History

The “Romulus Vuia” Ethnographic Park, or as many locals know it, the Village Museum, was founded in 1929 and is the first open-air museum in Romania. It is located just 15 minutes from the city center and hosts over 200 traditional households spread across more than 12 hectares.

During Jazz in the Park, the village comes to life. Every house, courtyard, and pathway becomes part of the festival—stages, restaurants, meeting spots, or simply places where people pause to listen to music and share conversations.

The festival is limited to 7,000 participants per day and features around 40 concerts across 4 stages, along with restaurants, music workshops, relaxation areas, and activities for all ages.

THE STORY

For us, Jazz in the Park is how we wish the world would be: more mindful, calmer, more curious.

We started in 2013, in Central Park in Cluj-Napoca, at a time when you weren’t even allowed to sit on the grass. After the first edition,

things began to change. And that confirmed to us that a festival can do more than bring music—it can change the way we use and experience the city’s spaces.

Since 2020, we’ve moved to the Ethnographic Park, a place that feels made for stories and

for a festival meant to be enjoyed at a slower pace.

We chose jazz as our ambassador because it is a music of freedom—a music that doesn’t rush and invites you to truly listen.

Achievements

The event that gave Central Park back to the people of Cluj

Until the first edition of our festival in 2013, Central Park was mostly a transit space—a place you could enjoy from a bench in designated areas or simply by crossing it from one end to the other. People weren’t allowed to sit on the grass or hang hammocks in the trees.

Jazz in the Park was the first public event held in Central Park in Cluj after decades. This was possible because the local authorities trusted us—and we passed that trust on to our community. It was worth it.

The first festival to introduce reusable cups

In 2018, we were the first event in the country to introduce reusable cups. For a 3 RON fee, you received a reusable cup that you could refill as many times as you wanted. You could even take it home and bring it back the next day. And if you returned it to the bar along with the receipt, you got your cup deposit back. Simple, right? And super eco-friendly.

ARTICOL

Jazz for the Pata Rât community

We really wanted to build a bridge between the community living near the landfill in Pata Rât and the people of Cluj-Napoca. We knew it was important for these two communities to meet, and Jazz in the Park felt like the perfect connector. That’s why:

2017, 2018
We dedicated one day of the festival to Pata Rât, with free concerts open to everyone. To make it accessible, we provided free transportation to and from Cluj through a network of buses.

2017
That same year, we also launched a non-formal education project—a summer school for children from Pata Rât—and offered a one-year sports scholarship to one of the teenagers in the community.

Festival in Bogata

After Snoop Dogg accidentally checked in to the village of Bogata in Mureș County (instead of Bogotá, Colombia), we thought it was a great opportunity to highlight Bogata’s tourism potential and support the local community in some way.

So, for one day, we turned a football field into a festival space and, with the help of the community, raised €3,000, which were donated to the residents of Bogata to be used according to their needs.

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