Music festivals are hard to throw in China. This is usually how they go: hype, line-up released, rumors of cancellation, rumors denied, rumors confirmed, massive hole in social calendar.

This year, most promoters didn’t even try in Shanghai. The sole exception is the JZ Music festival, held this month in Pudong’s Century Park and the Yunfeng Theater.

For the past five years, the JZ crew has bucked the trend by putting on an ever-growing event. “Last year, we only had one stage inside the main part of the festival,” says Mark Elliott, bookings manager at JZ. “This year we have three. Plus, because the space is much larger, we have room to do festival-type activities like creative markets and food areas.”

The name has changed this year, too. What was the Shanghai Jazz Festival is now the JZ Music Festival. “The music policy hasn’t changed, it’s grown,” says Elliott. “Its roots are still jazz but it’s expanded into new areas. We have Chinese artists such as Cui Jian and Zhang Xuan, but they’re interspersed with the likes of Us3, who blend hip-hop with jazz.”

Geoff Wilkinson from Us3 isn’t daunted by playing in front of an audience who may be unfamiliar with his music. “I hope the crowd is as excited as we all are. The two MCs I’m bringing to China are Brook Yung and Akil Dasan. We’ve played in front of a few non-English speaking crowds this year, and I think they got their message across.”

However, the festival’s headliner, Dee Dee Bridgewater, will not be playing in the park, but in the Yunfeng Theater, with tickets sold separately. “We’re holding it in two locations as an expression of the different ways jazz can be enjoyed,” says Elliott. “Some jazz you should sit and listen with your mouth shut, but in the park it’s a party with everyone going wild.”

Key to such revelry will be the Electrograss Stage. “We have a lot of the Shanghai crews who put on electronic music events coming to play. We want people wandering backwards and forwards experiencing new stuff wherever they go.”

And you could be one of those lucky wanderers, because we have a pair of tickets to give away. To win, visit the Win Stuff page.