Here’s where to find free jazz on the streets of Cork this weekend!

Jazz will take centre stage on the streets of Cork over the October Bank Holiday Weekend as The Big Fringe returns for a booming weekend of free music and exciting performances to complement the main ticketed shows.  

Kicking off this Wednesday, the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival promises an unforgettable week of world-class music. Locals and visitors alike will be swept up in the city’s infectious energy, with jazz performances transforming Cork into a giant open-air stage.

This year’s festival is bigger than ever, with world-class jazz musicians converging in Cork for performances that will reverberate across the city. The Big Fringe, organised by the Cork Jazz Festival Committee, is a key part of the festival's charm. The FREE program is filled with spontaneous jazz moments, brass bands, and impromptu performances.
Highlights include: 

• Jazz Stroll on Oliver Plunkett

• Jazz on the Plaza super dome stage at Emmet Place

• Beat on the Street impromptu street performances

• Talks, presentations, performances and Exhibition at Live at the Library at the Rory Gallagher Music Library at Cork City Library.

• The Big Jazz Bus 

• Jazz Gospel Service at St. Anne’s Church in Shandon 

• A Touch of Blarney featuring Cork’s very own Blarney Brass & Reed Band. 

• Jazz Jamboree at the Opera House Plaza 

• Electronic Music Council events at Liquid Lounge 

• Jazz Festival History Walking Tour 

• Kinsale Guinness Cork Jazz Festival

• Outreach Programme with visits to care centres and schools around the city.

Don’t miss the Jazz Stroll on Oliver Plunkett Street on Friday 25^th from 6.30pm, which will see 4-5 national and international brass bands stroll down the iconic street, kicking off the weekend with a joyous explosion of sound.  (Grand Parade - Oliver Plunkett St - Maylor St - Caroline St - Oliver Plunkett St),

The fun doesn’t stop there—Cork City’s streets will be alive with performances throughout the weekend. Catch live jazz at the Jazz on the Plaza super dome stage at Emmet Place  on Saturday and Sunday. For a real Cork experience, make time for Beat on the Street, featuring impromptu performances scattered around the city with New York Brass Band, Hyde Park Brass Band, BoolaBoom, Lamarotte, Code of Behaviour, Tbl8 Brass Band, Rebel Brass Band and the Brass Kings. 

Those eager to delve deeper into the history and culture of jazz will be inspired by the Live at the Library series of talks, presentations and performances at the Rory Gallagher Music Library at Cork City Library over the week.  Join Philip Watson (The Irish Times) as he introduces ‘Good dog, Happy man” by Bill Frisell, the Guitarist who changed the sound of American Music. (23^rd Oct at 11am).  Dr. Ian Darrington MBE will talk on the history and place of Japanese Jazz. (23^rd Oct 1pm).  Learn ‘How brass instruments work’, (24^th Oct 11am), hear the wonderful sound of Live Brass Music (25^th Oct 2pm), or hear Sonny Emerald DJ live (25^th Oct 4pm).  Sonny will open the door of the cosmos, paying tribute and gratitude to the intergalactic genius of Sun Ra& his Arkestra.

An Exhibition on Jazz culture in Japan runs all week at the Library as part of an international collaboration between staff member Ben Hussey and visiting intern Misa Nakai.  
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.

For a soulful start to your Sunday, head to 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 at 3:00pm 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 brass bands—perfect for a final send-off to the festival weekend.

For electronic music fans, the Electronic Music Council will host a number of events at Liquid Lounge on Princes Street. These include Soichi Terada (Live), Japanese house music, supported by Danilo Milk & Patfeelgood; Nancy (Live)  for a night of high-octane live techno alongside NATMAC and Battsy; Lone (Live) with renowned electronic producer Lone, supported by James ABJURE and Data Ryder.

You can really get your jazz shoes on at the Jazz Festival History Walking Tour with local historian Ronan Leonard. The 90 minute tour  will cover various venues, legendary gigs and memories while also using the narrative of Cork’s own history.

For even more jazz, the coastal town of Kinsale will host its own Kinsale Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, which runs alongside the main city events. Highlights include 20 gigs across 4 days at The Blue Haven, and Hamlets. 100% Jazz music can be observed at The Bulman, where Billy Crosbie Trio takes place Monday at 7pm. Billy played a fundamental role in bringing jazz to Kinsale, and now plays in his family’s pub by the sea! 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 run an Outreach Programme as part of The Big Fringe. A number of jazz events will take place in communities from visits to care centres and schools around the city.
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 Code of Behaviour always make the streets come alive and we are delighted to bring jazz to so many communities again. Of course it wouldn’t be possible without our partners Diageo, Cork Airport, Fáilte Ireland, and many local businesses.”
This year’s Big Fringe charity partner is the RNLI, celebrating 200 years, with plenty of opportunities to support their incredible work throughout the weekend.

Of course, the Fringe is just one part of the festival, which also includes an incredible main stage line-up.  Expect performances from stars like Gregory Porter, Mary Coughlan, Buena Vista All Stars, Les Amazones d’Afrique, De La Soul, Todd Terje, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Maya Delilah, Orchestra Baobab, Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, Amadou and Mariam, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, hip harpist Alina Bzhezhinska’s tribute to Alice Coltrane, Takuya Kuroda, Hot Chip and more. Main stage venues include The Everyman, Cork Opera House, The Metropole Hotel, Live @ St. Luke’s, St. Peter’s Church, Cyprus Avenue, KINO, Triskel Arts Centre and Cork City Hall.
The expanded jazz music trail will offer free performances in 72 pubs and clubs throughout the city.

As part of the cultural offerings, ‘Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, ChoiceCuts and TheRecordHub.com will also host a unique celebration marking 85 years of the iconic jazz label, Blue Note Records, with an immersive exhibition titled 85 Years Of Blue Note at the historic St. Peter’s Cork for the duration of the festival.  The interactive exhibit will feature the label’s iconic artwork and the label’s first-ever Irish pop-up store curated in collaboration with The Record Hub. 
For a full program of events or to book, visit guinnesscorkjazz.com.  Or follow the festival on @guinnesscorkjazz #GuinnessCorkJazz. The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is supported by Diageo, Fáilte Ireland, Cork City Council and Cork Airport.