Establishing itself as one of Europe’s leading jazz festivals and making its much anticipated in-person return, Cheltenham Jazz Festival reached new heights in 2022 – with almost 60,000 people enjoying its live musical performances.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022, Cheltenham Jazz Festival sold nearly 35,000 tickets and – helped by the late April sunshine – welcomed an estimated 25,000 people to the popular Cheltenham Jazz Festival Village free stage, as well as street stages and performances in pubs, bars and clubs across town.
The six-day festival played host to 70 musicians showcasing some of the best of jazz music – including the likes of Emeli Sandé, Gabrielle, James Bay and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Broadcasts from BBC Radio 2 and BBC 4 also featured highlights from the festival, alongside Gregory Porter’s sold-out show and a special Concert for Schools performed by musicians from the Festival’s Musicate education programme.
Other highlights included Faye MacCalman’s Jerwood Jazz Encounters, attracting over 600 visitors and performances from Corinne Bailey Rae, Tom Odell and Nitin Sawhney.
A festival first also included ‘sound puddles’, which gave visitors the chance to listen to jazz tracks created by artifical intelligence machines.
Head of programming, David Gaydon, said: ‘We’ve broken box office records with our mix of international acts, jazz icons, trailblazing up-and-coming talent, intimate club gigs, world premieres and family friendly shows, which means we are in a very good place to deliver 25 more years.’
For more information, see cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz.
