Nišville International Jazz Festival

The Nišville International Jazz Festival, also referred to as the Nišville Jazz Festival or simply Nišville, is an international jazz festival held in Niš Fortress, an 18th-century fortress located in the Serbian city of Niš.

The first jazz festival in Niš was held in 1981. It took place every year for a decade but was discontinued in 1991. In 1994, local producer Ivan Blagojević decided to revive the festival. The first installment of the Nišville International Jazz Festival was held in January 1995. The name of the event is probably a reference to the city of Nashville, United States, known as a center of country music industry.

Since the festival’s very first edition, its program has featured both traditional forms of jazz and the fusion of jazz and ethnic music, focusing on the musical traditions of the Balkans. The Nišville Jazz Festival works in close cooperation with cultural centers and embassies of various countries, including Germany, Norway, France, the Netherlands, and the United States. Due to this cooperation, Nišville features renowned international acts from around the world.

For the first decade of the festival’s existence its main venue was the local Army Club (Klub Vojske) with a capacity of 800. The main stage typically hosted a minimum of five acts per night, plus there were smaller concerts and jam sessions in Nišville Jazz Club. As the festival continued to grow in popularity, the organizers had to find a larger venue. The last edition to take place in the Army Club was the 2005 Nišville Festival.

In 2006, Nišville was transformed into a summer festival and moved to Niš Fortress. Its main stage now has a capacity of 3,000. Besides, there are several smaller stages located near the fortress and throughout the city, including an open mic stage where anyone can perform. Every year, the festival attracts more than 100,000 visitors over 4 days. Nišville is the largest and most popular jazz festival in southeastern Europe. It was designated as the official cultural event of the City of Niš in 2005.

Along with live performances, the program of the Nišville International Jazz Festival includes workshops, improvised street performances, jam sessions, film screenings, theater performances, art exhibitions, and other exciting events and activities.