CTIJF remains Africa's Grandest Gathering

THE 2025 Cape Town International Jazz Festival roared back to life in spectacular style, drawing around 24 000 music lovers across three incredible days at the weekend.

- THEOLIN TEMBO

The festivities kicked off with a vibrant free concert in the City Centre on April 24, followed by two electrifying days of performances at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on April 25 and 26.

The free concert left audiences thrilled with performances by The Ploemies, DJ Eazy a seasoned Cape Town DJ boasting over two decades of experience, alongside the exuberant British-born, Cape Town-raised singer-songwriter Hannah Ray, the dynamic Andrea Fortuin, the much-loved Kwaito group TKZee, British acid jazz pioneers Incognito, and sensational singer Fancy Galada.

As the beats reverberated through the square, attendees of all ages soaked in the vibrant atmosphere, a celebration of not just jazz but the diversity and creativity thriving within the South African music scene.

The festival itself, affectionately known as Africa's Grandest Gathering, reaffirmed its place as one of the continent’s premier music events, attracting a dynamic, youthful, and diverse crowd from across South Africa and from as far afield as Europe, the UK and US.