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:

• 't Kelkje
• Arti et Amicitiae
• Bimhuis
• Bordello Aperitivo
• Olof's
• Casa Rosso
• De Waalse Kerk
• Theater Mascini
• The Bulldog Hotel
• 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. 

Performers at Red Light Jazz 2026

Here's the 2025 Red Light jazz line-up:

• Avishai Darash Trio
• The Monkey Trio
• Accha
• Zazoo
• Sabrina Starke
• Saskia Laroo
• Erik Verwey Trio
• Wouter Kiers Quartet
• Linus Eppinger
• Amsterdam Organ Trio
• The Jazzy Rappits
• Agus Fulka
• Chocos
• Farida Merville & Friends
• Biggles Bigband
• Ella Zirina

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!