The full programme for this year’s Guinness Cork Jazz Festival has landed, and the 48th edition once again stretches the definition of a jazz festival well past breaking point,
Running from Thursday October 22nd to Monday October 26th across the October bank holiday weekend, the festival is topped by Berlioz, Yussef Dayes, Masters At Work and Annie Mac, with Boney M featuring Maizie Williams and KOKOROKO also up in lights.
Berlioz, the London project of Ted Jasper, has become one of the more recognisable names in the jazz-house crossover of the last couple of years, all late-night grooves built from jazz, soul and funk parts. Yussef Dayes needs less introduction at this stage: the drummer’s rhythmic maximalism has taken him a long way outside the jazz room.
The one that’ll get the most attention outside of the jazz crowd is Masters At Work. Kenny Dope and Louie Vega are playing Cork together for the first time, and it’s their first Irish show in over twenty years. Vega played the Savoy back in 2001 as MAW; two decades of Cork club history have gone by since. That one’s at Cork Opera House.
Annie Mac makes a rare enough Irish appearance, supported by Tara Kumar. Boney M featuring Maizie Williams take the Saturday singalong slot at the Opera House with a set that celebrates fifty years of “Rasputin”, “Rivers Of Babylon” and the rest.
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For the jazz heads
Courtney Pine, a festival regular, marks four decades in music with a career retrospective at The Everyman on the Sunday. Also at The Everyman, Keyon Harrold and Marcus Strickland take on The Music Of John Coltrane & Miles Davis. Pianist Jason Moran brings his solo show, and Bill Laurance of Snarky Puppy plays too, both at Triskel Christchurch.
Triskel is where the programme gets properly adventurous. Alongside Moran and Laurance there’s Momoko Gill, Okonski, Jasmine Myra and Riversphere featuring Iain Ballamy & Rob Luft, plus an ECM showcase pulling together Trygve Seim & Tord Gustavsen, Topos: Sokratis Sinopoulos & Yann Keerim and the Maciej Obara Quartet featuring Mathias Eick.
At Live At St Luke’s, Donegal’s Muireann Bradley brings her country-blues fingerpicking, with Greek artist Σtella playing a duo show, Toshín & Sei Green, and Joe Armon-Jones, whose solo records move between jazz, dub and soundsystem music.
Cyprus Avenue gets Alabama soul outfit St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Yankari Afrobeat Collective playing the music of Fela Kuti, and Irish duo 49th & Main with Caolan Ryan.
The Vernon Spring, Margaret Glaspy and Luke Thomas & The Swing Cats also feature, and there’s a strong Irish and emerging strand throughout with Tyra-Lee Spry, TBL8 Brass, Aisling, Winnie Ama, Solène Laurence and Maya Libbey.
Cork City Hall Series
The City Hall strand leans nostalgic: The Boomtown Rats on their 50th anniversary tour, The Stunning, Rory Gallagher: The Legend Lives On (in the venue where Irish Tour ’74 was recorded, marking 31 years since his death), Mack Fleetwood and Mundy.
The bit between the gigs
As ever, the ticketed shows are only part of it. The Guinness Music Trail returns across 70-plus pubs and venues in Cork and beyond, and the Big Fringe puts brass bands, pop-ups and street performances around the city and on a dedicated stage at Emmet Place.
This is the first year programmed by Eoin Cregan, who takes over from Mark Murphy. “The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is more than an event, it’s a legacy and a culture,” he said, promising further announcements in the coming weeks.
Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2026 — full lineup so far
- Berlioz
- Yussef Dayes
- Masters At Work
- Annie Mac
- Boney M feat. Maizie Williams
- KOKOROKO
- Courtney Pine
- Jason Moran
- Σtella (duo show)
- The Music of John Coltrane & Miles Davis with Keyon Harrold & Marcus Strickland
- Joe Armon-Jones
- 49th & Main
- Trygve Seim & Tord Gustavsen
- St Paul & The Broken Bones
- Bill Laurance
- Margaret Glaspy
- Okonski
- The Vernon Spring
- Jasmine Myra
- Momoko Gill
- Muireann Bradley
- Maciej Obara Quartet feat. Mathias Eick
- Luke Thomas & The Swing Cats
- Topos: Sokratis Sinopoulos & Yann Keerim
- Riversphere feat. Iain Ballamy & Rob Luft
- Yankari Afrobeat Collective
- Toshín
- Maya Libbey
- Sei Green
- Tara Kumar
- Caolan Ryan
- Tyra-Lee Spry
- TBL8 Brass
- Aisling
- Winnie Ama
- Solène Laurence
Cork City Hall Series:
- The Boomtown Rats
- The Stunning
- Rory Gallagher: The Legend Lives On
- Mack Fleetwood
- Mundy
More acts to be announced.
Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2026 takes place Thursday October 22nd to Monday October 26th at venues across Cork city. Tickets go on sale Wednesday September 9th at 10am via guinnesscorkjazzfestival.com.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
