Guinness Cork Jazz Festival

What it is. The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is Ireland's biggest jazz gathering, held every autumn in Cork city since the late 1970s (it began after a cancelled bridge tournament left the Metropole Hotel with empty rooms over a new bank holiday weekend). Ronnie Scott opened the first edition, Guinness became principal sponsor from 1981, and the event has run every year since except 2020, when it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It has grown from a single-hotel event into a city-wide festival spanning jazz, soul, funk, blues and beyond.

Dates and schedule. The 2026 festival runs Thursday 22 October to Monday 26 October, covering Ireland's October bank holiday weekend. Over 500 musicians are expected to perform across more than 100 events in around 80 venues over the five days.

Where it happens. Rather than one site, the festival spreads across Cork through the Guinness Music Trail, connecting more than 70 pubs and venues in Cork City, Douglas and Kinsale, with styles ranging from ska and swing to traditional and modern jazz. Headline, ticketed concerts are concentrated at venues such as Cork Opera House, alongside a City Hall Series and pop-up sessions in smaller rooms and pub back bars around the city centre.

Lineup. The 2026 programme is led by Berlioz, Yussef Dayes, Masters At Work, Annie Mac and KOKOROKO, with Boney M featuring Maizie Williams, Courtney Pine, Jason Moran and Stella also billed. The separate Cork City Hall Series adds The Boomtown Rats, The Stunning, a Rory Gallagher tribute show, Mack Fleetwood and Mundy. Irish and emerging acts across the wider trail include Caolan Ryan, Tyra-Lee Spry, TBL8 Brass, Aisling, Winnie Ama, Solene Laurence and Maya Libbey. A Blue Note Records anniversary exhibition has also been part of recent editions.

Tickets. Most of the festival is free to attend: the Guinness Music Trail's pub and street performances are walk-in and free, including a Jazz Market with food, crafts and live music on Patrick Street on the Saturday and Sunday. Headline concerts are ticketed individually, with prices varying by act and venue; the festival's official site links to each show's ticket page. Book headline shows well ahead, as popular acts sell out.

Getting there. Cork is reachable by air via Cork Airport, by rail from Dublin and other cities into Kent Station, and by intercity bus and ferry. Within Cork, the festival trail is compact enough to walk between most city-centre venues, though Douglas and Kinsale legs require a short drive or bus/taxi trip outside the core city area.

Tips. Because the free pub trail draws large crowds, arrive early at popular venues, especially on the Friday and Saturday nights of the bank holiday weekend. For ticketed headline shows, book directly through Cork Opera House or the festival's official channels, and sign up to the festival newsletter for lineup announcements. Accommodation in Cork books up quickly for this weekend, so arranging it well in advance is worthwhile.