The Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival will return in 2027 for its 43rd consecutive year, following record-breaking audience figures across this summer’s festival.
Organised by Big Bear Music, the 2026 festival featured 178 gigs, 165 of them free admission, across 102 venues in Birmingham, Sandwell and the wider West Midlands. Over 11 days, the festival attracted a total audience of 62,702.
Audience feedback was equally encouraging, with 98% rating the performances as either ‘very good’ (83%) or ‘good’ (15%), while 86% said they expected to return in 2027.
Festival organiser Jim Simpson said the response from audiences demonstrated the continuing appetite for live jazz and blues across the region.
The 2026 festival featured 59 acts and 265 musicians, including artists from across the UK alongside international performers such as Andres Roots from Estonia, the B. D. Lenz Trio from the USA, Ben Toury from France, Miho Hazama from Japan and Stacy Mitchhart from Cincinnati.
Performances took place in an unusually diverse range of locations, from stately homes, markets, galleries, libraries and gardens to pubs, clubs, cafés, hotels, museums, shopping centres and city squares.
A festival survey, based on 1,372 responses, found that 60% of attendees came from Birmingham or Sandwell, 28% from elsewhere in the West Midlands, 10% from elsewhere in the UK and 2% from overseas.
The festival also brought an economic boost to the region. Of those surveyed who travelled from outside the area, 54% stayed in local hotels or guest houses, with 59% staying for between three and more than six nights.
Funding remains an important issue for the festival. A public crowdfunder raised almost £10,000, while additional support included a £10,000 grant from Sandwell Council, £800 from the Musicians’ Union and £650 from USA broadcaster Rockefellas TV. Together, these contributions provided nearly £21,500 towards the 2026 festival’s costs.
Big Bear Music says further funding will be needed to stage the 2027 event, but planning is already underway.
The 2027 Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival will run from 16–25 July 2027, with further details to be announced.