Jazz Festival celebrates end of an era in Casco Viejo

Panama’s Jazz Festival which has continued to grow in world stature for the last nine years, will convert. Casco Viejo,  into a pedestrian walkway on Saturday January 21.

The festival has outgrown Casco where it  has  attracted every bigger crowds for the much loved final free performances in Cathedral Plaza.. According to Panama Jazz Productions, the organizers of the activity last year about 15,000  fans,  came to the plaza in 2011.

Next year  says Danilo Perez, creator of the festival, the closing event will move to City of Knowledge, which can cater to 50,000.

The first  musical event this year took place in the City of Knowledge, followed by an opening party at the nearby Miraflores Locks center. The rest of the week was filled with musical clinics and performances at Atlapa. A true feast for jazz lovers.

The grand opening performance took place at the  National Theater, a tradition we hope will continue.

But for  the social event of the season this year, it’s business as usual, a  multi-storied  list of performers, street vendors, and the atmosphere of the old city and, of course, the problem of traffic. Casco will be for pedestrians only  from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, and will involve  a massive security crackdown in the area, according to Office of Casco Antiguo (OCA).

If you want to park your car, head for  Multicentro and then hop on one of the 12 buses that will begin a round trip ferry service to Casco Viejo. Alternatively you can walk from Avenida Balboa, past the Seafood Market, and up the hill.

The first performance  is set for 1:00 pm and the last band should end their performance at about 8:00 pm.

IOn the musical menu will be Lautarinos Luis Marín and the Conservatory of Puerto Rico,  The Jed Levy Quartet, Luis Bonilla and the New England Conservatory, the Berklee Global Jazz Institute including the Panamanian drums (Tambores Panamenos) Carlos Garnet and his quartet, Tito Puente, Jr. and the Panama Jazz Ensemble Festival.

It will be your last chance to view the  freebie event  its historic setting in a  Unesco World Heritage site, so make the most of it.