Formentera Jazz Festival: jazz and world music in June
One of Formentera’s big early-summer events: four days of jazz and world music, with international artists and free concerts in some of the island’s most beautiful spots.
What is the Formentera Jazz Festival?
The Formentera Jazz Festival is a jazz festival that brings local and international musicians to the island every year in early June. In 2026 it held its 12th edition, and in 2025 it won the award for Best Tourism Experience at the Balearic Government’s tourism awards.
You don’t need to be a jazz expert to enjoy it. What matters here is the atmosphere: open-air concerts, a square full of people and a closing jam session open to the island’s musicians.
When is it held?
The festival lasts four days and is usually held in early June. The 2026 edition ran from 4 to 7 June. The 2026 dates were announced at the end of April, so check the festival’s website and social media before planning your trip.
Where are the concerts?
In 2026 the programme spread the concerts across several places on the island:
- Blue Bar, on Migjorn beach: the opening day, at sunset.
- Sant Francesc Xavier square: the main concerts.
- Sa Panxa.
- Ses Roques: the closing night, with a jam session open to local artists and musicians.
The concerts were free. Just turn up and let the music carry you away.
What kind of music is there?
Jazz is the foundation, but the festival mixes styles and audiences:
- Classic and contemporary jazz
- World music and fusion, for example with flamenco or African traditions
- DJ sets after the concerts
In 2026 the headliner was bassist and singer Richard Bona, alongside artists such as Momi Maiga, with his kora, and the Muriel Grossmann quartet.
Why experience it in person
Because it is a festival on a human scale, with no huge venues and no rush: you can listen to a concert in the village square or watch the evening draw in to music at a beach bar in Migjorn.
What’s more, the concerts are mostly at sunset and at night, so you have the day free to enjoy the island. Many festival-goers take the chance to spend the day at sea with boat hire in Formentera: coves and swimming in the morning; in the afternoon, back to port before nightfall and off to the concerts.
Who is the Formentera Jazz Festival for?
- For people who enjoy live music without labels.
- For people who value a relaxed atmosphere over a big-name line-up.
- For people looking for something different to do on holiday.
It is not about seeing the most famous artist, but about being there: listening, looking around you and realising that Formentera has a soul after dark, too.
Can’t make it in June? Jazz a la Plaça
If you are visiting the island in high summer, in 2026 the Consell’s Música a les Places programme organised Jazz a la Plaça: jazz concerts on Saturdays at 10 pm in the plaça de la Constitució in Sant Francesc, from 20 June to 3 October.
A festival with its own character
The Formentera Jazz Festival does not try to compete with the big festivals. It is what it is: a meeting point for music, nature and people. And the perfect excuse to travel to the island before the high season and discover its more intimate side.
