Gezmataz Genoa Jazz Festival 2026

Jazz in Genoa for over twenty years

The Gezmataz Genoa Jazz Festival is one of the longest-running and most appreciated jazz events in Liguria. Born in the early 2000s, it has built its identity on the encounter between high-level concerts and musical education, with workshops and masterclasses that annually involve young musicians from all over Italy. The very name of the festival recalls the idea of Genoa as a port city, a crossroads of cultures that meet and blend, uniting tradition and innovation.

The festival venues

The concerts liven up some of the most evocative places in the city. The Cortile Maggiore of Palazzo Ducale, in the heart of the historic center, and the Piazza delle Feste of the Porto Antico (Old Port), overlooking the water, provide the backdrop for the evenings, offering the audience unique atmospheres. The festival is part of the Porto Antico EstateSpettacolo program, Genoa's major summer season.

Jazz contaminations

Gezmataz's philosophy is one of contaminations: jazz open to dialogue with other genres and cultures, capable of embracing influences from around the world. Over the years, the festival has hosted internationally renowned musicians, alternating major names with special projects and moments dedicated to young talents trained in the workshops.

Music and education

What distinguishes Gezmataz is precisely the union of performance and education: alongside the evening concerts, the festival offers workshops and educational activities, in collaboration with institutions like the Conservatorio Paganini, making the event also a laboratory for the new generation of jazz musicians. An event that enriches the cultural summer of Genoa.