Plan Saint Lucia trips around Jazz & Arts Festival 2027, 30 April–10 May

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) has confirmed the first artists for the 2027 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival and fixed the event's dates. The island's flagship music and arts gathering will run from 30 April to 10 May 2027, with British singer Emeli Sandé, American band Chicago and Saint Lucian artist Michael Robinson, known as MR, leading the first stage of the programme.

Key facts

• Dates: 30 April to 10 May 2027
• First confirmed acts: Emeli Sandé, Chicago and MR
• Announced by: the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority at World Travel Market London 2026
• Programme: international music, local talent and other artistic and cultural expressions
• Still to come: more artists and programme details in the coming months

When is the festival and what is planned?

The 2027 edition takes place over 30 April to 10 May 2027. The SLTA says the programme will combine international music, local performers and a range of artistic and cultural expressions, rather than concerts alone.

The festival was named Music Festival of the Year at the 2026 Caribbean Music Awards. The authority says the event also creates opportunities for musicians, entrepreneurs and tourism-linked businesses, and helps diversify what the island offers visitors.

Who has been confirmed so far?

Emeli Sandé is a British singer and songwriter known for Next to Me, Read All About It (Pt. III) and Beneath Your Beautiful, her collaboration with Labrinth. Her debut album, Our Version of Events, was the best-selling album in the UK in 2012, and she has won two BRIT Awards and the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year in 2013.

Chicago is an American band with more than five decades of history and a repertoire mixing rock, jazz and wind instrument arrangements. The SLTA names 25 or 6 to 4, Saturday in the Park, If You Leave Me Now and Hard to Say I'm Sorry among the songs expected.

MR, a Saint Lucian singer and songwriter, provides the local representation. He is a winner of the Nina Simone Award and has been nominated for the Caribbean Music Awards.

Why was the line-up announced in London?

The SLTA revealed the first names at World Travel Market London 2026, one of the international tourism industry's major gatherings. The authority describes the British market as strategically important for Saint Lucia and says the choice of venue is intended to widen the festival's global reach and put it in front of tour operators and other industry representatives.

Thaddeus M. Antoine, president of the SLTA, said returning to London lets organisers "build on the momentum of previous editions". He added that the organisation will aim to broaden the event's reach, attract new audiences and increase its contribution to the island's tourism offering in 2027.

What this means for travellers

Travellers planning a trip to Saint Lucia around the turn of April and May 2027 now have confirmed festival dates to plan against. The source does not state ticket prices, venues, on-sale dates or any entry requirements for visitors, so those details cannot be confirmed here.

The SLTA says further artists and programme details will be announced in the coming months for the 2027 edition.