About Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca is one of the largest cities in Romania and is informally considered the capital of the Transylvania region. It is located approximately 150 km from the border with Hungary, 500 km from Bucharest, and 400 km from … Darabani (the northernmost city in Romania). The locals refer to it simply as Cluj (although that is the name of the county). For the sake of efficiency in writing, we will also refer to it as Cluj from here on in the article.
The city is culturally diverse. Around 20% of the residents are of Hungarian descent, but there is a diversity of ethnicities due to its geographic location and reasons for living here.
Cluj is a university city. Students from all over Romania, as well as from other countries, come here to study. We excel in fields such as medicine, technical studies (mechanical or informational), and other disciplines. Babeș-Bolyai University is the largest university in the country.
The city has gained a reputation for hosting various festivals. In addition to Jazz in the Park, Cluj is home to the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), Electric Castle, and Untold. Furthermore, there are numerous events, both big and small, throughout the year that bring life to this city, such as the Sports Festival, Hungarian Cultural Days, Cluj Days, Lights ON, Street Food Festival, and many others.
Price reference:
Cluj has average to high prices compared to Romania, but they are relatively low compared to European standards. The currency here is the Romanian Leu (RON), with an exchange rate of 1 EUR = 4.92 RON.
- 1 bottle of water costs 0.5 EUR (in a shop) or 1.5 – 2 EUR (in a bar)
- 1 beer costs 0.5 – 1.5 EUR (in a shop) or 2 – 3 EUR (in a bar)
- A meal in a restaurant can range in 10-20 EUR (of course, it can be more expensive)
- Event tickets can range from 10-100 EUR
Recommended Restaurants/Bars:
There are many excellent restaurants and bars in Cluj, but we recommend the following:
- Visuin: a cocktail bar and restaurant located in the heart of the city. They have a splendid terrace and offer great products. They run the bars at Jazz in the Park.
- Bruto: one of our favorite restaurants, with excellent decor and a very daring menu.
- Tortelli: if you want good pasta, this is the place. Period.
- Samsara: for our friends who have chosen not to eat meat.
- Cimbru: It started as a food truck and has now opened fine dining restaurants. Highly recommended.
- Marty: Marty has the most diverse menu in the city. If you’re in a large group, you can’t go wrong here.
- Olivo/Narcoffee: In Cluj, you won’t find bad coffee. It’s impossible. But if you see their advertisement, know that this is where you’ll find the best.
- Studio 26: An honest bar in Cluj. You will love it.
- Additionally, for convenience stores, we recommend Mega Image. They’re everywhere!
Transportation:
Cluj has heavy traffic, but there are many good alternatives to using a car. Here are our recommendations:
- Bus: a bus ride costs 3 lei (0.65 euro cents)
- Taxi: 4 lei per kilometer (0.8 euro cents)
- Rent a scooter: variable cost (but low)
- Rent a bicycle: variable cost (but low)
Walk! It’s a very pedestrian-friendly city.
Accommodation:
Cluj offers a wide range of accommodation options, including many hotels, as well as numerous Airbnb and hostel choices to suit all budgets. You can find accommodation starting from 15 EUR/night, and prices can go up to 150-200 EUR for a 5-star establishment.
Our recommendations (in proximity to our festivals) are:
- Hotel Napoca: 4-star Hotel
- Hotel Belvedere: 3-star Hotel
Things to see in Cluj:
Central Park, Ethnographic Park, Ethnographic Museum, Art Museum, Salina Turda (30 km from the city), Gilău and Tarnița Lakes (approximately 30-40 km from the city).
For more information, you can visit the Visit Cluj website.
If you want a guided city tour, we recommend contacting Cluj Guided Tours.
We look forward to your visit!
About the Central park
The Central Park is a green oasis in the heart of Cluj.
Stretching approximately 1 kilometer in length and covering around 13 hectares, it begins at Cluj Arena stadium and ends at the Hungarian Opera. Several hundred trees of various species gracefully provide shade on hot days. Many of these trees boast an impressive age of over 120 years, yet none of them have witnessed anything more beautiful than Jazz in the Park.
Jazz in the Park is Central Park. And the Central Park is Jazz in the Park!
Lake Chios is not just a picturesque spot for photos; it’s also a place where you can take boat rides during the summer. The lake is home to dozens of ducks and swans, adding to its charm.
At the heart of the park, we find the Casino Building, an old structure in the city that was renovated in the early 2010s and transformed into a center for contemporary art. Also within the park, there is a perpetually closed building—the painting workshop of the University of Art and Design, which opens its doors to us during the festival.
It is the most beautiful place in the city. And it equally belongs to us all.
In 2013, we made our debut here with Jazz in the Park. At a time when you were not allowed to step on the grass or bring your dog to the park. But the festival restored these rights to the place. In return, the place has consecrated us, made us who we are.
Who are we?
Jazz in the Park is one of the leading jazz festivals in Eastern Europe. We focus on developing audiences and promoting Jazz especially in Romania, giving people access to various jazz artists, in a relaxed context, where everybody feels at ease. We also focus on giving value to unused public spaces. This is why we use parks and all kinds of creative venues.
Check out our venue:
Why a competition?
As you may know, a festival has limited opportunities for young acts. Nonetheless, we feel a responsibility to foster growth in the jazz industry and provide young jazz artists with a chance to be noticed.
Our competition is structured like an open-air festival, presenting talented young musicians to our local community.
What about Central Park?
This used to be our old venue. Due to the pandemic, we’ve moved the festival to another location. And starting with last year, it’s the place for our competition, the event focused on discovering emerging artists.
What to expect here?
- A beautiful park
- Around 20.000 visitors each day
- Delicious food
- A great city with many pubs and things to do, and many welcoming people to meet.
- A great experience where you will meet new musicians and hang out with many cool people.
A competition that runs exactly like a festival: multiple stages, many activities, people having fun. Basically, you are playing at a festival and you should focus on delivering a great experience to the audience. Just keep in mind that somewhere in the audience, there is a jury that will decide if you are the next winner.
About US
Our organization is called Fapte.
Founded in Cluj-Napoca in 2012, Fapte organizes cultural events with an impact on the community. Our objectives are to promote art – especially music – to a wide audience, to redefine public spaces or spaces of significance within a city and, last but not least, to promote positive values around us. We strongly believe in the power of events to shape a community, and we greatly cherish the power of music to unite people, no matter how different they may be.
Our flagship project is Jazz in the Park.
In addition to this, we also organize Music Gallery and Pop-up Jazz Club. Furthermore, we sometimes collaborate with external clients. We know how to do anything in the field of events, and we confidently engage in below-the-line projects, activations within festivals, presentation materials, attracting sponsorships, crowdfunding strategies, and much more.
Challenge us with an email at: salut@fapte.org!
Below, you will find some links to our projects:
