The Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2025, recognized as the largest music event on the African continent, attracted approximately 24,000 people to South Africa.
The festival featured a diverse program combining jazz, fusion, soul, R&B, and world music, catering to a wide range of tastes across different age groups, Pretoria News, a partner of TV BRICS, reported.
Shaakirah Adams, the festival’s head, outlined the event’s vision: “Our goal was to honour the legacy of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival while boldly stepping into a new chapter that embraces diversity, youthfulness, and innovation.”
Adams also highlighted the significant economic benefits generated by the festival. “The economic spin-off is significant, particularly through the free concert in the heart of the city at Greenmarket Square,” she said. “This area is revitalising not just economically, but spiritually – bringing people from all walks of life together to celebrate through song and dance.”
The Cape Town International Jazz Festival brought together a lineup of international and local artists, including stars such as Black Coffee and Nduduzo Makhathini, alongside Lira, Thandiswa Mazwai, and the Igor Butman Quartet.
Russian musician Igor Butman expressed his enthusiasm after his quartet’s performance. “My dream has come true! We are very happy that the audience and colleagues from South Africa celebrated our performance so much and will definitely come back again,” Butman said. He also mentioned discussions regarding future collaborations: “We managed to meet the president of Cape Town International Jazz Festival Iqbal Surve and discussed cooperation between Cape Town Jazz Festival and the festivals we hold in Russia.”
The festival’s atmosphere was also a key draw for attendees. Brathew van Schalkwyk, a festival participant, said: “You get inspired going to things like this, and that’s kind of been the whole thing with the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. It’s just so much fun to be at this festival and be inspired by all the music.”
According to Adams, the festival is a considerable source of employment. She noted that the event employs a significant number of people to help stage it. Furthermore, Adams stated that up to 2024, the festival had created more than 31,000 direct and indirect jobs and had hosted more than 2,000 South African and 1,600 international artists.
