Jazz'Velanet

Over thirty years of jazz at the foot of the Pyrenees

Founded in 1990, Jazz'Velanet was born from the desire of a handful of jazz enthusiasts from Lavelanet and the Pays d'Olmes to keep this music alive in a rural area of the Ariège Pyrenees. Since its creation, the festival has established itself as a must-see cultural event in the Ariège department, welcoming national and international artists over the years. The festival has evolved over the years, moving from a summer format to a spring event, anchored in May, with a focused and demanding program.

An original concept: the guest artist

Since its reorientation, Jazz'Velanet has revolved around a guest artist who enriches the festival with their musical family. This artist does not just perform in concert: they conduct educational work in collaboration with the Lavelanet music school and the schools of the Pays d'Olmes, offering students and the public workshops, masterclasses, and privileged encounters with professional musicians. This initiative makes Jazz'Velanet much more than just a festival: it is a true cultural project for the territory, combining artistic diffusion and musical mediation.

The Marché-Couvert, a setting for Ariège jazz

The Jazz'Velanet concerts mainly take place at the Marché-Couvert de Lavelanet, a covered market hall whose warm acoustics and intimate capacity create a rare closeness between musicians and the audience. This setting encourages exchange, listening, and spontaneity, core values of jazz. Other venues in the town—the Casino, municipal halls—may host complementary events, helping to bring the entire town center to life during the festival.

Leading artists over the years

Over its many editions, Jazz'Velanet has hosted leading artists, including the Trio Portal/Humair/Chevillon, Tigran Hamasyan, the prodigious Armenian pianist, Les P'tits Loups du Jazz, Alfie Ryner Memorial, Lunacello (Eugénie Cello), Carmen Souza, and many others. Each edition is an opportunity to discover emerging talents and to see confirmed figures of French and European jazz, in a friendly and festive atmosphere.