In a nutshell
• From 18 to 29 November 2026 at the Salle Garnier, The Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Place du Casino.
• 20th edition: the festival celebrates twenty years of adventure in 2026.
• A programme blending jazz, soul, gospel, funk, electronic, rock and cinema.
• Pre- and post-show events are scheduled at the Café de la Rotonde, at the Casino de Monte-Carlo.
Twenty years of musical adventure in Monaco
Founded in 2006 on the initiative of Jean-René Palacio, the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival will celebrate twenty years of musical adventure in 2026. For this 20th edition, Alfonso Ciulla, Artistic Director of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, has devised a programme described as generous, daring and open to the world.
After two decades marked by great French and international voices, the festival continues its journey in 2026 with artists and musical styles spanning several generations, brought together at the Opéra Garnier Monte-Carlo.
The programme for the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival 2026
18 November – Académie Rainier III. The festival opens with the traditional concert by young musicians from the Académie Rainier III, an event that showcases up-and-coming artists in the stunning setting of the Salle Garnier.
20 November – Youn Sun Nah and Gregory Porter. Youn Sun Nah, a leading contemporary jazz vocalist, performs with a new band. She shares the bill with Gregory Porter, a two-time Grammy Award winner in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category, whose musical style spans blues, gospel and soul.
21 November – Thanda Choir and Melody Gardot. Founded in 2023, the Thanda Choir brings together fifteen artists and showcases the sounds of South Africa on its first international tour. The evening continues with Melody Gardot, who celebrated twenty years in the business in 2024 and is renowned for her mysterious, velvety voice.
22 November – Jazz & Cinema. In partnership with the Institut Audiovisuel de Monaco, the festival is screening *The Man with the Golden Arm*, directed by Otto Preminger in 1955. Frank Sinatra stars as Frankie Machine, determined to become a jazz drummer despite his troubled past.
25 November – Tyreek McDole, Selah Sue and The Gallands. The Haitian-American singer Tyreek McDole brings jazz infused with Caribbean rhythms. Selah Sue follows, accompanied by the father-and-son duo The Gallands.
26 November – Gogo Penguin and The Brand New Heavies. The Manchester-based trio Gogo Penguin present their album *Necessary Fictions*, a blend of jazz and electronic music, with Daudi Matsiko appearing as a special guest. The Brand New Heavies, pioneers of acid jazz for over forty years, will round off the evening with a set blending jazz, soul, funk and hip-hop.
27 November – Marillion. The British band, formed in 1979, takes to the stage at the Salle Garnier for an evening of rock, virtuosity and emotion.
28 November – Lila-May and Thomas Dutronc. Lila-May opens the evening with jazz that embraces contemporary musical styles. Thomas Dutronc follows with a show created in 2026: he builds on Chet Baker’s cool jazz style, pays tribute to the legacy of Django Reinhardt and reinterprets classics from the Great American Songbook.
29 November – Soweto Gospel Choir. The festival closes with ‘JOY’, a show by the Soweto Gospel Choir – a South African ensemble and three-time Grammy Award winner – blending music, dance and faith.
Jazz in all its diversity
This programme illustrates the diversity championed by the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival. Vocal jazz, soul, gospel, funk, electro, acid jazz and rock come together over the course of the evenings, in a spirit of openness that has characterised the festival since its inception.
The events announced in the press release will take place at the Salle Garnier in the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, on the Place du Casino. The official website also announces ‘Before’ and ‘After’ events at the Café de la Rotonde, in the Casino de Monte-Carlo, to coincide with the concerts.
FAQ