Nice Jazz Festival is one of the top international festivals of jazz. This annual event attracts nearly 50,000 visitors to Nice. Performances are staged at the striking setting of Nice’s Cimiez Gardens, which house a Roman amphitheatre dating back 2000 years. Although the festival’s focus is jazz, music of many genres is on the programme. Past performers have included Jimmy Cliff, Bebel Gilberto and BB King; and also newer names such as Jamiroquai, Katie Melua and Joss Stone. The first festival was held in the 1940s, and it has grown in stature ever since.