Red Light Jazz is a jazz festival that has been taking place annually since 2014 in and around the Red Light District in Amsterdam. This music festival is frequented by international visitors and local residents alike, bringing a positive vibe to the city's famous Red Light District.
Music festival in Amsterdam's Red Light District
So many things make this event stand out. Firstly, the music is world-class, with a line-up of outstanding musicians on stage each year. And, of course, there's the edgy location: the internationally renowned Red Light District in the old city centre of Amsterdam, with its scenic canals and old terraced houses, which makes this festival so unique in the world. So, what's not to like?
The first edition of Red Light Jazz took place in the Amsterdam Red Light District over 10 years ago, and the festival has now become a regular fixture each summer. The Red Light District, which possesses a rich jazz history dating back to the 1930s, has many beautiful locations where jazz solo artists and jazz orchestras perform to enthusiastic audiences.
Red Light Jazz venues
The participating locations for the festival include:
- Bar TwentySeven
- Het Bethanienklooster
- Restaurant In de Waag
- Café Casablanca
- Mata Hari
- Paleis van de Weemoed
- De Waalse Kerk
- Theater Casa Rosso
- Hotel Prins Hendrik
- TOBACCO Theater
A tribute to local Amsterdam jazz legend Kid Dynamite
The old city centre of Amsterdam has had an illustrious jazz culture since the 1930s. American sailors used to bring jazz records with them when stopping by, which is how the Dutch capital became acquainted with jazz. In the 1940s and 1950s, a lively jazz scene arose in the area around Zeedijk and Nieuwmarkt.
Lodewijk Rudolf Arthur Parisius, AKA Kid Dynamite, was a prominent guest. Jazzcafé Casablanca on the Zeedijk was his stomping ground. He can be considered one of the patriarchs of the Surinamese jazz scene in the Netherlands. In 2015, Fra Fra Sound already paid a musical tribute to Kid Dynamite during Red Light Jazz, and every year since sees another important tribute to this local jazz legend as well as American trumpet player Chet Baker. This year you can watch a documentary about him at Bijlmerbios on June 7.
Here's the 2025 Red Light jazz line-up:
- A Quarter About Jazz
- Luz Van Raalte
- Accha
- River Adomeit
- Albert Yde Waidtløw
- Alex Rossi
- David Golek
- Ams Beat Collective
- Amsterdam Funk Orchestra
- Amsterdam Organ Trio
- Another Taste
- Arthur Heuwekemeijer trio
- Beiggja
- Kika Sprangers
- Ben van Gelder
- Ella Zirina
- Berend van den Berg
- Joep Lumeij
- Dimitri Chapeau
Get your Red Light Jazz tickets
Get your tickets to Red Light Jazz on the Red Light Jazz website and spend some amazing evenings in the most famous Red Light District in the world, listening to superb jazz!