Africa's grandest gathering returns to Cape Town next year

IT ALWAYS starts the same way: a date, a city, a familiar name, and then the realisation that something big is coming back.

- STAFF REPORTER

This time, it's Africa's Grandest Gathering, which is returning to Cape Town.

On March 27 and 28, 2026, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival will once again take over the Cape Town International Convention Centre, launching its 23rd edition with a bold new visual identity and a first-wave lineup that signals confidence, ambition and global reach.

Ranked as the fourth largest jazz and music festival in the world, CTIJF 2026 places Cape Town firmly back at the centre of the international jazz map.

This is where the world comes to listen and where South Africa answers back.

Leading the charge is seven-time Grammy Award winner Jacob Collier, who will headline the Kippies Stage on Friday, March 27. Known for genre-defying compositions and immersive live performances, Collier’s appearance sets the tone for what organisers are calling one of the most memorable editions in the festival’s history - a moment designed not just to be heard, but experienced.