Jack Arts

30 years of Manchester Jazz Festival

In 1995, a passionate group of Manchester jazz musicians and activists, including Matt Nickson, Phred Farret, Steve Mead, and Nikki Dupuy, met to envision a dedicated jazz festival for the city.  The resulting event paved the way for mjf’s evolution into a vibrant 10-day festival showcasing genre-defying, homegrown, and international talent, staying true to its ethos: a place for artists to find themselves and audiences to lose themselves. JACK ARTS support mjf2025 to celebrate their 30th anniversary, a bumper edition bringing a storming line up of musical goodness, to iconic venues across the city. mjf2025 will once again spotlight hundreds of northern, national and international jazz musicians as they descend on Manchester, platforming the genre’s leading artists alongside the most exciting emerging talents.

Their vibrant celebratory campaign fills the city streets ahead of the anticipated ticket release, launching their exciting anniversary programme across Manchesters top music venues, from grassroots spaces Matt and Phreds and The Carlton Club to big hitters RNCM and Aviva Studios as well as pinnacle spaces including Forsyths Music Shop – a venue list as diverse as the talent the festival champions. JACK ARTS bring their colourful celebration to the streets to spotlight the festival’s lasting impact on the past, present and future of jazz music.