Don’t Miss It This May Day: Tickets on Sale for 6th Taihu Jazz Festival, Six Days of Jazz

Published April 9, 2026 at 4:09 p.m. on the official National Centre for the Performing Arts account

Big news for Beijing’s jazz scene!

April 30–May 5

National Centre for the Performing Arts, Taihu Stage Art Center

The 6th Taihu Jazz Festival returns in spectacular form.

Grammy-winning artists lead the lineup, joined by the best of Chinese jazz. Special activities include immersive VR, a jazz light show, conversations with masters, dance wellness and more.

Six days, nine stages, five event zones, more than 330 artists from China and abroad, and over 200 performances and special events…

Spend the May Day holiday in the spring breeze at Taihu, where we’ll come together for a festival celebrating the idea that “Jazz Is Everything.”

Some performances go on sale April 9 at 4:00 p.m.

On April 9, the press conference for the 6th Taihu Jazz Festival was held at the Arts Exchange Building of the Taihu Stage Art Center. Guests and supporting organizations presented the festival’s highlights, including Guan Jianbo, deputy president of the National Centre for the Performing Arts; Wang Xin, Party secretary of Taihu Town in Beijing’s Tongzhou District; Huang Yong, secretary-general of the Chinese Musicians Association Jazz Society and the festival’s music director; Ren Dongsheng, member of the NCPA Arts Committee and visual director of the festival; Li Biao, percussionist, conductor and artist representative; Song Zizhen, director of the Music Broadcasting Center at Beijing Radio and Television Station; Yang Hong, founder of Beijing Dream Culture; and Wang Bo, assistant general manager of China Culture Industry Development Group.

This year’s Taihu Jazz Festival will bring together fields of flowers and the romance of jazz, using distinctive floral landscapes to create a seamless blend of live performance and ecology.

This year, we have invited jazz musicians from many ethnic and language backgrounds to gather at Taihu. We have also added visual art, interactive experiences and technology to create a more comfortable and richer overall experience for audiences.

We are adding new highlights in visual presentation, use of space and overall aesthetics. By bringing sight together with sound, jazz becomes more vivid and visual, and the stage feels livelier. Visual art will give the festival a new dimension.

As a classical musician, this is my first time taking part in a jazz festival. Jazz is a compelling art form and is loved by many classical musicians, who are eager to explore it. I will appear both as a conductor and a soloist, presenting several works making their Taihu Jazz Festival debut, including original music with a strong Tianjin flavor.

As a professional music broadcaster, our Jazz Radio channel will also receive a complete upgrade this year. We will draw on the highest professional standards and industry benchmarks to build one of China’s leading specialist jazz stations.

This year, we have brought four excellent films. Each approaches life from a different perspective and has its own style and subject, yet all share the spirit of jazz and fit naturally with Taihu. The connections between them will become clear; after watching, audiences will find their own answers.

Together with the National Centre for the Performing Arts, we are advancing an important “art + technology” initiative. We look forward to working in sync with jazz across disciplines and opening new possibilities for deeper integration between culture and technology.

Norwegian jazz master Bugge Wesseltoft and his band celebrate their 30th anniversary with a major performance;

“Drum king” Steve Smith presents a high-impact improvisational collaboration exploring rhythm and creativity;

American jazz-piano master Kenny Barron, 84, a 14-time Grammy nominee, performs selections from his new vocal album released in 2025;

Grammy-winning artist Jeff Lorber performs signature classics that helped define the genre;

Grammy-winning drummer Ulysses Owen Jr. gathers leading artists from around the world for a musical statement about legacy, passion and the future;

European bass sensation Vincen García performs selections from his new 2026 album in a powerful live show…

(Listed in performance order)

Tenor singer Chengyu Caiappears as a guest in the “International Jazz Celebration” opening concert;

Chinese jazz pioneers Red Handpresent new music from their album Touch;

China’s first classical vocal boy band, TUTTI Band,brings together classical, contemporary and jazz in a cross-genre performance;

Liu Wenwen, China’s first suona doctorate holder,reimagines the suona through the many possibilities of jazz;

Jazz singer Renaperforms music from her new album;

Guitarist Gu Zhongshanreturns with the Red Rhythm Band to play the irresistible sounds of funk…

China–Brazil Year of CultureA Musical Celebration of Friendship

To mark the 2026 China–Brazil Year of Culture, the festival presents the “Hot Waves” themed concert on May 2, featuring acclaimed Brazilian singer Luedji Luna and Brazilian trombonist Josiel Konrad in an authentic Brazilian groove.

Chinese pop veteran Cheng Fangyuan and jazz trumpeter Li Xiaochuan join as special guests, using music as a bridge for cultural exchange between China and Brazil.

Art + TechnologyPut on a VR headset and“travel through time”

What else can jazz be? This year, try some “high tech.” Put on a VR headset and travel in a Chanel outfit to the world of the Paris Ball, or step into The Mystery of the National Treasures and help protect cultural relics—with a thrilling motion simulator ride along the way.

After dark, Taihu’s sky lights up. Building projections and a light show turn the grounds into a giant work of art—every photo looks spectacular.

Meet the Masters All-Day ArtsCarnival

The festival expands from seven stages last year to nine, adding the museum’s second exhibition area and a Flower Sea Stage. Fifty-two youth bands will take turns performing more than 160 free concerts.

From May 1–4, one classic jazz film will be screened each day. There will also be Grammy masterclasses, including a conversation withAmerican jazz-piano master Kenny Barronand other artists, with opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with fans.