Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival

A major international festival

This year marks the 18th Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival. 

These two weeks of live performances at the Opéra Garnier in Monte-Carlo have been put together by a duo, with the creative meeting of minds making for a unique experience. The 2024 edition will explore the most inspiring jazz paths, from traditional to contemporary influences, where big band riffs meet vibrant vocal phrasing.

The live concerts can be experienced at the Salle Garnier, together with before and after events in the rotunda of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, specially fitted out for the occasion, and two magnificent moments of jazz-inspired cinema with a screening of the film Elevator to the Scaffold in collaboration with the Audiovisual Institute of Monaco, followed by a film-in-concert showing of the movie Whiplash

A cultural highlight of the winter season

In keeping with the wishes of its founder, the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival is always held in November. The choice is not a random one. Jean-René Palacio wanted an event that would complement the artistic season at the Salle Garnier, which lacked a winter event in the Principality and a festival dedicated to jazz music.

The aim was to take up residence in a unusual setting, for a celebration of contemporary music like jazz or rock.

Since the Festival’s creation, over a hundred of the top names in jazz have performed at the Opéra Garnier, including Herbie Hancock, Gregory Porter, Chick Corea, Diana Krall, Sonny Rollins, and Mélody Gardot.

A springboard to success

The Festival puts lesser known artists in the spotlight, giving them the opportunity to introduce a wider audience to their talents.

Many of them have gone on to become major stars of the jazz scene, such as Avishai Cohen, Raoul Midon, Roy Hargrove, and Esperanza Spalding.
Not forgetting, of course, the trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, who made his breakthrough at the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival in 2012 and performed at the Bercy concert arena in Paris in 2016.

Open to other styles of music

To attract a wider audience, the organisers invite artists with little or no connection to jazz.  Their aim is to bring jazz to the masses.  The Festival is open to every style of music, but never compromises its core identity.
In the past, the likes of David Hallyday, Christophe, and Quebecois singer Robert Charlesbois have all performed in the Principality during the Festival.

For more information and to book tickets