Cork Airport ready for Guiness Cork Jazz Festival

Cork Airport has renewed its partnership with the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, one of Cork’s most celebrated cultural events, as part of its 2025 Community Fund.

Now in its 47th year, the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival continues to attract visitors from far and near and is estimated to be worth €45 million to the local economy.

Following the launch of the festival earlier this month, an exciting line-up of artists has been announced for the October Bank Holiday weekend including Cymande, JP Cooper, Maverick Sabre, the Adrian Younge Orchestra and Lee Fields & The Expressions.

Irish talent features strongly in this year’s programme, with artists Tolü Makay, The Tumbling Paddies, Luke Thomas & The Swing Cats and Cork’s very own The Sultans of Ping all taking to the stage over the bank holiday weekend.

Pictures courtesy of Cork Airport/David Creedon.

An extensive programme of events as part of the festival’s ‘Big Fringe’ will bring jazz to the Cork city suburbs, Kinsale and Cork Airport – with live performances in the terminal on Friday 24, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October.

Free, open-air performances at the festival stage on Emmet Place and the iconic ‘Jazz Parade’ will all add to what is shaping up to be another festival to remember.

The airport has a long and proud association with the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival since its foundation in 1978 and has welcomed a multitude of famous musicians throughout that time, including Kenny Ball, Ronnie Scott, Cleo Laine, Spike Robinson, Humphrey Littleton and the “Queen of Jazz”, Ella Fitzgerald.

Looking ahead to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Cork Airport’s managing director, Niall MacCarthy, said: “The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is a icon of the tourism and music calendar in Cork for decades.

“We are really proud of our nearly 50-year association with this wonderful feast of jazz, which brings visitors, both domestic and international to our city and region each year. Once schools have returned, we eagerly count down to the festival of jazz, and the craic and ceol in our airport and city.”