Cheltenham Jazz Festival

Cheltenham Jazz Festival is all about inspiration and connection through music. There are many elements to jazz and many moods it can evoke. If you want to relax and bask in a melody, try some Smooth Jazz or Brazil’s laid-back Bossa Nova or if you want to move around and feel some musical energy, head to the dancefloor with some Swing, Bebop or Latin Jazz. Whether you’re just discovering the likes of Louis Armstrong, Herbie Hancock and Ella Fitzgerald or you’re a connoisseur, Cheltenham Jazz Festival offers the full spectrum of jazzy joy and everyone’s welcome. 

When is Cheltenham Jazz Festival?

Cheltenham Jazz Festival occurs annually in Spring, usually in early May. It packs a heap of activities and iconic performances into six days and attracts over 20,000 jazz fans a year. Established in 1996, the event has seen impressive growth, with lineups becoming more impressive each year. In the 2024 rendition, the lineup included jazz legends - Courtney Pine and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Triple Grammy Award winning, Dee Dee Bridgewater is known for her stunning vocals and iconic performances that have amazed crowds since the sixties, while Courtney Pine is a giant of British Jazz, boasting multiple MOBO (Music of Black Origin) awards. 

As well as these momentous figures, Cheltenham Jazz Festival has also always prided itself on platforming a myriad of rising stars. 2024 saw the likes of CHERISE and Sultan Stevenson taking to the stage. Both of whom are heading for stardom with Sultan Stevenson winning a Parliamentary Jazz Award for best newcomer and CHERISE performing with big names like Michael Kiwanuka and Gregory Porter. It’s important to note that although much of Cheltenham Jazz Festivals are free, many of the acts performing in certain venues are ticketed, we advise checking if your favourite jazz performers require tickets well in advance before the event next year. 

Things to do at Cheltenham Jazz Festival

There’s so much on offer at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival village and beyond. Throughout the town centre, you’ll see pop-up stages with free to listen music playing all day. Pop into a range of galleries, cafes and pubs and you’re sure to find them alive with music as well. There are also a lot of venues hosting exciting activities. Favourites from past years have been Jazz Babies, an interactive early-years event based on exploring new sounds. 

If you’re a musician, you used to play an instrument, or you’ve always dreamt of doing so, get over to The Discovery Space. Here, you can inspire your inner musician with a whole host of musical events and fun hands-on sessions aimed at adults and children alike. The space is located on Cheltenham’s Montpellier Gardens and is completely unreserved, meaning anyone is welcome. The venue has step-free access and is welcoming to guide dogs. 

There’s always lots for little ones to do at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. In past years there have been plenty of family concerts, including some with Cbeebies stars! The festival also holds events for schools to encourage exploration into music and an appreciation of jazz. At the end of the festival, there is usually a chance for students to showcase their musical talents with Jazz It Up, a free stage event where they can perform jazz, blues, funk and more as an ensemble to the enthusiastic public.  

Food and Drink at Cheltenham Jazz Festival

There always a tantalising selection of food and drink at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, so you can grab a bite to eat as you enjoy the music. Throughout the festival village, you’ll find plenty of street food vendors or you can head to the Festival Bar for a chance to sit down and relax between gigs. Alternatively, there are loads of great places to eat near Cheltenham train station, so you could get something beforehand if you’d prefer.  

The Jazz Festival take sustainability very seriously and subsequently outlines a series of goals for each year. In 2025, the festival aims to completely eliminate food waste by repurposing any leftovers and to ethically and locally source their food where possible. In the past, they have endeavoured to reduce meat and dairy consumption by 30%, introduce reusable cups and track water usage. So, you can pay a visit to Cheltenham Jazz Festival, safe in the knowledge that sustainability is high on the agenda. 

How to get to Cheltenham Jazz Festival by train

Cheltenham Jazz Festival is located in Montpellier Gardens and its surrounding areas, roughly twenty minutes walking distance or a fifteen minute bus ride from Cheltenham Spa station. This station is well served by CrossCountry, including direct services from many mainline stations like Bristol Temple Meads, Manchester Piccadilly, and as far as Edinburgh Waverley. 

So close to the Cotswolds, Cheltenham is an ideal destination for a weekend away, taking the opportunity to explore some of the areas of outstanding natural beauty nearby is a great way to spend time with the family. Throughout the year, Cheltenham puts on a variety of festivals, so if you don’t fancy jazz, pay a visit to the Cheltenham Science Festival held annually in June or the Cheltenham Literature Festival in October. 

If you’re planning to visit Cheltenham Jazz Festival, don’t forget to book an Advance ticket via our website or the CrossCountry app. If you need more information, you can contact us here.