Ventspils Groove 2026 jazz festival begins in Latvia

A coastal city becomes a meeting point for young jazz musicians

A four-day international festival of contemporary rhythm music and jazz begins in Ventspils on Tuesday, 18 August, offering visitors a compact cultural programme alongside the city’s summer attractions. Ventspils Groove 2026 is organised by the MIKC Ventspils Music High School and runs until Friday, 21 August.

The festival brings together young performers, music enthusiasts and professional educators from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and France. Its central idea is educational as much as performative: participants work in individual lessons, ensembles and masterclasses before presenting the results in public concerts and jam sessions.

For travellers, the event adds a contemporary music route to a city better known for its seaside setting, historic centre and family-oriented public spaces. The main educational activities take place at the Ventspils Music High School on Lielais laukums, while the festival’s public concerts extend into central Ventspils.

International tutors and a practical learning format

The 2026 teaching team includes musicians from four countries. French percussionist Franck Agulhon joins Latvian bassist Uldis Vītols and pianist Edgars Cīrulis, Lithuanian guitarist Pranas Kentra, Estonian saxophonist Raul Sööt, Lithuanian trumpeter Dominykas Vyšniauskas and French vocalist Valérie Graschaire.

The programme is designed for young musicians aged 15 to 30. Rather than presenting only finished performances, it focuses on the process of making music together. Participants receive instrument and vocal instruction, rehearse in ensembles, exchange ideas across national backgrounds and prepare material for the closing concerts.

That format gives the festival a distinctive character within Latvia’s summer cultural calendar. It is part workshop, part meeting place and part public concert series, allowing audiences to hear how collaborative work develops over several days.

Free concerts bring the programme into the city

Several events are open to the public free of charge. The opening programme, “Ance Jankovska & Terra Quente”, introduces a Latin American musical perspective. On Thursday, 20 August, the group E-BOP presents “Electric Tribute to Bebop”, a programme connecting jazz traditions with a more contemporary sound.

The festival’s closing day on Friday, 21 August, is particularly accessible to visitors. Ensembles formed during the workshops will perform in an open-air concert at 5 p.m. on the stage opposite Kino Rio in central Ventspils. The concert is part of the city’s Friday Evening Walk programme and is intended to give the public a direct view of the young musicians’ work.

The closing programme centres on jazz and contemporary rhythm music, with improvisation and individual musical expression playing an important role. Teachers, graduates and guest tutors are also expected to contribute to the wider final programme.

A useful stop for culture-focused travellers

Ventspils Groove is well suited to a short cultural visit because its events are concentrated across four days and combine indoor learning with public performances. Visitors can plan around the opening and closing concerts, while those staying longer can follow the development of the ensembles through the week.

The festival also supports a broader picture of Latvia’s regional cultural life. International music activity is not limited to the capital: Ventspils, on the country’s western coast, is using its music school, concert infrastructure and central public spaces to host an event that connects local education with Baltic and European artistic networks.

With its emphasis on skills, exchange and free access, Ventspils Groove 2026 offers a constructive reason to visit the city this week. The festival’s public-facing programme gives residents and travellers an opportunity to encounter emerging musicians in an informal setting, while the masterclasses provide a professional platform for the next generation of performers.