Cork Jazz Festival will be first major offline music event since pandemic began

There was good news and bad news for Irish music festivals last month: bad news for Electric Picnic, who were forced to reschedule their event for 2022, and good news for organisers of the Cork Jazz Festival, who were given the go-ahead to stage their bank holiday weekend shows this October.

The festival—which has been running for over forty years—will take place at a handful of venues in Cork City from the 22-25 of October. Venues include the Cork Opera House, the Everyman Theatre, and the Trisket Arts Centre. 

It will mark the return of one of Ireland's longest-running music festivals after 18 months of lockdowns and uncertainty. It's hoped that the event will open the door for the return of other festivals and highlight a new milestone in pandemic recovery. 

Renowned New York City Jazz Artist, Mos Def, is set to headline the event. Nine other major acts will also feature, including non-jazz artists such as Irish DJs Jenny Greene and Dec Pierce.

Corkonian musicians Paul Dunlea and Cormac McCarthy will perform a lively jazz set on Friday night, while Waterford-based dance band King Kong Company will help attendees dance the night away on Sunday.

Cork City at night. The jazz festival will take place over three October evenings at multiple venues around the city.

Jazz enthusiasts have expressed concern for the variety of music genres featured during the event, with everything from dance, rock, and indie artists having performed at the festival in recent years. 

Nonetheless, for those who aren't fans of jazz and are just looking for any excuse to get out and dance, this year's festival promises to deliver. 

According to the Irish Independent, the annual festival makes a significant positive impact on the wider Cork economy, with up to €45 million a year generated over the course of the event.

October 22-25 is set to be a fantastic bank holiday weekend in Cork City — head over to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival website for more information on the full line-up and to book your tickets early.