Jazz à Cours et à Jardins

Jazz à Cours et à Jardins: When Jazz Invades Lyon's Secret Gardens

Born in 2011 from the imagination of flutist and artistic director François Dumont d'Ayot, Jazz à Cours et à Jardins is a singular festival that reveals Lyon's hidden courtyards and gardens to the public. What began as a small initiative in a shared garden on the slopes of the 5th arrondissement has become, over the years, an unmissable event of the Lyonnais spring.

Unusual Venues as Concert Stages

The magic of Jazz à Cours et à Jardins lies in its concert venues: community gardens, apartment building courtyards, hidden terraces, little-known parks... So many urban spaces usually inaccessible to the public that the festival transforms into ephemeral stages. The concerts unfold in several districts of Lyon — 1st, 5th, 8th — and in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, offering a musical journey through the city.

A Transversal and Accessible Program

True to the spirit of its founder, the festival offers a transversal program that encourages creative encounters between jazz and other musical forms, whether ancient, traditional, or contemporary. Each edition brings together about twenty concerts featuring emerging local bands, students from the Conservatoire Régional de Lyon (CRR), and renowned artists.

A Free and Popular Festival

All Jazz à Cours et à Jardins concerts are free and open to everyone. This free access, a cornerstone of the festival since its inception, allows it to reach a wide and diverse audience, from discerning amateurs to passing families, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Despite a 40% drop in subsidies threatening the event's sustainability, the festival continues to fight to maintain this free access to culture.

The Association Arts en Jazz à Cours et à Jardins

The festival is supported by the association Arts en Jazz à Cours et à Jardins, founded and artistically directed by François Dumont d'Ayot. Based in the historic Saint-Georges district, at 43 montée du Gourguillon in the 5th arrondissement, the association works year-round to promote jazz and artistic encounters in Lyon's public spaces.