Dear Festival Fans and Friends!

We are embarking on an adventure with the jubilee edition of the festival, 1996-2026. We are announcing the Inaugural Concerts.

He came to the jubilee festival in 2016 and is coming again for the jubilee in 2026. PAT METHENY will perform on 27 June 2026 at ICE KRAKÓW for the inauguration of the Jubilee 1996-2026 Summer Jazz Festival Kraków. Together with his four-piece band, he will present his latest programme, "Side-Eye III+", from his newly released album.

A day later, on 28 June, another opening concert will take place at the Kijów Cinema. After three years, Norwegian saxophone master JAN GARBAREK returns to the festival with his band and special guest, Indian percussionist and vocalist TRILOK GURTU.

The anniversary festival will last until 31 August 2026, presenting nearly 150 concerts, including many Polish and foreign stars.

Tickets will be available on ticketmaster.pl and at the festival office.

July

After the opening concerts in June, the summer jazz festival will get into full swing in July! As part of the Kraków Loves Miles series at the Kijów Cinema (21 July), we will be treated to a performance by the quintet of Kenny Garrett, an American saxophonist, flautist and composer renowned for his ability to blend acoustic jazz with new trends and world music. A few days later, on 25 July, Grammy Award-winning Nicholas Payton – whom Doc Cheatham has described as ‘the greatest New Orleans-style trumpeter since Louis Armstrong’ – will perform at the stage of the Manggha Museum. During New Orleans Sunday (5 July), from midday onwards, concerts will be held in the cafés on the Main Market Square. Next, the traditional parade will lead the musicians and audience to the Szczepański Square, where the celebrations will draw to a close in an international atmosphere. The line-up will include the European Saxophone Ensemble, Playing Family and Marek Bałata, Aperitivo Italiano and the Spanish Conservatori Jazz Trio. Jazz concerts will be held every (without exception!) July evening at Piwnica pod Baranami and the Harris Piano Jazz Bar. At both clubs, we will be treated to performances by Polish artists as well as renowned jazz musicians from abroad. The Italian music scene will be well represented, and Cypriot jazz will feature prominently in the programme (17 and 18 July). The capital of Małopolska will also be visited by musicians from such countries as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in July, festival-goers will be welcomed by the Globus Music Club, situated near the Podgórze Market Square, which will expand the map of musical journeys with Cuba and Indonesia. Jazz will settle in some familiar venues – at the Pod Jaszczurami Club (5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 July) and at Alchemia, situated in the heart of Kazimierz (10, 17, 23, 27 and 29 July). A new-old venue on the programme will be UNA – the club and bookshop run by the PWM Edition (Mondays), which will fill the gap left by the Kurant bookshop. Jazz events are also scheduled at the UFO Art Gallery on Podwale Street (1, 8 and 15 July), in the Secret Garden at Wszystkich Świętych Square (Wednesdays) and at the Kazimierz Gallery (Saturdays). Tuesdays at the Potocki Palace will be dedicated to the Young Artists’ Stage. The magic of jazz will even take over the hotels – Radisson Blu (4 and 5 July), Sheraton Grand (5 July) and TRIBE (3, 11 and 12 July). For those who love combining music with weekend getaways out of town, the series of Saturday concerts at Tenczyn Castle in Rudno will be a real treat. SJFK has not forgotten the legends – on 26 July, Henryk Miśkiewicz and his quartet will pay tribute to saxophonist and film composer Jerzy ‘Duduś’ Matuszkiewicz in the seat of Radio Kraków. (Karnet 7/2026)

Main concerts

• 27.06 – Pat Metheny / ICE Kraków

After a few years of absence, Pat Metheny returns to Kraków. His performance will be part of a world tour promoting Side-Eye III+, the artist’s latest album, which was released in February.

• 28.06 – Jan Garbarek feat. Trilok Gurtu / Kijów Cinema

Jan Garbarek (1947) – an outstanding tenor and soprano saxophonist (he also plays sopranino, flutes, bass saxophone, synthesizers, percussion instruments), composer, leader, one of the key figures of European jazz, co-creator of the aesthetics called ECM sound.

Kraków Loves Miles

• 21.07 – Kenny Garrett Quintet  / Kijów Cinema
• 25.07 – Nicholas Payton Trio  / Manggha Museum

Kenny Garrett (1960) – American alto saxophonist, flutist, composer, leader, one of the leading and most influential figures of world jazz. For over three decades, he has remained an active artist, valued for his ability to combine acoustic jazz with new trends and world music.

Nicholas Payton (1973) – outstanding trumpeter, pianist, vocalist, composer, band leader, Grammy Award-winner.

Source: press release