A family friendly Jazz for Young People Festival thrills music fans at the Weekend
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
Pictures: By Lebogang Khunou
I first attended this event last year, and it was an eye opener when it comes to youth creativity as the mostly youth bands and groups performed to the audience’s appreciation, both young and old embracing this new innovative addition to the Joy of Jazz Festival.
This past weekend, I was back at the Jazz for Young People 2026 Festival, a precursor to the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival pencilled for September at the Sandton Convention Centre.
The atmosphere at the National school of the Arts on Saturday, 25 July, 2026, was a joyful celebration of jazz, youth, creativity, and culture. The event is proudly presented for the youth, by the youth, bringing together live performances, interactive children’s activities, a youth marketplace, crafts, and an inspiring showcase of artistic expression from the next generation.
This family-friendly experience also supports the future of arts education in a vibrant and meaningful way, as it feature groups of young musicians, who performed mainly cover versions of music first performed by veterans, such as Lira, among others.
And just like last year, most of the audience members were young people themselves who had a lovely time watching their peers on stage.
These groups, comprising learners from National School of the Arts, Gauteng Music Academy, Morris Isaacs on Centre for and Music Pro Arte, were prepared weeeks ago, the festival curator Msaki. After an afternoon of good performances by the groups, who took a good account of themselves on stage, Msaki rocked the stage as the final act.
It was indeed an afternoon filled with good music, good vibes and connection among stakeholders.
The festival was organised by T-Music Man, the producers of the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz as a developmental initiative aimed at giving a platform to young jazz musicians.
This is development at its best, and since it started has increasingly attracted families, young fans and music loving public to NSA in Braamfontein for a lovely experience of music and good vibes.