Photo: Josué Azor
PAPJAZZ 2021
Every year in January, Port-au-Prince is transformed by PAPJAZZ – Haiti’s must-visit Jazz festival.
One of the Caribbean’s leading music festivals, PAPJAZZ is a city-wide event, with over 10 venues across the capital – most of which offer free entry.
The 15th edition is scheduled for 16 – 23 January 2021.
Also known as the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival, PAPJAZZ features outstanding Haitian artists and attracts jazz acts from across the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe. And the audience it draws is just as international.
Bars and restaurants throughout Port-au-Prince turn into venues, and entrance is free at all of them except the Karibe hotel. When you’re not busy enjoying live jazz acts, you can participate in a host of workshops and conference talks held over the week, all designed to explore the diversity of the Caribbean jazz scene.
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How to get the most out of PAPJAZZ
Regular venues that play host to the festival include the Karibe hotel, L’Institut Français, Quisqueya University, and Place Boyer. Travellers on a budget take note of the PAPJAZZ shows scheduled for Quisqueya University — entry there is free!
During the festival, these and many more venues also open up for “after hours” events where you can relax in bars, beer gardens, pizzerias, observatories and arboretums, sipping a drink in a dreamy tropical setting with jazz playing in the background. Our tip for “after hours” jazz is Quartier Latin, an excellent restaurant offering sought-after ambience, Caribbean and Latin dining and arguably the best wine list on Hispaniola. What a way to escape the worst of the winter chill!
2021 PAPJAZZ lineup
The last years festivals drew talented artists from all over the world: Cecile Mc Lorin Salvant (US), Terence Blanchard (US), Barbra Lica (Canada), Emile Parisien and DAM’NCO (France), Julian and Roman Wasserfuhr (Germany), Oscar Pizarro (Chile) and Joss Stone (UK).
Haitian artists on stage included BIC, Claude Carré, Paul Beaubrun, Phyllicia Ross, Nina, Fatima, Vanessa Jeudi, Akoustik, Konpa Flashback, Follow Jah, Béatrice Kebreau and many more.
Check the full lineup on the Official PAPJAZZ website!
Written by Jean Fils.
Published October 2019
Updated December 2020
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