The Standard Bank Jazz Festival Makhanda brought musicians and fans together for an innovative virtual music experience to help sustain and connect the local and global music community during these unprecedented times.  The festival forms part of the National Arts Festival which earlier this year announced the move to present a virtual arts festival. 

Arguably the musicians’ favourite festival, it is known for its ambitious collaborations across styles, continents and generations and manages to attract year-after-year serious musicians to a small magical corner of South Africa – Makhanda, nestled in the belly of the Eastern Cape. Whilst the festival has found itself in a position where it has had to reimagine live performances in the time of a pandemic, the festival has responded in a way that shows grit and commitment to still delivering an exceptional experience for its fans. 

The Festival started  on the 25th June 2020,  with a star-studded line-up with a mix of international and local artists exploring digital and virtual platforms to bring audiences jazz in a completely reimagined way.
The line-up included – Jacob Collier, Sisonke Xonti, Ami Faku, Thandiswa Mazwai, 
Mi Casa, Gloria Bosman, Spha Mdlalose, Sakhile Simani, Swing City, Ramon Alexander, Vuma Levin, Linda Sikhakhane, Ziza Muftic, Michael Bester, Lana Crowster, Mete Erker & Jeroen van Vliet