Demand is building for Durham’s first jazz festival, with the Knats performance at Fabio’s Bar now sold out and Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord show also at capacity ahead of the inaugural event this October.
The three-day Durham Jazz Festival will take place across Durham City from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026. Organisers John Lyons, Alan Patrickson and Richard Turner are urging audiences to book early, as several other performances are reported to be nearing capacity.
Knats, a Newcastle jazz band, became the first act to sell out after their album A Great Day In Newcastle was named among the 12 releases shortlisted for the 2026 Mercury Prize. The album is competing against releases by artists including Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney and RAYE.
The band’s Durham appearance is scheduled for 9pm at Fabio’s Bar on Saturday 24 October, two days after the Mercury Prize winner is due to be announced at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.
What is happening at the festival?
The programme brings together national performers, established North East musicians and emerging artists at venues around Durham City. It is designed to include intimate club-style gigs, late-night jams, big-band performances and headline shows.
One of the major events is Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club presents: The Ronnie Scott’s Soho Songbook, at Redhills Durham Miners’ Hall at 8pm on Friday 23 October. Durham-born vocalist Jo Harrop will return to the city for her Love Now, Pay Later hometown album launch at St Chad’s College at 2pm on Saturday.
Also performing on Saturday are Seb Rochford’s Finding Ways, the Pete Roth Trio featuring Bill Bruford, Vasilis Xenopoulos and the Paul Edis Quartet. Marvin Muoneké, nominated for ‘Jazz Vocalist of the Year’ at the 2026 JazzFM awards, will perform with Newcastle’s 19-piece The Strictly Smokin’ Big Band at the Gala Theatre at 7.30pm.
Sunday’s line-up includes Janette Mason ReWired, SULA, Rivkala, Eleonora Kouneni, SwanNek, Zoë Gilby and Andy Champion, and performances celebrating Oscar Peterson and Miles Davis-related repertoire. A Durham University Jazz Society jam is scheduled for Fabio’s Bar at 8pm.
Final-night double bill and ticket information
The festival will close on Sunday evening with a swing and Jump Jive double bill at Redhills Durham Miners’ Hall. Presented in association with Durham Brass Festival, the event features the Olivia Cuttill Quintet and King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys.
Other Sunday events include Swing Into Sunday: Dance with Lindy Jazz at St Oswald’s Institute, the Marvin Muoneké Quartet at St Chad’s College and Tom Waits for No Man at Old Cinema Launderette.
Tickets remain available for performances across the weekend. Audiences buying tickets for three or more eligible shows can receive a 10% discount, according to the festival information supplied by organisers.
The sold-out performances are Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord at Gala Studio at 1pm on Friday 23 October and Knats at Fabio’s Bar at 9pm on Saturday 24 October. The rest of the programme includes shows at Claypath Delicatessen, Durham University Music School, the Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, Durham Fringe Academy, the Radisson Blu Hotel Durham, St Chad’s College and other city venues.
Organiser Alan Patrickson said the response had made the Knats sell-out a milestone and that several other shows were close to capacity. John Lyons said the festival was intended to celebrate North East jazz alongside leading artists from across the UK, while welcoming both committed jazz audiences and people discovering the genre for the first time.