All Roads Lead to Prince Albert: Journey to Jazz 2026 Unites Music, Place and Purpose

From global artists to Karoo voices, sunrise to Sagra, masterclasses to mountain performances

Prince Albert, Western Cape, 16 April 2026 – The road to jazz turns inward at the end of this month – towards the Karoo. From 30 April to 3 May 2026, Journey to Jazz returns to Prince Albert with its most expansive and deeply integrated programme to date – bringing together world-class artists, immersive performances, masterclasses, and town-wide encounters that position the festival as one of South Africa’s most distinctive cultural experiences.

Journey to Jazz opens on International Jazz Day (30 April) with its now-signature sunrise concert at Krittikom Koppie – a moment that has become synonymous with the festival itself. As the first light breaks over the Karoo, music unfolds gently into the landscape – setting the tone for a weekend where sound, place and presence are inseparable.

From there, the festival expands across Prince Albert – into churches, courtyards, community spaces and, most memorably, the Swartberg Pass, where site-specific performances will transform the mountain into a living stage.

The 2026 programme brings together a powerful mix of South African and international voices:

• Zoë Modiga – presenting a bespoke sunset performance in the Swartberg Pass, created specifically for the landscape

• Vusi Mahlasela – a voice of connection, healing and enduring cultural resonance

• Kyle Shepherd – presenting a world premiere score for the films of William Kentridge, commissioned by PACT

• Paul Hanmer – acclaimed pianist and mentor to the Karoo Jazz Project

• Amy Campbell – one of South Africa’s leading jazz vocalists and pianists

• Nomfundo Xaluva – celebrated for her rich, genre-spanning vocal expression

• Linda Sikhakhane & Paras ‘Sibalukhulu’ Dlamini – contemporary jazz innovators shaping the modern South African sound

• Yonela Mnana & The Soultee Sisters – blending tradition, storytelling and contemporary jazz

• Jonathan Rubain – deeply expressive, drawing on jazz, soul and spiritual traditions

• Don Vino Prins – saxophonist rooted in Cape jazz, spiritual jazz and improvisation

• Zawadi Yamungu – whose work bridges ancestral sound, voice and landscape

• Ntone Edjabe – DJ, cultural thinker and founder of Chimurenga and the Pan African Space Station

• DJ Bob – curator of vinyl culture and jazz listening experiences

• ¡Gracia! (Anaïs Drago, Fausto Beccalossi, Luca Falomi) – the Italian trio redefining cross-cultural musical dialogue

At the heart of the programme is the Karoo Jazz Project (KJP) – an evolving platform for young musicians, expanded in 2026 through collaborations with regional bands and choirs, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to future talent.

What distinguishes Journey to Jazz is not only what happens on stage, but what happens around it. Running throughout the festival, the Talks & Masterclasses Series invites audiences to engage with jazz as a living, evolving conversation – exploring its roots, its language, and its future. Highlights include:

· DJ Bob’s Masterclass – unpacking vinyl culture and the art of listening

· Anaïs Drago & Zawadi Yamungu – a cross-cultural dialogue between violin and traditional African bow

· Jazz in Africa with Ntone Edjabe – tracing the continent’s sonic lineage

· Karoo Jazz Project panel discussions – from grassroots to stage

· Vusi Mahlasela in conversation – on music’s role in connection and change

These sessions position the festival not just as a platform for performance, but as a space for exchange, learning and shared discovery. These open sessions need to be booked on Quicket, with many selling out already.

The festival’s signature Greet & Meet programme is inspired by Prince Albert’s motto: “Groet is ’n Moet” – to greet is a must. Centred at the PACT Centre in Noordeinde, the programme transforms the town into a living, breathing cultural space.

· Heritage walks and storytelling experiences

· Local food and craft markets

· Artmaking and installations

· Poetry, music and spontaneous performances

· Vinyl listening sessions and informal gatherings

It is here that the festival moves beyond audience and artist – becoming something shared.

Adding a new layer to the experience is the introduction of the festival’s first-ever Sagra – a community gathering centred around food. Taking place on opening day at the PACT Centre, the Sagra focuses on “dough” – from vetkoek to baked creations – inviting festivalgoers and locals alike to sit together, share and connect. It is a simple idea, but a powerful one. Because at Journey to Jazz, connection is not curated. It is lived.

Prince Albert is not a place you pass through. You arrive here deliberately – over mountain passes, through open landscapes, into a town that moves differently. And for one weekend, that journey becomes part of something larger.

Presented by the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT), Journey to Jazz is designed to do more than entertain. Every ticket sold contributes directly to youth development, skills training and economic opportunity in the region. It is a festival where presence matters. Where travel becomes participation. Where the impact continues long after the final note.