Jazz in the park – a jazz festival that takes place annually in The Central Park in Cluj-Napoca

Jazz in the park is a musical event that brings the entire community together in the central park of the city. The idea of playing live music in a public place was first put into practice in the 1970’s in the U.S.A. In Romania, it was first explored in 2013, when the first edition of Jazz in the Park took place.  

The festival was created as a celebration of jazz music and of The Central Park in Cluj-Napoca which is truly a special place for the locals. And even as the event grows bigger and stronger and more locations are being included in the repertoire, The Central Park remains the heart of the festival.

On this special occasion the people are allowed to sit on the grass (which is usually forbidden) and to hang up hammocks on the trees. There is a crafts fair, areas where people can read, art exhibitions, a meeting point for bikers and a playground for children. This year also saw the addition of a book fair.

The 2015 edition that took place between June 29th and July 5th had three stages in The Central Park and three other locations. The Main Stage was on the central alley in the park and hosted 12 concerts. The second stage was called The Youth Stage which was especially organized for the jazz music competition meant to support and encourage young talent. Finally, the third stage was The Chillout Stage, situated in the hammock area, where DJ’s played live music throughout the day.

A rather novel location was the Someş riverside, which was arranged as an urban beach. The Hungarian Opera also hosted two classical music and jazz concerts on June 30th and July 2nd. The third location was Colin’s Gastro Pub located on the outskirts of the park.

The lineup included artists from Romania and abroad. The headliners were Florin Niculescu, one of the most important jazz manouche violinists in the world, Zoe Rahman, a MOBO laureate, EYOT, the winners of Umbria Jazz Festival, Balako and Spanache Trio. The event gathered a record 50.000 participants.

Sources:

"2013 Edition" Jazz in the Park, Available at: http://www.jazzinthepark.ro/editia-2013 /, Accessed: 07.09.2015.

"50.000 de participanţi la Jazz in the Park", Ziua de Cluj, July 7th 2015, Available at: http://ziuadecj.realitatea.net/cultura/peste-50000-de-participanti-la-jazz-in-the-park-2015--139269.html , Accessed: 07.09.2015.

"Activităţi" Jazz in the Park, Available at: http://www.jazzinthepark.ro/activitati/ , Accessed: 07.09.2015.

"Artişti la Jazz in the Park", Jazz in the Park, Available at: http://www.jazzinthepark.ro/artisti/ , Accessed: 07.09.2015.

"Concept Festival", Jazz in the Park, Available at: http://www.jazzinthepark.ro/concept-festival/ , Accessed: 07.09.2015.