Bray Jazz Festival will return for it’s 23rd annual festival on the May Bank Holiday weekend (May 3rd-5th).

Established in the Millennium Year, the festival has hosted some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz, both Irish and international, since it was started more than two decades ago.

Interrupted for two years by the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival returned in 2022, and enjoyed one of its biggest and most successful years in 2023.

Andrew Hill, Joe Lovano, Bobo Stenson, Tord Gustavson, Dave Douglas, Richard Galliano, Maceo Parker, Paolo Fresu, Tomasz Stanko and Steve Coleman are just some of the names to have performed, as Bray Jazz has strived to bring some of the best in modern jazz to Irish audiences.

The festival has also provided a platform to host first ever Irish performances by emerging jazz stars – Ambrose Akinmusiri, Marius Neset, Jim Black, Dafnis Prieto and Mathias Eick to name just a few.

We’re grateful to the tens of thousands of people who have come out to support the festival down through the years, and to the many sponsors and backers who have helped to make it happen.

And we look forward to seeing you all again on the May Bank Holiday weekend of 2024!

“a little gem” (The Sunday Independent),

‘”the connoisseur’s jazz festival” (The Irish Times)

“one of the very best small jazz festivals in Europe” (All About Jazz).

You can find out a bit more about who has played Bray Jazz Festival on our Wikipedia page here.