Fez — The Jazzablanca lineup tonight is set to open the festival’s 19th edition with a mix of global pop, jazz, Moroccan-rooted world music, and Gnawa sounds in Casablanca.
The festival runs from July 2-11, bringing 10 days of concerts across three stages and more than 50 artists, according to Jazzablanca’s official program.
Tonight’s main Anfa Park bill features Robbie Williams and French funk-pop band Deluxe on the Scène Casa Anfa, while Yazz Ahmed and Bab L’Bluz perform on Scène 21.
At the Parc de la Ligue Arabe, Moroccan Gnawa artist Asmaa Hamzaoui and her group Bnat Timbouktou will open the festival’s free city-center stage.
A star-heavy opening night
Robbie Williams gives Jazzablanca its biggest opening-night pop draw, bringing a stadium-scale name to a festival that has steadily expanded beyond its jazz foundations.
His appearance marks the festival’s first major international headline moment of the 2026 edition, setting the tone for a program that will later include Scorpions, Mika, Ms. Lauryn Hill with Wyclef Jean, Juanes, Jessie J, and Jorja Smith.
Deluxe adds a different energy to the same evening, with a live reputation built around brass, groove, color, and a stage presence that fits Jazzablanca’s festive identity.
Jazz, world sounds, and Moroccan roots
The Scène 21 program gives the night a sharper Jazzablanca signature. British-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed is listed under jazz, while Bab L’Bluz brings a world-music lane rooted in North African and Gnawa-inspired textures.
That pairing helps balance the commercial pull of Robbie Williams with the festival’s broader mission: bringing international audiences into contact with jazz, soul, funk, world music, and contemporary Moroccan sounds.
The free Ligue Arabe stage deepens that Moroccan presence. Asmaa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou have become one of Morocco’s most visible all-women Gnawa acts, and their opening-night slot places local heritage at the heart of the festival’s public-facing program.
A bigger Jazzablanca footprint
This year’s edition stretches across Anfa Park and the Parc de la Ligue Arabe, with paid concerts at Anfa Park and free performances in the city center. The format reflects Jazzablanca’s growing ambition to turn the event into a citywide cultural moment, rather than a closed festival experience.
With tonight’s lineup, Jazzablanca is opening on two fronts: global star power at Anfa Park and Moroccan musical memory in the heart of Casablanca.
The result is a first night that captures what the festival has become: a meeting point where international names, local sounds, and Casablanca’s urban energy share the same summer stage.
