Free State Jazz Festival
Free State Jazz Festival is a free jazz festival in The Hague’s Pop District, around the Grote Markt. In one day, the festival brings together the raw and diverse sides of contemporary jazz culture, right in the city centre and open to everyone.
The Hague has plenty of jazz, but a place where all these different jazz scenes come together was still missing. Free State Jazz Festival fills that gap. The festival does not limit itself to one strict definition of jazz. On 17 October 2026, The Hague’s Pop District takes centre stage. Instead of an enclosed festival site, the city itself becomes the stage. Four venues Grote Markt Den Haag, GR8, Wijnbar September and Poppodium de Zwarte Ruiter, each add their own character to a shared story about a style of music that cannot be confined to fixed boundaries.
Jazz culture in The Hague’s Pop District
Free State Jazz focuses on the raw and diverse sides of today’s jazz culture. The festival aims to move away from the old-fashioned image sometimes associated with jazz and instead opts for an open, urban setting. By holding the festival in the Pop District, jazz becomes part of the city itself. Even those who happen to be passing by can discover what contemporary jazz has to offer.
Free admission to Free State Jazz Festival
Free State Jazz Festival is free to attend. This makes it easy to discover, listen and explore different styles without having to decide in advance how much a day of jazz is worth to you.
