April 30 celebrates UNESCO's International Jazz Day once again. In addition to jazz itself, the core message of the day is peace, intercultural cooperation, and respect for human dignity and human rights. In Finland the message is carried forward by the Finnish Jazz Federation's week-long Jazzpäivä campaign, featuring as its faces the brilliant jazz legends Olli Ahvenlahti and Iro Haarla.
Finnish Jazz Association invites you to take part in the UNESCO International Jazz Day celebration and the Jazz Day campaign! In this article, you will find the 2023 social media materials, instructions and background information on Jazz Day.
The Finnish Jazz Federation invites you to participate in UNESCO’s International Jazz Day festivities and the Jazz Day campaign!
The Finnish Jazz Federation encourages everyone involved in the jazz scene and all jazz enthusiasts to participate in celebrating the day through a range of large- and small-scale events and acknowledgments. The 2023 Jazz Day campaign aims to increase the profile of this special day and the general status of jazz as an ambassador for peace, intercultural dialogue, equality, and human rights. In Finland, the day’s festivities go hand in hand with May Day celebrations.
Join us in celebrating International Jazz Day on social media! You can find campaign imagery via the links below. The official faces of our International Jazz Day campaign 2023 are Finnish jazz musicians Olli Ahvenlahti and Iro Haarla.
Organise an event on International Jazz Day
Celebrate International Jazz Day through your own event! If you are planning a concert or other jazz related activities on 30 April or the previous week, let the Finnish Jazz Federation know by emailing maura.manninen@jazzfinland.fi . We will highlight selected posts on our Jazz Day channels, featuring events taking place on the International Jazz Day in Finland.
Here are just a few examples of how you can participate on 30 April:
- Organise a concert, jam session, or open mic event
- Dedicate your festival or club event falling on 30 April to International Jazz Day
- Curate a radio or TV broadcast featuring music from local artists, or publish a jazz themed podcast episode
Register your event at the International Jazz Day website
Register your event on UNESCO’s International Jazz Day website! The site will highlight selected posts through its own communication channels.
Here’s how to register at the International Jazz Day website:
- Register your event at the IJD website using the following web form: jazzday.com/register
- Follow IJD’s accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to IJD’s newsletter
- Participate in local and international discussions and share your thoughts about IJD by using the official hashtags #jazzpäivä #jazzday
Publish your own jazz themed posts on 30 April
#jazzpäivä
#jazzday
On 30 April, share jazz-themed posts through your own social media accounts. When you publish, use the official hashtags #jazzpäivä and #jazzday to help us keep sharing posts through the Finnish Jazz Federation’s own channels throughout the day.
Anyone can participate in celebrating International Jazz Day, and the opportunities to express your love for jazz are endless. Here are just a few examples of the many different ways of participating on 30 April:
- Share your most memorable jazz experience
- Share a video clip of a rehearsal session or a lesson taking place on the day
- Create a jazz-themed fundraiser and support the charity of your choice
- Get together with friends to listen and discuss treasures from your record collection, or introduce your own favourite album
- Tell us how you will celebrate May Day in a jazzy way!
Link to campaign images
Campaign materials:
Text materials
You may wish to share the following text with your post:
Happy UNESCO International Jazz Day on 30 April!
In November 2011, UNESCO designated April 30th as International Jazz Day, and since then jazz as an art form has been officially recognised as an ambassador for peace, intercultural dialogue, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity.
The official faces of the Finnish Jazz Federation’s 2023 Jazz Day campaign are pianist-composer Olli Ahvenlahti and pianist-composer Iro Haarla.
“Jazz is intriguing and addictive. Jazz is surprising and enchanting. Jazz speaks a language shared by everyone. Jazz is positive energy,” Ahvenlahti sums up his views on the significance of jazz to humans.
“Jazz music has the power to illuminate the human mind and to invite us to see the richness of life, ultimately bringing nations together to build peace and protect our shared planet,” Haarla reflects on the role of jazz today.
Let’s hear it for International Jazz Day!
#jazzpäivä #jazzday
International Jazz Day
In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30th as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. For over a decade, jazz as an art form has been recognised for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity. International Jazz Day brings together musicians, audiences, academics, and communities all over the world to learn about jazz and its roots, and to celebrate the future of jazz.
International Jazz Day is chaired and led by the legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and as Chairman of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
You can find more information on worldwide events celebrating International Jazz Day at the International Jazz Day website.
Photo: Olli Ahvenlahti © Seppo Sarkkinen / Iro Haarla © Maarit Kytöharju