 as show supporter, SNOC as show sponsor and Anadolu Efes as a contributing organisation.
The festival is also made possible through the valued collaboration of the Consulate General of Brazil in İstanbul and Instituto Guimarães Rosa, Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus, Kültür AŞ, an affiliate of the İBB Service and Communication Group, the Consulate General of Italy in İstanbul, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Consulate General of Switzerland, the Hungarian Cultural Centre, Komünite, Kadıköy Municipality, Ataşehir Municipality and Swissôtel The Bosphorus.
The Atatürk Kültür Merkezi provides venue support for the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival.
The 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival is also supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, the Governorship of İstanbul, the İstanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Beyoğlu Municipality.
The festival is further supported by İKSV Founding Sponsor Eczacıbaşı Group, Airline Partner Turkish Airlines, İKSV Accommodation and Venue Sponsor The Marmara Group, İKSV 2026 Festivals Children’s and Youth Workshops Sponsor Alarko Holding, İKSV Insurance Sponsor Zurich Sigorta Grubu Türkiye and service sponsors Amerikan Hastanesi, Tempo BPO, Insider, MindBehind, GFK, Mindshare, Somera, Boosmart and Wiseback.
Media sponsors include Apaçık Radyo, Karnaval Medya Grubu, CNCB-e, Oksijen, T24, Socrates, Fayn and Time Out İstanbul.
The campaign visuals and advertising film, created around the slogan Cazda Buluşalım, were produced by Tribal Worldwide İstanbul.
We thank İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Kültür AŞ (an affiliate of the İBB Service and Communication Group), İGA Pass, İcon Dooh and Pano Effect for their support with the festival’s promotion.
To follow news about the 33rd İstanbul Jazz Festival on social media:
Instagram I X I TikTok I Facebook I YouTube I Spotify
#istanbulcazfestivali #iksv #iksvseveseve
