manchester jazz festival 2026

Manchester jazz festival is back this May, spreading across the city for 10 days. Now in its 31st edition – and still Manchester’s longest-running music festival – mjf2026 brings together major international names and some of the most exciting artists emerging closer to home. It’s come a long way from a one-day event in 1996, but it still feels rooted in the same thing: bringing the community together around adventurous contemporary jazz.

This year’s headliners include China Moses, Andy Sheppard Trio, Yellowjackets, Toni Kofi and Denys Baptiste Quintet, Cassie Kinoshi’s seed., Bel Cobain, Lau Noah, NOUT, Cotonete and more. But what we really like about mjf is that it never feels like a festival built only around big names. Discovery is part of the point. So is access. There’s a lot here for serious jazz heads, obviously, but there is also plenty of room for people who just fancy following their ears and seeing where the weekend takes them.

That’s especially true of the opening weekender at First Street, which runs from 15 – 17 May and is entirely free. Across two stages, mjf will spotlight home-grown talent, artists developed through its own programmes and a wider mix of northern acts, with family-friendly activity in the daytime and food and drink offers running through the weekend. It feels like the ideal way into the festival – low pressure, high quality and properly open to whoever wants to turn up.

From there, mjf radiates out across Manchester and beyond, taking in Matt & Phreds, Aviva Studios, RNCM, Stoller Hall, Low Four Studios, Flawd, Stage & Radio, The Carlton Club, Forsyth Music Shop, St Ann’s Church and Band on the Wall, where the festival rounds things off with an extended closing party. New programme partnerships with Manchester Folk Festival and Oldham Coliseum Theatre also push things into new spaces this year, bringing mjf artists to new audiences in the process.

One of the festival’s key strands is mjf originals, its annual commission for boundary-pushing new work by northern artists. This year that goes to Satnam Galsian, whose music blends Punjabi folk traditions with contemporary, feminist songwriting. Her new piece forms part of an afternoon triple bill at Aviva Studios, set against the backdrop of the Women in Jazz Photography exhibition.

And then there’s the piano trail, one of mjf’s most joyful recurring ideas. From 29 March to 31 May, 18 street pianos will appear across Manchester and Greater Manchester, including two BBC pianos once played by the likes of Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Rufus Wainwright and members of The Verve. They’re there to be played, not just admired – and if you’re feeling brave, they could even win you a Yamaha digital piano.

With over 60 free and ticketed events across ten days, mjf2026 rewards curiosity – follow one thing, and you’ll likely find three more.