Calendar / Festival International de Jazz de Saint-Louis
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Music & Culture Festivals in Saint-Louis
Festival International de Jazz de Saint-Louis
May 12–16, 2027ExpectedSaint-Louis Jazz 2027
Run by Association Saint-Louis Jazz, with published dates and a real program.
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why go
The Festival International de Jazz de Saint-Louis is the oldest and most important jazz festival in West Africa, held every May in the UNESCO-listed island town where the Senegal River meets the sea. Founded in 1993, it draws crowds of around thirty thousand to the open-air main stage on Place Baya and to a fringe of off concerts, jam sessions and street parades that fill the colonial-era streets for five nights. The programme mixes international jazz names with Senegalese and wider West African artists, and the setting, an island of ochre facades and iron balconies below the Faidherbe Bridge, is as much the draw as the line-up. In 2026 it reaches its thirty-fourth edition.
When it runs
About five nights in mid-May each year on Place Baya in Saint-Louis. Upcoming: 13 to 17 May 2026 (34th edition); a 2027 edition is expected in mid-May.
- May 12–16, 2027ExpectedSaint-Louis Jazz 2027
- Ran May 13–17, 2026Saint-Louis Jazz 2026 (34th)
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
The festival runs for about five nights in mid-May each year, centred on Place Baya with off concerts scattered across the island. May in Saint-Louis is hot and dry ahead of the summer rains, so light clothing and sun cover help. Main-stage tickets and passes sell through the festival, while the off programme and street sessions are largely free.
Getting there & around
Saint-Louis is about four hours north of Dakar by road or a short domestic flight, and the festival's venues are walkable on the island. Rooms in the historic hotels and guesthouses fill up months ahead for the festival weekend, so book early. The main stage on Place Baya is a short walk from the Faidherbe Bridge and the island's guesthouses.
Where it happens
Saint-Louis, Senegal.
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