A to JazZ Festival: Sustainability, Culture, and Urban Development
A to Jazz
A to JazZ Festival
Every summer since 2011, one music event has set the rhythm of the Bulgarian capital. That event is the A to JazZ Festival. At FRAGMENT, we see the festival as more than just a cultural happening – it is a platform for transformation: of public spaces, communities, and habits.
Culture as a Driver of Economic and Social Development
As co-organizers and partners of the festival, we know from experience that cultural events have a tangible and measurable impact – not only on the economy but also on the cultural life of the city. They create jobs, bring life to peripheral urban areas, generate economic activity, boost tourism, and add value to the public realm. To understand and quantify this impact, we’ve developed a methodology in partnership with a team of economists and the research agency Alpha Research, designed to measure the economic, social, and cultural influence of the festival. Our goal is to create a framework that can also be useful to other cultural operators – because we believe that culture, like any other industry, deserves to be backed by real, reliable data.
Sustainability: More Than a Trend – A Commitment
The scale of A to JazZ comes with responsibility. Every July, South Park II transforms from an ordinary public park into a vibrant cultural hub. The organization starts long before the music begins – and continues long after the final encore. For us, it’s essential that the festival leaves behind a positive environmental footprint. In 2024, A to JazZ became the first cultural event in Bulgaria to officially measure its carbon footprint, in collaboration with Planet Positive Events.`
The result: a sustainability certificate and a high rating for our implemented practices. We introduced reusable cups, which reduced single-use plastic by more than 50%. Every year, we implement waste separation and recycling. We are working actively on the phased elimination of diesel generators and connecting to the national power grid – a step we believe leads toward a net-zero future.
Sustainable Events with Real Impact
To us, A to JazZ is more than a festival – it is living proof that music can transform urban space, unite people, and drive the sustainable evolution of festival culture. Our goal is for A to JazZ to become a zero waste festival by 2026 – an ambition backed by a consistent plan and inspired by international best practices from leading European events like Glastonbury and Primavera Sound.