The 58th International Pori Jazz Festival kicks off on Friday 11 July and, as usual, there will be a varied programme of free concerts.
The opening concert of Pori Jazz will take place at the Cafe Pori Jazz in Kirjurinluoto on Friday 11.7. at 18:00 with the Pori Big Band feat. Antti Sarpila & Heidi Viljanen.
From Friday to Tuesday 15 July, there will be free and non-age-limited concerts on the Vaakuna Stage on the Gallen-Kallelankatu summer promenade. Performers include Olli Soikkeli & Marian Petrescu Duo, Siina Suutarinen, Kasper Halttunen 5tet, Herd, OTOM Quartet, Oiva Haapamäki Quartet, Ina Forsman, Martti Vesala Soundpost Quintet, Maja Mannila, Helmi Antila Quartet and Jimi Tenor Band.
Pori Jazz 66 ry, the former organizer of the Pori Jazz Festival, will produce the evening performances from Friday 11 July to Tuesday 15 July at Winston Live. The evenings are K-18.
On Wednesday 16 July, the highly anticipated Jazz Street will open and the Satakunta Stage will host Joonas Haavisto Trio, Riitta Paakki Quartet, Reiska Laine Quartet, Sampo Hiukkanen String Theory, Kaisa’s Machine and Max Zenger Blokus, among others, from 16-19 July. The Italian Lorenzo De Finti Quartet and the Estonian-Danish Maria Faust Jazz Catastrophe: 3rd mutation will add international color on Saturday 19 July. Jazzkaar, the largest jazz festival in the Baltic States (held in Tallinn every spring), will present Estonian jazz on Friday 18 July and Saturday 19 July. All concerts on Satakunta Stage are free of charge and open to all ages. On Wednesday 16 July and Thursday 17 July, the stage will also host the first-ever Pori Business Forum, with interesting discussions.
On Wednesday 16.7. on the small stage of the Pori Theatre, the 90th birthday of Finnish jazz legend Juhani Aaltonen will be celebrated this year with the Juhani Aaltonen Trio feat. Heikki Sarmanto & Iro Haarla. Later the same evening, the Fantasy Music – Arttu Takalo, Kadi Vija, Katri Tikka ensemble will also perform. The official jam sessions of the festival will take place on the small stage of Pori Theatre from Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 July and sessions will be hosted by Mikko ”Gunu” Karjalainen. Unlike previous years, the jams are free of charge.
The free program also includes the previously announced Lokki Stage concert on Wednesday 16 July, featuring the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra feat. Paleface & Adele Sauros.
The program for the Pori Jazz Kids festival, which is aimed at the whole family, will be published on Thursday 5 June.
In total, 58th Pori Jazz will offer 90 concerts in its full program for the summer of 2025, 48 of which are free of charge.