International Jazz Day, Chicago, Illinois, USA (30 April)
Jazz is as central to Chicago’s identity as deep dish pizza and Art Deco architecture. Fitting, since this year the US city serves as the host of International Jazz Day, a Unesco initiative connecting jazz communities worldwide. The Chicago jazz genre’s lineage is still audible today at historic venues like the Green Mill (a favourite of Al Capone), The Jazz Showcase, supporting the local scene since 1940, and Buddy Guy’s Legends, where the titular blues icon still regularly holds court. International Jazz Day promises to be another standout chapter in the city’s legacy.
The headline event is a concert with Unesco Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock alongside local jazz luminaries, but expect additional announcements regarding workshops, pop-up shows and neighbourhood performances, all aimed at animating the midwestern city beyond its concert halls.
OFF Festival, Katowice, Poland (7-9 August)
Katowice, once a humble mining town about 80km outside of Krakow, has been slowly reinventing itself as one of Poland’s coolest cultural hubs. Its old factories and warehouses are being reimagined as artsy cafes, galleries and blank canvases for street art; a creative contrast to the stately National Radio Symphony Orchestra hall. It’s fitting that Katowice, a Unesco Music City, is also the home of OFF Festival, an event founded to showcase indie, punk, jazz and experimental music from across the world.
In the past, artists have taken the lake-side festival’s mandate to heart, like Xiu Xiu, who once used their slot to play a wild, David Lynch-influenced set. So, while you can expect notable acts like Amyl and the Sniffers and Earl Sweatshirt at the 2026 edition (with more to be announced), be sure to check out the experimental stage, which this year will host special performances honoring the 200th anniversary of the birth of Polish folklorist and composer Oskar Kolberg.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.bbc.com ’
