For decades, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland has hosted music icons across jazz, soul, pop and experimental genres. The Franschhoek edition marks the festival’s first expansion into Africa, reimagining the legendary platform through the lens of African creativity and storytelling.
Festival founder Mark Goedvolk explains that the vision was never simply to replicate the Swiss event. Instead, the aim is to create something new and culturally rooted in Africa. Franschhoek’s intimate village setting makes it the perfect canvas for this vision, offering a boutique festival experience where audiences can engage closely with artists and music.
The Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek will centre around two main performance spaces:
The Arches Main Stage: Located at the historic Huguenot monument, this stage hosts the festival’s headline performances and large-scale concerts.
Jazz Village: Set inside Franschhoek’s historic NG Kerk, this venue provides an intimate listening environment for soulful jazz performances and special collaborations.
Together, these spaces create a balance between powerful headline shows and deeply personal musical moments.
The festival opens on Friday with an exciting mix of genres and cultures. Music curator Lindsay Rhoda explains that every artist was selected for their ability to move audiences emotionally and musically while showcasing the evolving future of jazz.
The Jazz Village offers a more intimate musical experience featuring:
Saturday continues with an extraordinary mix of artists celebrating jazz, soul and African musical traditions.
The day opens with The Ploemies and Friends, a Cape jazz collective rooted in community spirit and improvisation.
The evening continues with:
Saturday’s Jazz Village programme celebrates jazz heritage and innovation with performances including:
The festival concludes on Sunday, 29 March, with a relaxed Sunday Slowdown along the Montreux Mile on Huguenot Street. This final day celebrates the relaxed charm of the Franschhoek Valley while allowing visitors to explore the village and enjoy its celebrated food and wine culture. While the main stages pause, the spirit of the festival continues with:
The Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek has been designed as a limited-capacity boutique festival, focusing on quality experiences rather than scale.
The event places African artistry at the centre of a global cultural conversation while connecting audiences with some of the world’s most influential musicians.
For music lovers, jazz enthusiasts and travellers seeking a unique cultural experience in South Africa, the inaugural Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek promises to be one of the most exciting events on the global music calendar.
