Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival

Established in 1997, Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival has grown from a one-day event with two bands to an international four-day celebration! Led by local businessman and jazz aficionado Ally Thomson, the festival features performers from the UK, Canada, Sweden, France, and Germany. In the inaugural edition, the festival invited six bands playing classic Dixieland and New Orleans Jazz - it was described as "Bonnie Galloway's First Festival of Jazz at Kirkcudbright."

In the early 2000s, it quickly became one of Scotland's most renowned Jazz Festivals. It offers an exciting mix of top-notch Scottish and English Jazz bands performing traditional jazz music that draws fans from around the United Kingdom and beyond its borders. To this day, it maintains its original purpose - to introduce first-class musicians playing Dixieland style, providing excellent venues for fantastic value to audiences everywhere, and always looking for ways to improve the festival year after year.

Prepare for an unforgettable jazz night on June 8-11, 2023, as Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival celebrates its 24th edition! Tom Kincaid, John Hallam, Ewan Bleach, and countless other renowned performers will join this celebratory event. Make sure to mark your calendar now so you don't miss out on the sensational performances from Lewis Taylor, John Kennedy, Roy Percy, Eagle Jazz Band, Transatlantic Jazz Band, Chicago Teddybears Society Jazz Band, and The Figiro Trio Jake Leg JugBand - a truly remarkable lineup of artists.