Manchester Jazz Festival

About Manchester Jazz Festival

First staged in 1996, Manchester Jazz Festival 2027 returns to Manchester as a jazz and contemporary-jazz music festival. The annual run now takes in 60+ free and ticketed events, and the festival describes itself as the city’s longest-running music festival. The format has widened.

Its archive starts with nine bands, a DJ and off-stage activity in 1996. Later markers include the New Futures commission by Richard Iles in 2000, an international exchange programme tied to the 2002 Commonwealth Games cultural programme, and a live BBC Radio 3 Jazz on 3 broadcast from the 2005 launch night.

Lineup and Programme

The bill leans into jazz, contemporary jazz and jazz-related music, with an open artist submissions route feeding the programme. Two outdoor stages anchor it.

At First Street, free outdoor performances run on the Main Stage in Tony Wilson Place and the Ask Garden Stage on James Grigor Square. Away from the outdoor stages, the programme also uses partner venues for ticketed gigs. Family-friendly workshops and concerts sit alongside piano trail activity and festival walking tours.

Who Is It For?

The audience skews regional. Sponsor material for 2026 put 73% of attendees from Greater Manchester and 85% from the North West, with audience bands spanning 20-34 through to 70+.

Family-friendly workshops and concerts are part of the programme, while Soundcheck was launched in 2019 for Greater Mancunians aged 18-25 who are new to improvisation. The festival also runs year-round talent development programmes.

The Venue and Site

First Street is the festival base, with First Street Bar And Kitchen within the Manchester mixed-use neighbourhood. During mjf, the site is set around two free outdoor stages: Main Stage in Tony Wilson Place and Ask Garden Stage on James Grigor Square.

All sites and stages at First Street are accessible. Seating is limited. Volunteer support is available on site, with bars, restaurants and leisure venues operating around the public green-space setting.

Travel

First Street sits in central Manchester, with Oxford Road the nearest listed rail station.

• Oxford Road Station: 5-minute walk.
• Piccadilly Station: 10-minute walk.
• Victoria Station: 15-minute walk.
• Road access: via Whitworth Street West, First Street, Medlock Street and Isabella Banks Street.
• Parking: on-site Q-Park parking at First Street, with nearby city-centre options including Deansgate NCP from £2.50/hr and Arndale Centre from £3.00/hr.