The fourth edition of the Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival begins tonight and will, over the next three days, bring together internationally recognized jazz artists, young professionals from around the world and audiences drawn to contemporary musical expression in a distinctive Mediterranean setting. This year once again, the festival is conceived as a combination of a daytime mentoring and educational program and evening open-air concerts.

This year’s mentors and thirteen selected musicians arrived on the island yesterday and will work together through masterclasses. Upon arrival, they were introduced to the island’s history under expert guidance. The traditional planting of an olive tree was also held, continuing the festival tradition of leaving a lasting mark on Lopud.

The working program at the Rector’s Palace begins with a roundtable on creating longevity in an artistic career, where the Jazz Master Jamey Haddad, one of the world’s most distinguished percussionists and educators, will speak with participants, together with mentors Camila Meza, Donny McCaslin, Rachel Eckroth, John Hadfield, Antonio Sánchez and Thana Alexa, about how to build a sustainable career in an ever-changing music industry. This will be followed by the masterclass The Trance of the Groove, in which Jason Lindner, Jonathan Maron and Thana Alexa explore groove through deep listening, spontaneous creation of musical parts and a sense of the ensemble’s collective pulse.

This year’s concert program opens with Chilean guitarist and vocalist Camila Meza, who will present her project Portal at 20:30 in the Grand Hotel Garden. A musical journey of powerful atmosphere, Portal is dedicated to themes of motherhood and transformation, and Meza will be joined by Gabriel Chakarji on piano and synthesizers, Alejandra Sofia on backing vocals and Elé Howell on drums. After the concert, the audience can also look forward to an evening jam session led by festival co-founder and Artistic Director Thana Alexa, Jason Lindner and Jonathan Maron, where participants and mentors will perform together for the first time.

Tickets are available through Entrio, and boat transfer on the Argosy from Dubrovnik is included for festival audiences. Departure is from Lapadska obala, in front of the Faculty of Economics, at 19:00, with return from the Hotel Lafodia pier at 00:15. Capacity on the transfer is limited, and a seat is secured exclusively by purchasing a ticket. All information about the program and accompanying events will be available at pontalopud.hr and on the social media channels of the Ponta Lopud Creative Platform.

In 2026, the Ponta Lopud Creative Platform presents three summer cultural programs, welcoming all lovers of the arts, especially film, music and literature. The Ponta Lopud Film Festival was the first of the three events; held from 25 to 28 June, it was dedicated to the art of film. The second event, the popular Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival, will bring music lovers to the island from 27 to 29 August, while Ponta Lopud Book Bridge will transform the island into a literary retreat from 17 to 19 September, rounding off the summer events.