Rotterdam North Sea Jazz Festival

The North Sea Jazz Festival is one of the world's greatest musical events, held over three days annually in the city of Rotterdam, Holland. The festival was launched in 1976 in The Hague, with a line-up of jazz legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz.

The event moved to Rotterdam in 2006 and now covers 15 venues, approximately 1300 artists and visitor numbers of up to 70,000 each year. The North Sea Jazz Festival now covers a range of musical genres from traditional New Orleans jazz, to swing, bop, fusion, avant-garde jazz and electronic jazz as well as blues, gospel, funk, soul, R & B, hip hop, world beat and Latin. Besides familiar names, the North Sea Jazz Festival also gives rising young talent an opportunity to perform on a major stage.

This year's event features a stellar line-up of artists including Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Earth, Wind & Fire, Al Green, Macy Gray, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Ben Harper, Joss Stone, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, Randy Crawford, Jools Holland and Rickie Lee Jones. The legendary Sonny Rollins will also be appearing as part of his 80th birthday tour.

Rotterdam is Europe's busiest port and is an energised city with a multicultural population, great nightlife, a lively arts scene and a host of excellent museums. Be sure to check out the Rotterdam Walk of Fame, featuring handprints of musical luminaries including Australia's own Kamahl.

To organise travel to the event, contact a Flight Centre Travel Expert on 133 133 for assistance or use the form below.