The Südtirol Jazzfestival has been cancelled

Not even the Südtirol Jazzfestival has remained unscathed. In light of the virus’ outbreak, the Festival will not take place for the first time in its 38 editions. The international event has been postponed to 2021, when it will perform across more than 40 locations in South Tyrol and introduce festivalgoers to new trends from the European jazz scene.
 
The 38th edition of the Südtirol Jazzfestival was ready to go, and its programme was just days away from being published. This year’s edition would have focused on Eastern Europe, namely the countries touched by the Danube. The organisers postponed the programme as soon as the Covid crisis occurred and entertained numerous scenarios. After long deliberation, a decision was finally made: the festival has been cancelled.
 
Klaus Widmann, the festival’s President, states: ‘It would have been a great festival featuring breathtaking locations and outstanding artist hailing from across all Eastern Europe. We would like to thank all partners who supported us during these difficult times, and who will continue supporting us in the future.’ In the following days the artists and band projects will be published on the website and across social media – despite not being able to perform, the artists will still gain visibility.
 
Over the course of many years, the Südtirol Jazzfestival has been taking place at the end of June in over 40 locations scattered around all South Tyrol. The Festival has been recognised internationally for its exceptional musical pedigree besides being an important driver for the local tourism and economy. So much so that the cancellation does not only affect musicians who have lost an important opportunity to perform. Countless companies and institutions participate, one way or another, in events and the cancellation of a festival of this size has severely impacted the industry.
 
And yet, despite the cancellation, the festival’s team and president, Mr Widmann, maintain an optimistic outlook for the future. ‘We do not want to bury our heads in the sand: we will be working even harder on the festival’s next edition which will take place between 25 June and 4 July 2021.’ According to the President, they could even offer a teaser concert in autumn or an event replacing the Südtirol Jazzfestival for 2020. However, these are only tentative ideas – the organisers will have to see how the situation evolves before proposing any practical activities.
 
Save the date:
Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige 2021
25 June – 4 July 2021
www.suedtiroljazzfestival.com
 
Photo: Concert at Tiers am Rosengarten during the Südtirol Jazzfestival 2019 © GPichler
 
Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige Aftermovie 2019: https://youtu.be/s8I2S3WM2v4