23 October 2025
By Valerie Ryan
valerie@TheCork.ie

The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is here!  In addition to the main festival programme, the local Cork Jazz Festival committee organise a series of free events bringing jazz onto the streets of Cork over the weekend

Get ready for a weekend of free music and an electric atmosphere on the streets of Cork City, as The Big Fringe returns to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival over the October Bank Holiday Weekend.

Picture shows The New Brass Kings performing on the Guinness Jazz bus during the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival.Pic: Naoise Culhane-no fee

Hyde Park bring jazz to the streets of Cork as part of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. Now in its 46th year, Ireland’s biggest jazz celebration will bring electric vibes to the stages and streets of Cork until Monday 28th October. For more see www.guinnesscorkjazz.com
Pic Darragh Kane

Organised by the Cork Jazz Festival Committee, the Big Fringe adds to the festival’s magic with spontaneous street performances, jam sessions and marching brass bands, turning Cork into one giant open-air stage.

A big highlight is the Oliver Plunkett Street Stroll on Friday 24th from 6.30pm.  Stroll from Grand Parade, down the iconic Oliver Plunkett Street, onto Maylor Street and Caroline Street as you listen to some of the best national and international brass and marching bands for a special cacophony of music.

For a real Cork experience, catch the Beat on the Street, happy jazz impromptu performances around the city from some of U.K & Europe’s best marching bands on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  This year’s line-up includes New York Brass Band, Hyde Park Brass Band, Lamarotte, Code of Behaviour, Tbl8 Brass Band, Rebel Brass Band and the Brass Kings.

Visit the Super Dome Jazz Stage on the Opera House Plaza, Emmett Place, on Saturday and Sunday Afternoon for live music throughout the afternoon.

Soak it all up at the new Jazz Market on St Patrick’s Street on Saturday and Sunday from 11am-7pm where you can get a taste of local produce.

Discover the stories behind the sounds along with performances at the Live at the Library series in the Rory Gallagher Music Library at Cork City Library over the week. Highlights include An Introduction to the Jazz Orchestra, Women in Jazz featuring vocalist Ivy Favier and guitarist Simone Cooke, and live brass sessions.

Back by popular demand, the Big Jazz Bus will once again make its way through the city streets, offering a rolling jazz experience from Friday to Sunday. Shoppers and passers-by will be serenaded by live performances atop the bus.

Start your Sunday with soulful sounds in one of Cork’s most iconic settings, St. Anne’s Church in Shandon, for the Jazz Gospel Service at 10:45am.

Festival-goers won’t want to miss A Touch of Blarney on Sunday afternoon from 3:30pm on Daunts Square, featuring Cork’s very own Blarney Brass & Reed Band.

Meanwhile, the much-loved Jazz Jamboree will take over Opera House Plaza at 5pm that evening, with an unforgettable jam session from all the visiting European brass bands in a farewell gathering.

The Jazz Festival Club at the Metropole Hotel, original home of the Jazz festival, will have live music all weekend, while you can enjoy Jazz by the Riverside at the River Lee Hotel on Bank Holiday Monday with the New Brass Band.

For even more jazz, the coastal town of Kinsale will host its own fringe, the Guinness Kinsale Jazz Festival, which runs alongside the main city events. Highlights include a Marching Brass Band, Lamorotte, on the streets of Kinsale Saturday afternoon.  More than 100 live performances will take place across 4 days at The Blue Haven, Hamlets, Kitty O’Sé’s, Harry’s, Oscar’s, Sam’s, The Lord Kingsale, The White House, Trident Hotel, Dalton’s, The Spaniard, The White Lady, the Tap Tavern and The Bulman. An eight piece brass show band can be seen in Oscar Madisons, all the way from Kent, and Loose Change will make their appearance again in the heart of Kinsale.

The festival committee also runs an Outreach Programme as part of The Big Fringe.

Fiona Collins, Chairperson of the Cork Jazz Festival Committee, shared her excitement: “The Big Fringe is a real highlight for many festival-goers. The energy and enthusiasm of acts like Hyde Park Brass and our local talents such as Rebel Brass always bring the streets to life. Of course it wouldn’t be possible without our partners Diageo, Cork City Council, Cork Airport, Fáilte Ireland, and many local businesses.”

Of course, the Fringe is just one part of the festival, which also includes an incredible main stage line-up of ticketed shows which are selling fast!  The Guinness Jazz Music Trail also offers free performances in 70+ pubs and clubs throughout the city.

The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival takes place from 23-27 October.  For a full program of events or to book, visit guinnesscorkjazz.com.  Or follow the festival on @guinnesscorkjazz #GuinnessCorkJazz. The programme of fringe events would not be possible without the generous support of Guinness, Fáilte Ireland, Cork City Council, Cork Airport and local businesses.