Brought to you by Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. 

It’s the biggest party weekend of the year in Cork. 

And if you’re planning on hitting the town for the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival this October Bank Holiday weekend (23rd–27th), now is the time to start booking your tickets.

Hurtling into its 47th year, the festival will feature a world-class line-up that spans jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, and electronic innovation with global icons and cutting-edge new talent.

Photo: Darragh Kane

Over five days, more than 500 musicians will perform across 100 events in nearly 80 venues—from headline ticketed shows to the free Guinness Music Trail, with pop-up gigs, street performances, and big brass energy spilling into the streets as part of The Big Fringe.

The buzz stretches beyond the city too, with gigs in Douglas, Kinsale, and beyond, cementing the festival as a must for visitors from home and abroad. In recent years, it’s drawn over 100,000 attendees, making it not just Ireland’s premier jazz event, but also the country’s biggest city-based music festival.

With jazz greats, global innovators, and breakthrough Irish talent all sharing the stage, this year’s Guinness Cork Jazz Festival promises another unforgettable weekend of music and magic across the city.

Here are some of our top acts to check out:

First up, Cymande at Cork Opera House. This trailblazing Black British funk band from the ’70s is back, dropping Renascence, their first album in over a decade, and bringing their signature Caribbean-infused grooves to life at the Cork Opera House. Soul-stirring and not to be missed.

Then there’s Orchestra Baobab, the Senegalese legends fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms with West African soul. Their performance promises to be a cultural tapestry, rooted and rich.

On the smooth and velvet tip, JP Cooper brings his emotive, heartfelt pop-jazz blend.

Get ready, because The Pharcyde are rounding home the 30th anniversary of Labcabincalifornia—that’s right, they’re bringing that West Coast alt-hip-hop swagger right to Cork Opera House on October 24th. 

Jeff Mills isn’t just DJing—he’s bringing Tomorrow Comes The Harvest, a futuristic, cosmic techno experience featuring Jean Phi Dary & Prabhu Edouard. You’ll feel it in your soul.

If vintage soul is your jam, Lee Fields & The Expressions are returning after five years—this is classic soul pedigree delivered live.

Nubya Garcia, the UK’s saxophone powerhouse, is ready to spin her modern jazz sorcery that’ll leave you breathless.

Ones to watch

One special act who is expected to rocket over the coming years is Sienna Spiro – a 19-year old singer-songwriter whose soulful voice and raw lyricism has already gained her widespread acclaim.  She was support for Teddy Swims on his US tour this summer.

Jape – Rituals is also hot on our list, an exclusive tribute to Richie Egan’s early, groundbreaking work. As is  Adrian Younge Orchestra, which blends cinematic soul, jazz, and hip-hop into richly orchestrated soundscapes that feel both vintage and futuristic.

Jape

For something woozy, wavy, and wonderfully cerebral, Ross From Friends presents Bubble Love offers a shimmering dreamscape of electronica to melt into.

Among the homegrown acts are KhakiKid, Le Boom, Tolü Makay, God Knows, and more bring a refreshing dose of Irish swagger and storytelling.

Maverick Sabre graces us with Celtic soul and soaring vocals.  Vieux Farka Touré, Mali’s guitar prince, brings desert blues that channel both tradition and transcendence. And James Holden & Wacław Zimpel will bring a dancefloor meeting of electronic futurism and avant-garde clarinet magic. 

The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival takes place from October 23rd–27th, 2025, supported by Diageo, Fáilte Ireland, Cork City Council, and Cork Airport. Tickets and the full programme are available now at guinnesscorkjazz.com.