One Ticket. Multiple Concerts. Two Stages.

CD Park is once again the heart of the festival’s outdoor programme. With a day pass, visitors can attend several concerts across two stages, discover new names, and stay late into the evening.

On Thursday, 2 July, the CD Park programme begins after Dee Dee Bridgewater’s concert in Gallus Hall with the festival’s 2026 resident project. Saxophonist Lenart De Bock presents his CRY project. On the Old Tree Stage, drummer Anže Mikulan performs with his percussion trio, and the evening concludes with Sun-Mi Hong, the South Korean drummer, composer and bandleader who has become one of the most exciting figures in European jazz. Her music combines thoughtful composition, a distinctive musical voice and infectious energy, earning her appearances at many of Europe’s leading jazz festivals in recent years.

Friday’s programme , on 3 July, is the festival’s best-value day, bringing together some of the most compelling voices in contemporary jazz. On the Old Tree Stage, guitarist Toni Lah and his quartet and pianist Vita Kobal each represent the younger generation of Slovenian jazz in their own way. The Main Stage features Melissa Aldana, the Chilean saxophonist who has become one of the defining figures in contemporary jazz over the past decade, with albums that regularly appear among the year’s most acclaimed releases.

The evening concludes with vibraphonist and composer Patricia Brennan, one of the most original artists on the New York jazz scene, whose septet blurs the boundaries between jazz, contemporary classical music, improvisation and sonic experimentation.

Saturday’s CD Park programme, on 4 July, begins immediately after Bilal’s concert in Linhart Hall. The Marko Momčilović Quartet and Good Remarks perform on the Old Tree Stage, while Pogum pogumnih, led by Zlatko Kaučič, takes to the Main Stage. One of Slovenia’s most important jazz musicians and educators, Kaučič leads an eleven-member ensemble bringing together former students and established Italian musicians. The result is an expansive, socially engaged suite that continues to respond to the world around it with each performance. The evening concludes with the Soweto Kinch Trio, led by one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British jazz. A saxophonist, rapper and composer, Soweto Kinch masterfully intertwines jazz, hip hop and spoken word in his work.