Prince Albert’s Journey to Jazz Breaks New Ground!
Journey to Jazz Festival, now in its fourth year, has announced its final acts for 2026, alongside the addition of two significant new venues that reflect both the festival’s artistic ambition and its deepening integration with community and place: PACT centre, Bottleblom Street, in Noordeinde and a site-specific performance in the Swartberg Mountain Pass.
The announcements were made at a special preview event in Prince Albert at the end of January, offering invited guests a glimpse of a festival that has evolved from a boutique Karoo gathering into one of South Africa’s most thoughtful, place-responsive jazz festivals.
Guests were also treated to a glimpse of how Paul Hanmer mentorship of the 2026 Karoo Jazz Project (KJP) is shaping up. Collaborating widely in the region, this year’s Festival will see KJP team up with the Laingsberg Brass Band, The George High School Band and the Zwartberg High School Choir.
As a reflection of what is possible – and what audiences can expect – the preview culminated in an unforgettable unplugged performance by Zawadi Yamungu, deep in the heart of the Swartberg Pass. With wind, landscape and silence woven into the music, the performance evoked ancestral memory and renewal – sweeping clean the past and laying a foundation for what is to come.
A Landmark Presentation: William Kentridge Films with Live Score by Kyle Shepherd – Among the most significant artistic highlights of the 2026 programme is a special presentation featuring four short films by William Kentridge, accompanied by a live score performed by pianist and composer Kyle Shepherd.
The performance forms part of an ongoing creative collaboration between Kentridge and Shepherd, extending work developed over several years across film, music and stage. Drawing on jazz improvisation, indigenous musical elements and contemporary compositional techniques, Shepherd’s score engages in real-time dialogue with Kentridge’s iconic charcoal animations – offering audiences an immersive and emotionally layered encounter with image and sound.
Two further important voices have also been added to the line-up. Jonathan Rubain, whose deeply expressive performances draw on jazz, soul and spiritual traditions and appears for the second time at Journey to Jazz, and Donvino Prins, known for his strong grounding in Cape jazz, spiritual jazz and improvisation.
Cross-Border Collaboration: ¡Gracia! – Journey to Jazz 2026 also continues its collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture, presenting ¡Gracia! – a contemporary Mediterranean trio featuring Anaïs Drago (award-winning jazz violinist), Fausto Beccalossi and Luca Falomi.
Rooted in Mediterranean folk traditions yet distinctly modern in expression, ¡Gracia! embodies the festival’s belief in what becomes possible when creative borders soften and cultural exchange is allowed to flow freely. The project debuted in Italy in 2025 and will culminate in a new album in spring 2026.
New Venues: Noordeinde and the Swartberg Pass – The PACT centre in Noordeinde becomes a vital new performance space in 2026, extending the festival’s reach into another part of Prince Albert and reinforcing its commitment to access, inclusion and neighbourhood-based programming. Audiences can expect street-level jazz activations and vinyl culture events, inviting festivalgoers to experience music woven into everyday community life.
Post this past weekend’s performance, and in a powerful nod to heritage and landscape, Journey to Jazz will once again return to the Swartberg Mountain Pass on Saturday, 2 May 2026, for a very special site-specific show – bucket list item!
Vinyl, DJs and the Custodians of Jazz Culture – Recognising the role of vinyl selectors as modern custodians of jazz culture, Journey to Jazz 2026 places renewed emphasis on listening culture, vinyl history and sonic literacy.
Ntone Edjabe – sound stylist, writer and founder of Chimurenga and the Pan African Space Station – will present two performances and participate in the festival’s talk programme, tracing the evolution of jazz in Africa. He is joined by DJ Bob, whose acclaimed DJ Bob’s Jazz Club takes up residency in Noordeinde at the PACT centre in Botterblom Street, coinciding with International Jazz Day on 30 April 2026 – the activation will include vinyl listening sessions, DJ performances, a mini record market and a hands-on workshop introducing the community to jazz DJ culture.
Throughout the festival weekend along Church Street in Prince Albert, there will also be a series of pop-ups where both sound stylists will create spaces for everyone to be ‘moved’ by the music – whether in reflection or to dance.
Full Line-up for 2026 includes: Amy Campbell, DJ Bob, Donvino Prins, ¡Gracia! (Drago – Falomi – Beccalossi), Karoo Jazz Project, Kyle Shepherd |William Kentridge Films, Linda Sikhakane and Paras Dlamini, Nomfundo Xaluva, Ntone Edjabe – DJ Set, Vusi Mahlasela, Paul Hanmer, Yonela Mnana and The Soultee Sisters, Zawadi Yamungu, and Jonathan Rubain.
Journey to Jazz transforms lives, celebrates creativity, and ensures that the rhythm of the Karoo will continue to echo far beyond its mountains.
#TrueJazzTrueKaroo #JourneytoJazz2026 #J2J #J2J2026 #PrinceAlbert #PACT #JazzWithPurpose #YouthLed #JazzRetreat #KarooJazzProject
Event details:
- Dates: 30 April – 3 May 2026
- Prices: From R250 per person per performance
- Tickets: On sales now through Quicket
Presented by the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT), Journey to Jazz remains first and foremost a music festival – one that must succeed to sustain its broader social impact. Every ticket sold contributes directly to youth training, skills development and opportunity creation across Prince Albert and the surrounding region.
With its 2026 artist line-up now complete, Journey to Jazz continues to distinguish itself through intimacy, integrity and ambition – offering audiences not only exceptional music, but a deeper connection to place, people and purpose.
The Festival’s supporting annual Greet and Meet programme is receiving the finishing touches and will be revealed later in February – keep an eye out for all the activations and cool things to do in Prince Albert over the festival weekend.
Please visit www.princealbert.org.za for a selection of accommodation options.
For more information, please visit the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) and Journey to Jazz Festival.
A small commission from the activity tickets goes towards supporting the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) whose work in upskilling and developing the town’s youth is exemplified in the staging of Journey to Jazz.
Connect with Journey to Jazz on social media:
Facebook | Instagram | Hashtags: #JourneytoJazz #pact
Connect with Prince Albert Community Trust on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
