The programme for the 2025 Melbourne International Jazz Festival is the event’s most expansive to date, with more than 500 artists from 18 countries set to play.
Audiences can enjoy more than 150 performances across 40 venues, as they fill Melbourne with ten days of transformative, live music experiences. Things will kick off in style, as Night Crawl, a free takeover of multiple CBD venues, hits. It’ll feature Natasha Diggs (US), local favourites Surprise Chef and Ella Thompson, UK multi-instrumentalist Tenderlonious, Melbourne groove-master Horatio Lune, and a host of cutting-edge acts.
Some of the biggest names in jazz will hit Melbourne for the event too, including Harry Connick Jr, Gregory Porter, Samara Joy, Hiromi, Ibrahim Maalouf, Gary Bartz, Bill Frisell, and Danilo Perez.
Harry Connick Jr will headline the final weekend of the festival, in a six-hour feast of jazz, soul, and New Orleans classics at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Joining the line-up for the event is Bill Frisell and Emma Donovan.
“More than 500 artists, 18 Australian premieres, five major new commissions and 36 per cent of the programme free to attend. Festivals often claim any given year to be their biggest yet but in our case, in 2025 it’s absolutely true,” Melbourne International Jazz Festival Artistic Director Michael Tortoni says. “It’s also a programme that reflects the full breadth of jazz today, from its deep traditions to its most daring frontiers, and it’s designed to be experienced by everyone, whether you’re a dedicated jazz enthusiast or simply curious to explore. This October, Melbourne will be in full swing.”
Chapel Off Chapel acts as a festival hub for boundary-pushing performances and special encounters. . . Including a triple bill from Earshift Music starring pianist-composer James Bowers, guitarist Hilary Geddes, and Visions Of Nar.
There’s plenty to do for the whole family too – more than a third of the programme is free to attend in 2025, and designed to bring jazz to every corner of the city. . . From iconic public spaces, to neighbourhood favourites.
Fed Square will swing to life with Big Band Saturday, and open-air celebration of brass, rhythm and groove. Plus, the Jazz On Film series returns, placing jazz centre stage in a cinematic journey across genres and eras. At ACMI, We Want The Funk will delve deep into the revolutionary rise of funk, from James Brown and George Clinton, to Fela Kuti and Questlove.
Across the final four days of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Inside Out: Jump, Jive, Jazz at ArtPlay will invite young Melbourne music fans to create, imagine, and move, alongside live jazz musicians.
Venues in Ascot Vale, Moonee Ponds and Essendon will host live sets from afternoon to early evening in Jazz Westside, with highlights including vocalist Clancye Milne and guitarist Benjamin Attiche, saxophonist Maisie Niven and bassist Harry Birch, and soulful DJ sets from Ennio Styles and YARA.
Jazz lovers can also look forward to events like Footscray Sunday Sessions, a walkable music trail. . . The Italian Festa Jazz Club at the Royal Exhibition Building. . . And Grazeland Takeover, where the Arch Stage will host swinging 1930s-40s jazz.
Tickets are on sale now.
Melbourne International Jazz Festival 2025 is on from 17-26 October.
