Joly Jazz en Avesnois
The traveling jazz festival in the heart of Avesnois
About Joly Jazz
Jazz travels through Avesnois
For over 25 years, the Joly Jazz en Avesnois festival has been taking its audience to discover jazz and contemporary music through the landscapes and heritage of Avesnois, a rural and hedged farmland in the south of the Nord department. This traveling festival, supported by the association Bougez Rock based in Maubeuge, has created a unique link between music and a territory by offering concerts in unusual and remarkable locations.
Concerts in exceptional venues
The uniqueness of Joly Jazz lies in its choice of concert venues. Each edition takes over various surprising sites that offer an intimate and poetic setting for the music.
MusVerre in Sars-Poteries
MusVerre, the departmental glass museum in Sars-Poteries, is one of the festival's emblematic venues. Concerts take place there in a contemporary architectural setting, amidst collections of art glass, creating a fascinating dialogue between music and visual arts.
Farms, orchards, and bandstands
Concerts also take place in Avesnois farms, orchards, parks, and bandstands. These everyday places are transformed into ephemeral stages for the duration of a concert, offering rare proximity between artists and spectators in a bucolic setting.
By the water
Some concerts take place by a lake or body of water, such as at Val Joly, offering a particularly soothing and contemplative atmosphere. The surrounding nature then becomes an integral part of the musical experience.
An open and eclectic jazz program
The Joly Jazz program explores jazz in all its forms, from standard to contemporary, including swing, bebop, and improvised music.
Jazz and swing
Swing jazz holds a special place in the program, with bands like The Westcoasters getting the audience moving to catchy rhythms. This joyful and danceable music is in perfect harmony with the festive and friendly spirit of the festival.
Contemporary jazz and new music
The festival also features contemporary jazz and new music, hosting ensembles like Thomas Gonzalez and the Dreamcatchers who explore the boundaries of jazz with creativity and boldness.
Avesnois, a territory to discover
Joly Jazz is also an invitation to discover Avesnois, one of the most preserved territories in the Nord. This landscape of hedgerows, forests, and orchards, classified as a Regional Natural Park, offers a remarkable natural setting for the festival's concerts. Between performances, visitors can explore charming villages, hiking trails, and gastronomic specialties of this little-known region.
Joly Jazz — edition 2026
New edition of Joly Jazz en Avesnois, from Saturday, July 4 to Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The itinerant festival, supported by the Bougez Rock association, returns to explore the landscapes and heritage of Avesnois with about twenty artists across ten stages — jazz, swing, folk, blues, rock, chanson, ska, pop, reggae, brass band — in remarkable locations (museums, farms, village squares, bandstands, lake shores).
Joly Jazz returns to Avesnois from July 4 to 14, 2026
For this 2026 edition, the Joly Jazz en Avesnois festival hits the road again across the south of the Nord department, from Saturday, July 4 to Tuesday, July 14, 2026. Organized by the Maubeuge-based association Bougez Rock, this itinerant event invites the public to discover about ten musical stages in communes of Avesnois and Sambre-Avesnois.
About twenty artists on ten stages
As every summer, the program brings together about twenty artists and groups who perform consecutively on ten ephemeral stages. The musical style remains broad and open: jazz, swing, folk, blues, rock, chanson, ska, pop, reggae, brass band — an eclectic spirit faithful to the festival's identity.
Two dates already confirmed by the Tourist Office
The Avesnois Tourist Office confirms two highlights of this edition:
- Saturday, July 4, 2026 in Preux-au-Bois (59288), starting at 8 PM (doors open at 7 PM). Bar and catering on site.
- Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Landrecies (59550), starting at 8 PM (doors open at 7 PM). Bar and catering on site.
The other stages (Sars-Poteries — MusVerre, Ferrière-la-Petite, Glageon, Val Joly, Recquignies, Sains-du-Nord, Maubeuge, Trélon, Eppe-Sauvage…) will be announced progressively by the association on its Facebook page and with partner Tourist Offices.
Free access, pay-what-you-can
As since the festival's inception, all concerts are free to access and operate on a "pay-what-you-can" basis: everyone gives according to their means and desire to support the festival.
Highlights Joly Jazz 2026
- Itinerant jazz and contemporary music festival in about ten communes of Avesnois
- About twenty artists on ten ephemeral stages
- All concerts are free to access and operate on a "pay-what-you-can" basis
- Confirmed opening date: Saturday, July 4, 2026 in Preux-au-Bois (8 PM)
- Confirmed closing date: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Landrecies (8 PM)
Prices Joly Jazz 2026
Practical information — Joly Jazz
Access
The festival takes place in various towns in Avesnois, in the south of the Nord department.
- By car: From Lille, take the highway towards Maubeuge (approx. 1h15). Concert venues are spread throughout Avesnois.
- By train: Maubeuge station (TER Hauts-de-France), then a car is necessary to reach the different sites.
Venues
The festival is traveling. Concerts take place in various towns: Sars-Poteries (MusVerre), Ferrière-la-Petite, Preux-au-Bois, Landrecies, Glageon, Val Joly, Recquignies, Sains-du-Nord, Maubeuge.
Prices
Many concerts are free participation. Some concerts are ticketed.
Contact
Association Bougez Rock – 13 rue du Progrès, 59600 Maubeuge
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 03 27 58 73 77
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Where does it take place — Joly Jazz
MusVerre et lieux divers en Avesnois
MusVerre, 76 rue du Général de Gaulle, 59216 Sars-Poteries