Paris, Washington, D.C. and Abu Dhabi – The 2025 edition of International Jazz Day 2025 will be celebrated in more than 190 countries on 30 April, with Abu Dhabi selected as the Global Host City. Organized by UNESCO and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, this celebration will feature concerts and educational and cultural initiatives.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this International day on a high note in the UNESCO Creative City of Music Abu Dhabi. This edition will highlight the city’s rich tapestry of creativity and cultural heritage while showcasing jazz’s ability to connect communities and promote dialogue and peace across continents,” declared UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), a UNESCO Creative City of Music, will serve as a vibrant center of this worldwide celebration. A five-week, citywide series of jazz performances, education programmes and community events will take place in the city, including the internationally broadcast International Jazz Day 2025 All-Star Global Concert on April 30th at Etihad Arena, the region’s largest indoor entertainment venue.
Led by iconic pianist Herbie Hancock and hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons, this concert will bring together an extraordinary lineup of renowned jazz, blues, classical, and hip- hop artists from around the world. Among those set to perform: Arqam Al Abri (UAE), John Beasley (USA), Dee Dee Bridgewater (USA), A Bu (China), Terri Lyne Carrington (USA), Kurt Elling (USA), Ruthie Foster (USA), José James (USA), Rhani Krija (Morocco), John McLaughlin (UK), Hélène Mercier (France/Canada), Marcus Miller (USA), Linda May Han Oh (Australia), John Pizzarelli (USA), Dianne Reeves (USA), Arturo Sandoval (USA), Naseer Shamma (Iraq), Danilo Pérez (Panama), and Varijashree Venugopal (India). Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Jazz has always been about bringing people together, breaking barriers, and inspiring creativity across cultures. International Jazz Day reminds us that music has the power to transcend borders, foster dialogue, and spark joy and hope,” said Herbie Hancock.
Concert tickets are available here. The concert will also be streamed live to millions around the world via UNTV, UNESCO, jazzday.com, Facebook, YouTube and other international media partners.
International Jazz Day 2025 will feature thousands of events worldwide in small towns and major cities, from intimate performances to large-scale concerts at leading cultural centers. Artists, educators, and institutions across the globe will organize masterclasses, jam sessions, panel discussions, and educational workshops, reflecting the profound impact of jazz as a unifying force.
A full month of events in Abu Dhabi
Building on the momentum of International Jazz Day, Jazz Month Abu Dhabi will extend the global festivities and reinforce jazz’s presence in the region. It will include live performances, pop-up concerts, workshops, artist residencies, and educational events, underscoring jazz’s connections to diverse musical traditions and artistic disciplines.
Activities will be held at major cultural and educational institutions including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, and New York University Abu Dhabi, along with hospitals, senior centers, children’s libraries, and schools. Special performances will highlight jazz’s integration with traditional instruments such as the oud, qanoon, and ney, showcasing the ongoing dialogue between jazz and local cultural expressions.
This year’s International Jazz Day also coincides with the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, a global, annual gathering that brings together a collective of creative thinkers, decision-makers, artists, designers, changemakers, and leaders from the culture and creative industries. The Summit will include special programmes, including panels and conversations with Herbie Hancock and other renowned artists.
To learn more about International Jazz Day 2025 and register events on the official website, visit www.jazzday.com or www.unesco.org/en/international-jazz-day
About International Jazz Day
Established by the General Conference of UNESCO in 2011 and recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, International Jazz Day brings together countries and communities worldwide every 30 April. The annual International Jazz Day celebration highlights the power of jazz and its role in promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity and respect for human dignity.
International Jazz Day has become a global movement reaching more than 2 billion people annually on all continents through education programmes, performances, community outreach, radio, television and streaming, along with electronic, print and social media. The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing International Jazz Day each year.
About UNESCO
With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions. Its Director-General is Audrey Azoulay.
“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed” – UNESCO Constitution, 1945.
More information: www.unesco.org
About Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz preserves, perpetuates and expands jazz as a global art form, and utilizes jazz as a means to unite people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. The Institute is a nonprofit education organization with a mission to offer the world’s most promising young musicians college level training by internationally acclaimed jazz masters and to present public school music education programs for young people around the world.
More information: www.hancockinstitute.org
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