Successful first edition of New Tide Festival in Amare to be followed by another in 2027
March 2026, news
The first edition of New Tide Festival in The Hague proved to be a great success. On Friday 6 and Saturday 7 March 2026, Amare welcomed more than 4,000 visitors to the new jazz festival that brings together tradition and innovation. Due to the high level of interest, the capacity of the festival was increased in advance.Visitors enjoyed two evenings of a vibrant program with concerts in various halls of Amare.
The festival was officially opened on Friday evening by Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague. In his opening speech, he emphasized the city's strong jazz tradition and the importance of a new festival in Amare. “The Hague has been a city where jazz is at home for decades,” said Van Zanen. “With New Tide Festival, that rich tradition is entering a new chapter.”
During the two days of the festival, Amare was transformed into a lively jazz house where concerts took place in several rooms simultaneously. From energetic performances in the main hall to intimate sets in the Jazz Rooms, and from surprising encounters in the foyers to dancing on the Kunstenplein: New Tide took over Amare and bathed the building in a warm red glow. The program brought together international names and new talent. Among others, Meshell Ndegeocello, Candy Dulfer, Corinne Bailey Rae, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Camilla George, The Harlem Gospel Travelers, New Cool Collective, Alune Wade, Francesca Tandoi, Georgia Heers, Nueva Manteca, and The World Groove Collective took to the stage. There were also performances by Brintex Collective, ROSEYE, Mushroom Mosis, Matt Johnson, Juraj Stanik ft. Jesse van Ruller, Noa Lauryn, Stephanie Nunes and the Surinam All Stars Band, Egle Petrosiute & Djâmen, Imanol Emede Trio, and TOINE. In addition, Luminescence & KC Jazz Big Band ft. Nnenna Freelon performed a special tribute concert to the music of Barry Harris.
Musical highlights and unexpected collaborations
There were several memorable moments throughout the weekend. Meshell Ndegeocello moved the audience, and Candy Dulfer, as expected, had the entire Danstheater captivated and presented a special premiere for the New Tide audience: she performed for the first time with Nigel Hall and Eric “Benny” Bloom from the American band Lettuce. Three artists who represent soul, jazz, and funk in all their diversity on the festival's biggest stage. The energy of The Harlem Gospel Travelers, who opened the festival, immediately set the tone for the weekend. In addition, Noa Lauryn drew a full house and showed how strong the new generation of artists is. In Amare's Danstheater hall, Corinne Bailey Rae brought the soft energy of new music and the nostalgia of earlier hits.
In addition to the concerts, the festival offered an extensive side program. There was plenty of dancing during the social dance program on the Kunstenplein, while visitors to The Artist Frequency program could listen in on conversations between artists performing that day.
The success of this first edition will be followed up: New Tide Festival will return on Friday, March 5, and Saturday, March 6, 2027, at Amare.
Amare's jazz signature
For years, there had been a desire for Amare to have its own jazz festival. With this first edition, Amare has shown what it stands for: its own jazz signature in which boundaries between genres are explored and the building comes alive with concerts in different halls. New Tide Festival is an initiative of Amare and is programmed by Chelsea Pachito, pop, global & jazz programmer at Amare and head programmer of New Tide Festival, in collaboration with Tom van der Zaal and Toine Scholten. Thanks to the collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire, new jazz talent from the building also found a natural place in the festival program. In this way, New Tide Festival underlines The Hague's role as a city where jazz tradition, talent development, and international exchange come together.
New edition in 2027
Due to its huge success, New Tide Festival will be returning. The next edition will take place on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 March 2027 at Amare. The new jazz tradition for The Hague is now firmly established. Ticket sales have started and early bird passes are now available.
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