If you love world jazz and fancy a cool weekend getaway in September look no further than the Aegean island of Bozcaada and its annual three day jazz festival.
Accessible by sea – a short ferry ride (40 mins) from either Geyikli or Çanakkale – this cosy island measures just 37 square kilometres and has a population of a little over 3,100 people.
Although off the beaten track, visitors making the trip to Bozcaada (Tenedos in Greek) quickly fall in love with this oasis of cultural happenings that grows its own organic produce, from grapes and wine to cheese and olive oil.
Since 2017, the island has played host to the Bozcaada Jazz Festival, which brings together national and international jazz artists spanning different generations and genres for an eclectic and immersive weekend of amazing music and more!
Bozcaada Jazz Festival is a founding member of the Turkey Jazz Network, which took root in 2020, and a member of the Europe Jazz Network since 2019, helping it to attract a diverse line-up to its annual music fest.
This year’s programme kicks off with pioneering Turkish jazz drummer Ferit Odman and his band. The quintent are part of a line-up of 12 artists that includes British saxophonist and composer Nubya Garcia, the chilled grooves of France’s Kazy Lambist, Volkan Öktem – drummer to stars such as Tarkan, trumpeter Avishai Cohen Big Vicious, and a special collective (the Bozcaada Ensemble) featuring Derya Yıldırım, Elif Dikeç, Itamar Borochov, and İsmail Altunbaş.
For those looking for a little more than music, Bozcaada Jazz Festival is also part of the BCF Discovery (Keşif) programme with range of activities such as workshops, panel discussions, walks, tastings, and trips, helping participants to “unleash their creative potential and immerse themselves in a vibrant and engaging experience.”
This year’s theme centres on humanist Johan Huizinga’s concept of ‘Homo Ludens’ / Man the Player, which aims to showcase the creative power of playing ‘games’ in the face of various challenges.
See below for more details and tickets.
FESTIVAL DETAILS
Title: Bozcaada Jazz Festival
Date: the festival starts on Friday 08 September 2023 and runs until Sunday 10 September 2023
Time: The music programme starts at 6pm each evening
Venue: Ayazma Manastır, Cumhuriyet, Ayazma mevki küme evler no 8, 17680
Bozcaada / Çanakkale, Türkiye
Admission: A daily ticket is 1,100 TL. Or buy a Weekend Pass for 1.950 TL (a Student concession Weekend Pass is 1,462.50 TL)
Tickets: You can purchase tickets for Bozcaada Jazz Festival 2023 online via Passo – click here.
More information: click here for the Bozcaada Caz Festivali website
Main image, top, of 3 artists playing Bozcaada Jazz Festival 2023, L-R: Kazy Lambist, Ferit Odman, and Nubya Garcia (photo © Tarona www.tarona.nl). Photos via Facebook or Bozcaada Jazz Festival.
