Saint Petersburg’s biggest jazz event was founded in 2003 as the Peter & Paul Jazz Festival. It was named so because the festival was held at the Peter and Paul Fortress, a citadel located on Zayachy Island (Hare Island) in the delta of the Neva River. The event was renamed Jazz Q in 2005 and PetroJazz in 2008. As of 2017, the festival is held at Ostrovsky Square in the very heart of Saint Petersburg.
Since 2014, PetroJazz has been a free open air festival. It features the best jazz and world music performers from Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Luxembourg, Israel, Italy, the United States, and other countries. Alongside exciting performances on two stages, the program of the festival features dance performances, competitions and workshops, special activities and entertainment for children, a vocal competition, vendors, VIP area, charity events, and more.
The program of the festival focuses on dance as much as on music. It encompasses different styles of dance including jazz dance, solo jazz, blues, lindy hop, tap dance, improvisation techniques, salsa, rumba, bachata, forro, waacking, hustle, and others. The dance program features performances by the best dancers from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, international guests, friendly dance battles, and more.
PetroJazz is one of the most important cultural events in Saint Petersburg, attracting about 30,000 attendees over two days each year. It is officially supported by the Committee of Culture of Saint Petersburg.
In 2015, PetroJazz launched a spin-off festival held in Estonia. The first PetroJazz Tallinnas was held at Tower Square of the Estonian capital and features 40 jazz musicians from Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Riga (Latvia).
In 2021, the event was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: vk.com/festival_petrojazz