The 11th We Jazz Festival will take place in Helsinki from November 23 to 30. This extensive event in Helsinki showcases top-tier jazz in a community atmosphere, featuring once again the special concepts that have proven very popular. Tickets for the festival are now on sale at Tiketti.
Known as one of the highlights of the music year, the We Jazz Festival kicks off this week. The festival presents top-notch jazz from Finland and around the world, featuring six days of musical discoveries across Helsinki. The largest single music gathering will take place at Kulttuuritehdas Korjaamo on November 30, showcasing the most high-quality and significant international jazz lineup in Helsinki's modern era within a single evening.
The festival will also feature traditional and much-loved concepts like Salakeikka (Secret Gig) and the "Jazz kiinnostaa" radio brunch, which will be broadcast live on Radio Helsinki on Sunday, November 24. Salakeikka is a unique concept where the performance location and the performers are kept secret until the last moment. Moreover, the event is smartphone-free, creating a focused, peaceful, and "digital detox" atmosphere for immersive experiences.
On Saturday, November 30, the AINON Quartet will perform two children's concerts at Korjaamo, continuing the development of last year's sold-out interactive concert idea for kids. The goal is to offer music to children "undiluted" but in a time and format suitable for younger audiences. Each concert will be divided into shorter sections, and there will be music-themed activities for kids, including opportunities to explore instruments and meet the musicians.
"Special concepts attract audiences, as Salakeikka was our first sold-out event this year," says We Jazz’s Artistic Director Matti Nives. "The whole ethos of We Jazz is built around exploration, and we want to offer the audience something out of the ordinary. An unexpected context, encountering entirely new music, or hearing a band up close creates a memorable experience. I’m delighted that our special events continue to be popular year after year—our audience clearly loves adventure! Curiosity is a great antidote to the cynicism of our time."
On November 29, the Museum of Technology will be taken over for an immersive event, with Finland's leading visual event design agency Sun Effects participating in the production. The award-winning band Superposition will perform a specially crafted 1+2+3+4 concept for the festival, expanding their usual expression. The major name in Finnish experimental music, Lau Nau, will also perform for the first time as a duo with American saxophonist Jonah Parzen-Johnson.
Spatially, the We Jazz Festival unfolds between the Salakeikka on November 23 and the mega-night at Korjaamo with 12 ensembles on November 30, introducing new We Jazz venues (Hobo Hotel Helsinki, Museum of Technology) alongside established favorites (Café Sävy, G Livelab Helsinki, Peloton Cycling Eatery).
Described in visitor surveys as "mind-opening," the festival has been praised for its "deep humanity combined with a passion for good music." According to feedback, it is a "long-awaited low-threshold urban festival" that is "relaxed, open-minded, and on a human scale."
We Jazz 2024
Helsinki, 23.–30.11.
Event website: wejazz.fi/2024
Facebook Event
Tickets: Tiketti
Artists (A-Z)
AINON
Angelika Niescier & Maria Portugal
Berke Can Özcan & Jonah Parzen-Johnson
Black Diamond
divr
Goran Kajfeš Tropiques
Heli Hartikainen: Chronovariations
Jazz kiinnostaa
Joakim Berghäll & Adele Sauros: Runoja rauhalle
Jonah Parzen-Johnson & Lau Nau
Jules Reidy
Lampen
Murray / Håker Flaten / Nilssen-Love
Nacka Forum
Oaagaada
Olli Ahvenlahti New Quintet
*secret gig*
Superposition 1+2+3+4
Sven Wunder
The Necks
The Separatist Party
Timo Lassy Trio
We Jazz DJs & Friends
Venues
G Livelab Helsinki
Hobo Hotel Helsinki
Kahvila Sävy
Kulttuuritehdas Korjaamo
Peloton Cycling Eatery
Tekniikan museo
Partners
Fat Lizard Brewing Co., Hobo Hotel Helsinki, Radio Helsinki, Museum of Technology, University of the Arts Sibelius Academy
Supporters
City of Helsinki, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Music Promotion Center, Emilie and Rudolf Gesellius Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, William Thurings Foundation, Yrjö Sirola Foundation
facebook.com/wejazz
instagram.com/wejazzhelsinki
twitter.com/wejazzhelsinki