In collaboration with SA Tourism and GTA (Gauteng Tourism Authority), today Joburg Tourism welcomed Joy of Jazz artists and international media to the City at a press conference hosted at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosebank.

“The City of Johannesburg is honoured once again be hosting the Joy of Jazz, which brings together the world’s jazz greats in Joburg, testament to the City’s status as one of the world’s leading centres of musical talent, diversity and dynamism,” says Phelisa Mangcu, Acting CEO of Johannesburg Tourism.

Produced and led by organisers, T-Musicman, the Joy of Jazz Festival is one of the key annual events sponsored by Standard Bank and 2012 marks the 13th anniversary of this premier event which showcases the colourful Newtown precinct. In the past, the festival attracted 20 000 local, regional, national and international jazz supporters.

With both a local and international line-up of artists, this event showcases emerging local and international talents alongside the world’s leading musicians and is comparable in stature to jazz festivals in Cape Town and New Orleans. The festival serves to attract local and international tourists to Johannesburg and contributes to boosting the local economy, with financial spend covering accommodation, restaurants, souvenirs, transportation and job creation.

“From a tourism perspective, it’s significant for Joburg to host a festival the size, stature and gravitas of the Joy of Jazz,” says Mangcu. “It serves to place us firmly on the international arts and music calendar and gives credence to Joburg’s positioning as a hub for music, the arts, fashion and film – as well as a lifestyle and mega-events destination, capable of hosting complex events which appeal to international audiences.”

The staging of the Joy of Jazz in the Newtown precinct has played an integral role in the regeneration of the inner city, with significant benefits related to shaping the future of Johannesburg and contributing to the City’s changing creative and cultural landscape.

In addition to the line-up of stellar performances from a host of local and international artists, there is a strong developmental angle associated with the programme which includes:

•  Training Sessions through Community Outreach Programmes;
•  Provision of bursaries to encourage students to study music and the arts at tertiary level;
•  Support of entrepreneurship development within the arts sector,as well as in under-resourced and less privileged communities (including senior citizens, women and children), with a strong focus on youth development.

The objective of the City’s support for and collaboration with the festival include:
•  Utilising this event to position Johannesburg as a diverse and vibrant, international leisure and
lifestyle centre, as well as being the continent’s capital for the arts, culture, music – jazz in
particular.
•  The expansion and future growth of the Joy of Jazz Festival;
•  The creation of a Jazz Sound for Johannesburg;
•  Tangible benefits by positioning Johannesburg as a vibrant lifestyle destination and the capital
of South Africa’s music and jazz scene;
•  To promote and create a platform for local jazz artists;
•  To create local employment opportunities and to contribute to social cohesion.
•  To promote cultural tourism for local, international and transnational audiences;
•  To develop local communities through music events and
•  The overall marketing of a world class jazz festival. /ends