For its new edition, the Festival Marseille Jazz des Cinq Continents returns from 1 to 12 July 2026, with a tight programme built around five evenings and ten artists, from the deconstructed flamenco of Israel Galván to the virtuoso bass of Marcus Miller, by way of British jazz mavericks GoGo Penguin and Ezra Collective. Three Marseille venues host these nights: the Centre de la Vieille Charité, the rooftop of the Friche Belle de Mai, and the Parc Henri Fabre. Here is the full programme.
Wednesday 1 July, 8 pm: opening at the Vieille Charité
Israel Galván & Michael Leonhart open the 2026 edition in the courtyard of the Vieille Charité. The pairing is as rare as it is eagerly awaited: Galván, the most iconoclastic flamenco dancer of his generation, joins Leonhart, the New York trumpeter and arranger who has worked with Steely Dan and Levon Helm. The setting of the Vieille Charité, Pierre Puget's Baroque masterpiece at the heart of the Panier district, gives this opening concert a particular intensity. Limited capacity; book early.
Friday 3 July, 8 pm: Abdullah Miniawy at the Vieille Charité
A second night at the Vieille Charité, with another singular voice from the contemporary scene: Abdullah Miniawy, Egyptian poet, singer and composer, who works Sufi trance at the crossroads of electronics, free jazz and spoken word. A proposition for audiences curious about the outer edges of Arab jazz.
Tuesday 7 July, 8 pm: on the rooftop of the Friche
The Festival takes to the heights, literally. The rooftop terrace of the Friche la Belle de Mai, one of Marseille's most breathtaking viewpoints, hosts two complementary acts.
- Obradovic-Tixier Duo : drummer Lada Obradović and pianist David Tixier, two leading figures in contemporary European jazz.
- Gilles Peterson : the British nu-jazz legend in DJ set mode, extending the evening into the broken beat, soul and Latin jazz universe he has been charting for thirty years.
A concert to watch at sunset over the rooftops of the 3rd arrondissement, one of the most coveted evenings of this year's festival.
Thursday 9 July, 7:30 pm: British night at Parc Henri Fabre
A triple bill with a clear focus on contemporary UK jazz at Parc Henri Fabre, the festival's grand open-air setting.
- Awa Ly : Franco-Senegalese singer, a soul-folk voice of rare dramatic power, opens the evening.
- GoGo Penguin : the Manchester trio continues to embody that wave of cinematic jazz that blends classical minimalism, electronica and post-rock energy.
- Ezra Collective : winners of the Mercury Prize in 2023, the London quintet reinvents jazz at the intersection of afrobeat, grime and hip-hop. One of the most euphoric live shows on the international scene right now.
Two of the biggest British acts of the moment, on the same stage on the same night: the unmissable slot for anyone who wants to take the pulse of the jazz being written in London today.
Sunday 12 July, 7:30 pm: closing with Marcus Miller at Parc Henri Fabre
The festival closes with a monumental bill at Parc Henri Fabre.
- Cyril Benhamou : French pianist opening the evening.
- Marcus Miller : the legend. The most recognisable fretless bass in contemporary jazz, shaped by Miles Davis and Luther Vandross, makes his return to Marseille for an evening that already feels like one of the highlights of the Mediterranean summer.
- Kyoto Jazz Massive ft. Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra : the Japanese duo Shuya and Yoshihiro Okino, global references in club jazz and broken beat, in an expanded orchestral formation. This is, without a doubt, the most singular curiosity of this edition.
An evening that closes twelve days of one of the most internationally ambitious programmes Marseille has seen in a long time.
The 2026 festival venues
A tighter edition, but one that radically shifts the festival's usual geography.
- Centre de la Vieille Charité : heart of the Panier district (2nd arrondissement), a Baroque masterpiece with an intimate capacity. For the opening concerts (1 July) and Abdullah Miniawy (3 July).
- Rooftop terrace of the Friche Belle de Mai : Belle de Mai (3rd arrondissement), accessible from Marseille Saint-Charles station. For 7 July.
- Parc Henri Fabre : the festival's grand open-air green setting for the two large-capacity evenings (9 and 12 July). This is where the audience settles in with a blanket.
Getting here from across the PACA region
Traffic and parking information is communicated by the organisers and the town hall before the event: check it before you set off. MR Taxi drops you as close as possible and picks you up at the exit, from all towns in the region, at the guaranteed maximum price announced at booking. If the place is hard to reach, I will give you an easily accessible meeting point.
It is advisable to book at least 24 hours ahead, but even at the last minute I adapt and find a solution. Estimate your trip on the Private transport page or contact us.
