Taranto Jazz Festival
Great jazz under the stars at the Arena Villa Peripato
About Taranto Jazz
Jazz under the stars in Taranto
The Taranto Jazz Festival is the summer event that has firmly established great jazz in the Ionian capital. Conceived and directed by musician Antonio Oliveti, the festival offers several open-air evenings every July in the evocative setting of the Arena Villa Peripato, where concerts begin after sunset, turning the city's historic park into an open-air musical lounge.
The formula has been clear since the very first editions: a few high-quality events featuring leading names in Italian jazz and international guests, in a continuous dialogue between tradition, singer-songwriter music, and contemporary research.
A festival that grew with the city
Since its first edition in 2020, inaugurated by the voice of Tosca, the Taranto Jazz Festival has become one of the most anticipated musical events of the Taranto summer. Over the years, the stage has hosted artists such as Fiorella Mannoia and Danilo Rea, Raphael Gualazzi, Chiara Civello, and Nino Buonocore, alongside numerous ensembles from the vibrant Apulian and national jazz scene.
Alongside the main program, the organization also keeps the city alive out of season with the Taranto Jazz Club and winter festivals, demonstrating a cultural project that looks to the entire year, not just the summer.
The Arena Villa Peripato
The heart of the festival is the Arena Villa Peripato, on Via Pitagora, located within Taranto's most important municipal park. The historic garden overlooking the Mar Piccolo offers intimate acoustics and a cozy atmosphere, ideal for jazz: a space that has become a symbol of the City of Taranto's summer cultural programming.
Programming and identity
Each edition revolves around a theme. The festival favors bespoke projects: tributes to the great masters, encounters between prominent instrumentalists, and reinterpretations of the Italian repertoire in a jazz key. It is a proposal that speaks both to genre enthusiasts and a wider audience, curious to hear singer-songwriter music and Italian pop transfigured by improvisation.
An appointment for the Ionian Puglia
In the panorama of Puglia jazz festivals, the Taranto event occupies a precise place: that of an urban event, rooted in the Province of Taranto, capable of attracting spectators from the entire Ionian territory and neighboring provinces. It is one more reason for those visiting the 'City of Two Seas' in summer to enjoy an evening of quality music in one of its most beautiful locations.
Taranto Jazz — edition 2026
The sixth edition of the Taranto Jazz Festival, under the banner #TotalJazz, brings three evenings of great jazz to the Arena Villa Peripato. The program, curated by artistic director Antonio Oliveti, weaves together tributes to the masters and new visions of the European scene, confirming the festival's vocation for building bespoke projects rather than simple concerts.
It starts on July 24 with a major tribute to Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth, continues on the 25th with a refined homage to the cinema of Morricone and Legrand, and closes on the 26th with the contemporary and international jazz of Gaetano Partipilo. All evenings begin at 9:30 PM.
Programme Taranto Jazz 2026
Friday, July 24 — In Waiting for Miles
- 9:30 PM — Stefano Di Battista Quintet, tribute to Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth. Lineup: Stefano Di Battista (sax), Andrea Rea (piano), Daniele Sorrentino (double bass), Luigi Del Prete (drums), Matteo Cutello (trumpet).
Saturday, July 25 — Le Grand Morricone
- 9:30 PM — Cristina Renzetti (vocals) with Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano) and Ferruccio Spinetti (double bass), special guest Gabriele Mirabassi (clarinet). A tribute to the film music of Ennio Morricone and Michel Legrand.
Sunday, July 26 — Boom Collective
- 9:30 PM — Gaetano Partipilo (sax) and his Boom Collective, with the participation of American trumpeter Hermon Mehari.
Highlights Taranto Jazz 2026
Prices Taranto Jazz 2026
Practical information — Taranto Jazz
How to get there
The Arena Villa Peripato is located at Via Pitagora 71, in Taranto, near the Mar Piccolo. Those arriving by train can use the Taranto Centrale station, which is connected to the city center. By car, the city can be reached via the A14 motorway (Taranto Nord exit) or the SS7 and SS106 Ionian state roads.
Tickets
Tickets for individual evenings and season passes for the entire festival are available online on the XCEED and TicketOne platforms, as well as at the arena box office on concert nights. Advance purchase is recommended for the most popular concerts.
Times
Concerts are held in the evening, generally starting at 9:30 PM. Gates open some time before to allow for seating.
Information
For information on ticketing and accessibility, please call +39 333 3323354. Updates on the program and guests are published on the festival's official social media channels.
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Where does it take place — Taranto Jazz
Arena Villa Peripato
Via Pitagora 71, 74121 Taranto