Atlantique Jazz Festival
Jazz and improvised music festival in Brest
2026
About Atlantique Jazz
Every autumn, the Atlantique Jazz Festival takes over Brest. Organized since 2004 by the Penn ar Jazz association under the Plages Magnétiques banner, the event celebrates contemporary jazz, improvised music, and experimental sounds. Concerts are held across various venues in the Brest metropolitan area—including Espace Vauban, La Carène, Le Quartz, and La Maison du Théâtre—as well as in local cafés and at various locations throughout Brittany.
Atlantique Jazz — edition 2026
The 23rd edition of the Atlantique Jazz Festival runs from October 7th to 17th, 2026. Fourteen concerts will take place in Brest from Wednesday, October 7th to Sunday, October 11th, followed by the duo ALGhar performing in Crozon, Trédrez-Locquémeau, Plouzané, and Landerneau until the 17th. The lineup features Anne Paceo, GILDAA, Amaro Freitas, Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones, Mestizx, and Bonbon Flamme.
Atlantique Jazz Festival #23, October 7th–17th, 2026
Plages Magnétiques is hosting fourteen events in Brest over five days, from Wednesday, October 7th to Sunday, October 11th, across seven venues—Espace Vauban, La Carène, Le Quartz, La Maison du Théâtre, Bad Seeds, Welli Chéri café, and Beaj Kafé—plus a secret location on Friday the 9th. The festival makes its debut at Welli Chéri on rue Pierre Sémard, where Etenesh Wassie and Morgane Carnet perform on Saturday at noon.
What to expect
Drummer Anne Paceo and singer GILDAA share the main stage at La Carène on Saturday the 10th. Brazilian pianist Amaro Freitas performs a solo set at Le Quartz. New Yorker Amirtha Kidambi opens the first night with her quartet Elder Ones, and the duo Mestizx, featuring Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Frank Rosaly, will present their album released on International Anthem. For younger audiences, Ensemble Nautilis presents Même pas mort, a cine-concert suitable for ages 8 and up at La Maison du Théâtre.
Tickets
Tickets are available at billetterie.plages-magnetiques.org, except for Amaro Freitas, which must be booked through Le Quartz, and the ALGhar dates outside Brest, which are sold by the respective venues. Please note that tickets purchased at the door cost €2 more than in advance. Four concerts are free of charge.
Highlights Atlantique Jazz 2026
- GILDAA and Anne Paceo in a shared evening, Saturday, October 10th at 9:00 PM at La Carène
- Amaro Freitas, solo piano, Friday, October 9th at 8:30 PM at Le Quartz
- Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones, Wednesday, October 7th at 7:30 PM at Espace Vauban
- Mestizx, the duo of Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Frank Rosaly, Friday, October 9th at 9:30 PM at Espace Vauban
- Four free concerts: Jüra, Azar, Morgane Carnet & Etenesh Wassie, and ALGhar
Programme Atlantique Jazz 2026
Wednesday, October 7th, 2026
- 12:30 PM — Jüra, featuring texts by Line Willerval · La Carène, hall · Midis&Demi event, free entry subject to availability
- 3:00 PM — Même pas mort, cine-concert by Ensemble Nautilis: Christophe Rocher (clarinet), Christelle Sery (bass guitar), Laurent Richard (live drawing) · La Maison du Théâtre · 45 minutes, ages 8+, flat rate 8 €
- 7:30 PM — Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones (Jason Nazary drums, Alfredo Colon tenor sax, Matt Nelson soprano sax, Nick Dunston bass) · Espace Vauban · 14 / 11 / 7 €
Thursday, October 8th, 2026
- 6:00 PM — Frank Rosaly · Bad Seeds
- 9:00 PM — Zoe Heselton & Sister Outsider (Zoe Heselton guitar and vocals, Inès Rousset bass, Merve Salgar tanbur, Lise Barkas hurdy-gurdy, Liliane Chansard vocals, Quentyn Risjeterre bells) + Marion Coutts & Andy Moor · Espace Vauban · 16 / 14 / 7 €
Friday, October 9th, 2026
- 5:00 PM — Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti · secret location
- 7:00 PM — Azar, duo by Rebecca Roger Cruz and Laura Perrudin · Le Quartz hall · free, subject to availability
- 8:30 PM — Amaro Freitas, piano solo · Le Quartz, Grand Théâtre · 1h30 · 27 / 20 / 13 / 10 €, tickets via Le Quartz
- 9:30 PM — Mestizx, duo by Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Frank Rosaly, preceded by a Bad Seeds DJ set featuring the International Anthem label · Espace Vauban · 14 / 11 / 7 €
Saturday, October 10th, 2026
- 1:00 PM — Morgane Carnet & Etenesh Wassie · Welli Chéri café, 149 rue Pierre Sémard · free entry, enjoy with brunch or coffee
- 6:00 PM — Lise Barkas, hurdy-gurdy and bagpipes · Bad Seeds · tickets at the door
- 9:00 PM — GILDAA + Anne Paceo · La Carène, main hall · 24 / 22 / 20 €
Sunday, October 11th, 2026
- 1:00 PM — ALGhar, duo by Laurène Nour Pierre-Magnani and Neige Arnaud · Beaj Kafé · brunch, free entry
- 5:30 PM — Bonbon Flamme: Valentin Ceccaldi (cello, mellophone), Fulco Ottervanger (piano, keyboards, vocals), Luis Lopes (guitar), Étienne Ziemniak (drums, vocals) · Espace Vauban · 14 / 11 / 7 €
ALGhar – The Tour, outside Brest
The duo ALGhar extends the festival in four venues until October 17th. Tickets are available from the host venues; times are not published, except for Landerneau.
- Wednesday, October 14th — L’Améthyste, Crozon
- Thursday, October 15th — Le Café Théodore, Trédrez-Locquémeau (22)
- Friday, October 16th — Espace François Mitterrand, Plouzané
- Saturday, October 17th, 8:00 PM — L’Atelier culturel, Le Family hall, Landerneau
The collective DjadJazz is on the official festival poster; neither their date nor location has been announced to date.
Prices Atlantique Jazz 2026
Practical information — Atlantique Jazz
Practical Information
2026 Festival Venues
- Espace Vauban — 17 avenue Georges Clemenceau, Brest
- La Carène — 30 rue Jean-Marie Le Bris, Brest
- Le Quartz, scène nationale — 60 rue du Château, Brest
- La Maison du Théâtre — 12 rue Claude Goasdoué, Brest
- Bad Seeds — 17 rue Fautras, Brest
- Welli Chéri — 149 rue Pierre Sémard, Brest
- Beaj Kafé — 51 rue Branda, Brest
Beyond Brest, the ALGhar tour visits L’Améthyste in Crozon, Le Café Théodore in Trédrez-Locquémeau (22), Espace François Mitterrand in Plouzané, and L’Atelier culturel in Landerneau.
Contact
Association Penn ar Jazz – Plages Magnétiques, La Turbine, 169 rue Jean Jaurès, 29200 Brest. Phone: 02 29 00 40 01.
Tickets
Available online at billetterie.plages-magnetiques.org. Listed prices are for advance tickets; please note that tickets purchased at the door cost an additional 2 €. Several concerts are free, subject to availability. Tickets for events at Le Quartz must be purchased directly through the venue, and tickets for tour dates should be obtained from the respective host venues.
Atlantique Jazz Festival: An Ocean of Sounds in Brest
The Atlantique Jazz Festival was born in 2004 in Brest, driven by the association Penn ar Jazz and its SMAC (Scène de Musiques Actuelles) labeled structure, Plages Magnétiques. In twenty years, the festival has established itself as an international event dedicated to jazz and improvised music, becoming an essential reference for jazz lovers in Brittany and beyond.
An Audacious Program
The Atlantique Jazz Festival is distinguished by a demanding and open program that explores the boundaries of jazz: contemporary jazz, free jazz, improvised music, experimental and creative music. The festival doesn't just feature the big names in jazz; it also highlights emerging artists and unique projects. The 2025 edition notably honored women in the jazz sphere, with artists such as Célia Kameni, the Orchestre National de Jazz, and the Dutch group The Ex.
A Festival Spread Across the City
One of the particularities of the Atlantique Jazz Festival is its decentralized format. Concerts unfold in several emblematic venues of the Brest metropolis: Le Quartz (national stage), Le Mac Orlan, La Carène (SMAC), Le Cabaret Vauban, and Les Ateliers des Capucins. This geographical dispersion invites festival-goers to discover the city while enjoying the music, creating a true jazz stroll through Brest.
Plages Magnétiques: Much More Than a Festival
The Atlantique Jazz Festival is part of the global project of Plages Magnétiques, a structure that works year-round to promote and disseminate jazz and improvised music in Brittany. Beyond the autumn festival, Plages Magnétiques organizes regular concerts, artist residencies, and cultural events, making Brest a major jazz hub in France. Since its creation, thousands of artists and tens of thousands of spectators have made the festival what it is today.
Where does it take place — Atlantique Jazz
Atlantique Jazz in brief
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