Last summer, nearly 42,000 visitors visited Ghent Jazz. It was a record-breaking edition, the organization later said. And that included performances by Van Morrison and Sting somewhere in between. What will happen next year is not clear. The Gent Jazz site already lists the dates for next year, when Gent Jazz will take place from 6th to 16th July. But the organizers have now informed the Ghent city council that they are bankrupt.
“I was informed by the chairman of the board that he filed for bankruptcy,” says culture councilor Sami Souguir. “This is a great loss for Ghent. The festival has been a monument for many years, with various important posters.”
Souguir thinks that the corona crisis has played tricks on Ghent Jazz. “We shouldn’t be foolish about it. Many organizations are still feeling the aftermath of the corona crisis. And that continues to weigh. Meanwhile, the company court has declared the non-profit organization behind Gent Jazz bankrupt.”
It’s also hard for Souguir to tell how things should continue now. But he knows one thing for sure: “In Ghent we are devoted to jazz. Ghent is a real jazz city. So we will definitely see whether a strong jazz festival in Ghent is possible in the future. We will investigate this further in the coming weeks and months.”
