Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2023

Cheltenham Jazz Festival is back

The popular Cheltenham Jazz Festival is returning to Cheltenham this Spring, running from 26th April to 1st May. As with every year, there are many fantastic musical acts to see throughout the week of the festival.

What is Cheltenham Jazz Festival?

Cheltenham Jazz Festival is an annual event celebrating a variety of jazz genres. Having started in 1996, the event has been running for almost 30 years, and each year the festival sees about 20,000 music fans joining the popular event.

Due to its prestige, the festival hosts some big Jazz names; some previous guests have included Gregory Porter – who has won 2 Grammys for the Jazz genre – Corinne Bailey Rae, Eartha Kitt, Paloma Faith and more. Gregory Porter is also now the artistic curator of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

The festival takes place over a week; attendees can book tickets to see their favourite acts.

The festival also includes opportunities for young people. School students can join the festival to watch performances and perform. Learn more about the details of the Jazz for Schools programme.

Where is the Jazz festival celebrated?

Cheltenham Jazz Festival predominantly occurs in Montpellier Gardens – a central Cheltenham park. There are multiple stages with multiple acts performing throughout the week on each.

For smaller, more intimate performances, you can find artists popping up around Cheltenham venues such as The Queen’s Hotel, The Daffodil and Bottle of Sauce.

Discover the itinerary for events around Cheltenham town for the Jazz Festival. These performances are free to watch and are a great way to discover local venues in Cheltenham.

Which artists are performing at Cheltenham Jazz Festival?

There are over 50 acts to see throughout this year’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival. You can discover who performs, where, and when on the Cheltenham Festivals website.

Some artists performing this year include Gregory Porter, Will Young, Lucy-Anne Daniels & MIKA. Some performances are more genre-specific, such as the Soul Jazz Summit with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Folk Music From Around the World.

How to book tickets for Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2023

Cheltenham Jazz Festival operates a little differently than some other festivals. As an attendee, you can pick and choose which acts you want to see and book tickets per act. This can be done via the What’s On section of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival page.

Due to the festival’s popularity, tickets for certain acts can quickly sell out. If you become a Cheltenham Festival member, you have priority access to booking tickets. The membership funds also support access to free events at the festivals.

You can book tickets online, via phone or in person through an on-site box office. Learn more about the booking process for Cheltenham Festivals.

Cheltenham Festival Accommodation

Attendees often watch acts for more than one day of the festival so Cheltenham Jazz Festival accommodation is popular during this period. 

We offer a variety of Cheltenham Festival Accommodations, with varying-sized self-catering luxury apartments. Everything from the cosy 1-bedroom 24 Montpellier to the regal 5-bedroom house 33 Montpellier, both based on roads next to the Jazz Festivals key site – Montpellier Gardens.

If you want a close-by apartment, away from the hustle-and-bustle of the festival, you could also opt for an apartment such as 18 Lansdown Crescent which is just a 5-minute walk away from the event.

Cheltenham Jazz Festival isn’t the only festival accommodation we provide. Discover our festival accommodation for Cheltenham Literature Festival, Music Festival, Science Festival and Gold Cup week.