Jazz à Juan 2018 : The Ultimate Guide

The 58th Jazz à Juan Jazz Festival will be hosted from 12 to 22 July 2018 at the waterfront venue at Pinède Gould in Juan les Pins.

Jazz à Juan is one of my favourite music events here on the Côte d’Azur because the location itself is fantastic with a setting overlooking the sea, and it has an excellent track record for a yearly programme that includes both classic and contemporary musicians and bands.   It really is a special place for watching international music as the sun sets!

Jazz à Juan 2018 :  The Juan les Pins Jazz Festival

Last year, over 25,000 spectators enjoyed the concerts at Jazz à Juan with over 5,000 fans enjoying the series of mini concerts that are part of the ‘Jazz Off’ festival.   The 2017 programme featured some diverse acts and I particularly enjoyed Tom Jones, Macy Gray and Gregory Porter, Luke Elliot and TajMo, Kandace Springs, and festival regulars Buddy Guy and Jamie Cullum.

The top 3 concerts by sales in 2017 were Sting, Macy Gray/Gregory Porter and Tom Jones.

 

Pinède Gould is a wonderful setting beside the sea in Juan les Pins (image credit ©Vertige Photos)

The Jazz à Juan 2018 programme in order of appearance (all concerts start 8.30pm):

• The opening night acts on 12 July : French musician Charles Pasi brings his ‘Bricks Tour’ to Juan les Pins and will join rock artist Lenny Kravitz on his ‘Raise Vibration Tour‘

Lenny Kravitz will be performing at Jazz à Juan 2018 in support of his 11th studio album ‘Raise Vibration’ (promo: EventsUncut)

• The Eli Degibri Quarter and André Manoukian Quarter return for a concert on Fête Nationale (14 July); the same night there will be a free public fireworks display starting at 10.15pm in the bay of Juan les Pins.
• Jazz à Juan regular Nile Rodgers & Chic will be getting the crowd dancing with Earth, Wine and Fire on July 16

Get your dancing shoes on because Nile Rodgers and Chic join Earth, Wind and Fire for a concert at Jazz à Juan on July 16 (photo: GHK)

• July 17’s line-up include Carla Bruni, Tigran Hamasyan and Melody Gardot
• Acoustic fans will enjoy the sounds of Chick Corea with John Patitucci and Dave Weckl, along with David Sanborn – all perform on 18 July starting from 8.30pm
• Popular Belgian artist Selah Sue is joined on 19 July by Marcus Miller, Biréli Lagrene, Charlier and Sourisse
• The 20th of July sees an appearance from the Orchestra of Cannes Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur with Youn Sun Nah, a South Korean jazz singer.  She always performs an eclectic set list and will be one to watch for surprises!  The evening sees her take the stage alongside Angelique Kidjo and Ibrahim Maalouf.

• American multiple Grammy-winner Norah Jones is back in town for a concert on 21 July, joined for the evening line-up by Dhafer Youssef.
• For the last evening of the programme, a free gospel concert courtesy of Como Mamas takes place on 22 July from 8.30pm (reservation necessary via the Antibes or Juan les Pins tourist offices).

FOR THE FULL PROGRAMME, GO HERE:  Juan Les Pins Jazz Festival 2018 Programme

Le Jazz Off : Jazz à Petite Pinede | Best of Du Off | Jazz at the Kiosque 

During the Festival, free mini concerts will be held from 6.30pm at Petite Pinède in Juan les Pins (Petite Pinède is located beside the main park in Juan les Pins, opposite Sweet Caffé and the Garden Beach Hotel).  The schedule and band list for the nightly sessions at Petite Pinède is here:  https://www.jazzajuan.com/fr-fr/lejazzoff/jazzàlapetitepinède.aspx

Jazz à Juan has a series of free mini concerts throughout the Festival including at Petite Pinède (photo: © Gilles Lefrancq)

Best of Du Off will be held on 15 July in the streets of Antibes and Juan les Pins.  It is an energetic family-friendly series of 15 free concerts, featuring bands of different styles.  The atmosphere is usually very friendly with busy restaurants and bars.  Originally, all concerts were to be performed from the late afternoon onwards however due to the fact that the French football team has made the World Cup final, the performance times have been modified. Juan les Pins concerts will now be from 11.30am to 12.30pm and Antibes concerts are from 4pm to 5pm – for the updated list of locations and band information, find out more here Best of Du Off 2018.  Last year, a friend of mine from the JZ Festival in Shanghai was here with their new Chinese jazz musicians and it was great to see some energetic and entertaining bands roaming the local area for the Du Off concerts.

From 15 to 20 July, free mini concerts will also be held in Antibes at the band rotunda at Place Nationale from 7pm each night.  The schedule and band list for the Kiosque is here:  https://www.jazzajuan.com/fr-fr/lejazzoff/jazzsurlekiosque.aspx

Festival Facilities

The venue for Jazz à Jazz is Pinède Gould, the famous pine tree grove in Juan les Pins overlooking the bay of Juan les Pins.

For visitors to the Juan les Pins Jazz Festival, you’ll find an intimate open-air concert site that is wheelchair accessible and located on flat ground, excluding the concert stands.

I have found that in previous years (including the 2017 Jazz à Juan) there have always been plenty of ushers, first aid staff and security staff.  In particular, I pay attention to staff assisting Festival goers with special needs and for first aid, so I have first-hand experience that the site support for the Festival is overall excellent.  Festival facilities include:

• Plenty of helpful ushers, first aid staff and security staff
• Accessible toilets are situated at the rear of the Tribunes and Gallery seating closest to Boulevard Baudoin (beside the Pinède playground)
• A special car parking offer at the underground parking at nearby Palais des Congrès. This is valid from 15 to 22 July from 6pm to 2am; simply show your concert ticket at the parking office on level -2 and receive a special parking rate €10,50.  There is also other pay parking situated at Port Gallice, Hotel Ambassadeurs and Garden Beach Hotel, all open 24 hours.
• Designated concert viewing area for wheelchair users
• Press zone with Wifi, seating and tables.  Note:  The Press Zone is not located in close proximity to the stage but you have a partial view of the stage from there.   The Festival press team are always readily available daily during the Festival.
• A souvenir boutique selling merchandise such as postcards, caps, t-shirts, mugs, beach bags and Panama hats
• Food and drink outlets each side of the stage selling water, soft drinks, snacks, draught beer and Champagne.  Note:  Last year, there was some slow service and Champagne did run out after 2 hours on some evenings as well as a few bar staff who were not skilled at opening or serving Champagne, so I hope this is remedied for the 2018 Festival.
• Les Jardins du Jazz is a VIP experience at neighbouring Plage Ambassadeur.  Must have a minumum of 10 per table and includes a personalized welcome from 7pm, dinner at the beach (from 7pm to 10.30pm) and private box seats enabling you to see the concert of your choice as a privileged guest.

Map of seating and layout at Jazz à Juan / Juan les Pins Jazz Festival 2018 (map: Jazz à Juan)

Buying tickets for Jazz à Juan 2018

As per the map above, if you want to sit directly in front of the stage and enjoy the main acts less than 20 metres away, the optimal tickets to buy are Carré d’Or.  The next best seats are Category 1. 

The Juan les Pins Jazz Festival offer a variety of tickets with different price brackets including Category 4, Category 3, Category 2, Category 1 and Carré d’Or.

Last year, 64% of sales were made online across 5 continents and 30 countries confirming the Festival’s international reputation (stat:  Jazz à Juan Press Office).

There are reduced ticket prices for Categories 3 and 4 for people under 18 years of age, students and job seekers; these tickets are not sold online, to obtain one of these reduced tickets contact Laurence via email:  jazzajuan@antibesjuanlespins.com  There are also combined ticket deals where you receive 25% discount for buying tickets for 2 concerts.

Ticket Notes: The ‘Standing Only’ (Zone Debout) tickets are not sold until Category 4 tickets are sold out.  The Festival has some hugely popular acts this year – particularly Lenny Kravitz, Nile Rodgers/Chic/Earth, Wind & Fire, Selah Sue and Norah Jones – so get your tickets far in advance to avoid disappointment!

To buy your tickets for the 2018 Festival, go to the official website www.jazzajuan.com

To close this guide I leave you with Lenny Kravitz’s comments:  “I’m not a rock star, I’m not a sex symbol, I’m a musician who has things to say.”  I’m looking forward to a repertoire of great songs and entertainment for Jazz à Juan 2018!

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