The City of Antwerp has selected a partnership between the Brosella and Paradise City festivals to relaunch the "Jazz Middelheim" festival.
The organisation behind this musical event was declared bankrupt in 2022. The new version of the festival will take place this year on a small scale, in Den Brandt Park, prior to a full-scale edition in 2025.
A total of eight candidates came forward in response to the call for applications launched in 2023 by the City of Antwerp. The municipal authorities were attracted by the "balance between tradition and innovation" proposed by the new candidates, as well as their "experience in organising events in a green park environment".
"The Brosella festival is synonymous with a varied musical offering of urban ethno and jazz and many musical styles in between. It presents and produces musical projects by big names and young national and international talent," says the City. "Every year, the Paradise City Festival marks the start of summer for fans of electronic music on the site of a castle and is recognised worldwide for its considerable efforts in terms of sustainable development."
"We are looking forward to a festival that is both warm and intimate, that honours both the past and the future of jazz, and that puts Antwerp back on the international jazz map", says Antwerp's Councillor for Culture, Nabilla Ait Daoud.
Whether or not the name "Jazz Middelheim" will be maintained remains to be discussed between the new organisers and VRT, which owns the name. A partnership with the Flemish media, as was previously the case, is also to be discussed.
A precise date for the 2024 edition has yet to be announced, although the organisers have stated their intention to extend the festival to two days in September.
The Flemish public broadcaster VRT and the city of Antwerp agreed to jointly revive the event following the bankruptcy of Jazz en Muziek, a non-profit organisation.
Antwerp city officials launched an appeal on Friday to find a partner who will organise the 2024 and 2025 editions of Jazz Middelheim, with the option for extension.
Antwerp Councillor for Culture Nabilla Ait Daoud has expressed openness to new ideas.
