Well-known and beloved by residents of Île-de-France, La Défense Jazz Festival will not be setting up this summer at the foot of the Grande Arche. As reported by the site defense-92.fr and our colleagues at Parisien, this summer music festival in Hauts-de-Seine will not take place this year due to funding issues. “We need to tighten our belts,” said Georges Siffredi, president of Hauts-de-Seine, to defense-92.fr.
Created in 1992, La Défense Jazz Festival lights up the summer in the famous business district, at the foot of the iconic Grande Arche de La Défense. For more than 30 years now, this outdoor event has welcomed talented jazz artists during lunch and in the evenings—all free of charge! Last year alone, La Défense Jazz Festival hosted a stellar lineup including the American legend Herbie Hancock, the gifted Angélique Kidjo, rising Zambian rapper-singer Sampa The Great, the American jazz-reggae outfit Groundation, and the Manchester-based trio GoGo Penguin, not to mention Jalen Ngonda, the UK neo-soul prodigy.
This summer, jazz music will therefore not be echoing at the foot of the Grande Arche de La Défense, much to the disappointment of its regulars. But according to Georges Siffredi, the festival is not “canceled” for good. According to the site defense-92.fr, the festival will be held on alternating years, one year with the Chorus festival. After an edition was called off in 2025, Chorus returned in April 2026 at La Seine Musicale.
“The aim isn’t to stop a certain number of initiatives, but to adapt to the resources we have. I’m hoping that by 2028 we can run both festivals simultaneously again, and perhaps even as early as 2027,” Georges Siffredi explains, unless the department’s economic situation were to worsen.
By contrast, the La Défense National Jazz Competition, held annually as part of the La Défense Jazz Festival, will indeed go ahead this summer. A genuine springboard for emerging artists, the event will take place in June at the Seine Musicale.
Residents of Hauts-de-Seine will also get a chance this summer to enjoy the event Garden Parvis, running from June 18 to July 30 on the La Défense esplanade, featuring a lineup of free concerts.
Official website
ladefensejazzfestival.hauts-de-seine.fr
