Venues & stages
Théâtre du Villars Palace
- Type
- Hotel theatre / MJF Spotlight Sessions
- Address
- Villars Palace, Route des Hôtels 28, 1884 Villars-sur-Ollon (Alpes vaudoises)
In Villars-sur-Ollon, a Vaud Alps resort half an hour from Montreux, the Villars Palace theatre has become an off-season stage for the Montreux Jazz Festival. In winter and autumn the festival presents the MJF Spotlight Sessions there: intimate concerts by pop, soul and R&B artists spotted by its programmers before they play the big stages.
The Montreux Jazz Festival in the mountains
The MJF Spotlight Sessions
MJF Spotlight was born in 2021, during the pandemic, to support young artists. After London, Hamburg and Zurich, the programme came to Villars in 2023: every Saturday from 11 February to 1 April, a free après-ski, a concert in the Villars Palace theatre and then a DJ set. The first season featured Cherise, Mentissa, Flowerovlove, Aime Simone and Joesef (Montreux Jazz Festival).
The event has returned every year since. In 2026 six artists played over three spring weekends, from 6 March to 4 April, and an autumn edition welcomes LEVI.SCT, a6el, Lady O and Ferdi on 2-3 and 9-10 October. The sessions are presented by Julius Baer, with the support of the Villars Tourist Office (Montreux Jazz Festival).