Pori Jazz in Pori, Satakunta, Finland | Event

Welcome to Pori Jazz. Pori has been known in Finland as a jazz center since the 1960's. Those days it was mainly the young and culturally aware people who took an interest in jazz. And there were several small orchestras in town whose repertoires included jazz music. Among the jazz enthusiasts and musicians a daring idea was born - that of organizing a jazz festival.

An organization of its own was required to make the festival become a reality. So in the spring 1966 a non-profit association, Pori Jazz, was founded. The first Pori Jazz Festival was held in July 1966. The concerts and other events, held during one weekend, were attended by about 1500 people which was more than the organizers had dared to expect and the success gave them the enthusiasm to continue.

Audiences have grown from year to year and the duration of the Pori Jazz festival has also increased. Presently the Pori Jazz Festival is one of the biggest jazz festivals in Europe and is known throughout the world through radio and TV-programs. Last summer brought over 120.000 listeners to Pori Jazz Festival.