As is the case once every year, the streets of Perugia in Italy is once again bustling with what is easily the largest gathering of jazz lovers from all over the world. Europe’s biggest jazz festival, Umbria, will be held in Perugia from July 13th to July 22nd, and here is our ultimate guide on how to make the most from this world acclaimed Jazz festival.
Here are some fun facts about Umbria
The Umbria jazz festival is the amongst the oldest and biggest jazz festival in the world.
Official website: http://www.umbriajazz.com/
First held on 23rd August 1973, the festival had a less than smooth takeoff in its initial years, having to be halted for up to three years at one time: the crowd had grown too large that crowd control and security had become an issue. The Umbria jazz festival finally developed an association in 1985 to properly run its affairs. The event has since become the holy grail of European jazz festivals, being held annually, and pulling in crowds by the tens of thousands in to the small Italian town of Perugia.
Artists Lineup for Umbria 2018
In its 40 years of breath taking performances, the Umbria jazz festival has featured some of jazz’s greats: Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, João Gilberto, Django Reinhardt, Gabriele Mirabassi. This year follows in the trend of the greats with the celebration of Quincy Jones’ 85th anniversary at the launch of the festival in the open air Arena Santa Giuliana. The arena was filled to capacity with thousands of fans cumulating to show love and sing along to one of jazz’s legends. Other artists who have already graced the stage in this years’s Umbria are Gilberto Gil and Stefano Bollani.
But not to worry, there are lots of other artists and bands which are bound to give you a blast in the upcoming days. Monday the 16th will be massive with the MASSIVE ATTACK taking over the stage in what is one of the most anticipated shows of the festival. The CHAINSMOKERS, SUMEI- the African-American lyricist, PAT METHENI, DAVID BYRNE, BLOND MAY and GREGORY PORTER are amongst those who will be thrilling the crowds till the 22nd. Check out the festival’s complete schedule here. Tickets normally cost between 51 Euros and 23 Euros, depending on how far off you are intend to sit from the stage (tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3).
Perugia’s Touristic Attraction
Over and above Umbria 2018, which is the main attraction of Perugia around this time of the years, the town of Perugia also has much to offer in terms of touristic attractions. Some of the most visited places in Perugia include:
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell’ Umbría
• San Domenico, Perugia
• Rocca Paolina
• Porta Marzia
• Palazzo dei Priori
• Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria
• Fontana Maggiore
• Perugia Cathedral
Most restaurants and the streets of Perugia also offer free musical shows at this time, in keeping with the city’s long musical history.
