Jazz Festival a huge hit as 50,000 descend on Cork city over weekend

Everybody benefits, from hairdressers to taxi drivers, to bars, restaurants, cafes and shops

TBL8 Brass from Dublin who played outside Cork's main Post Office on Oliver Plunkett Street, add to the incredible buzz in the city. Picture: Andy Gibson

This year’s Guinness Cork Jazz Festival could surpass the levels of success it had before the pandemic and turn out to be one of its best ever, say organisers.

Last year saw a toned-down event, while the previous year was cancelled altogether due to Covid-19. Early estimates for this year's festival predicted that around 40,000 people would attend but despite the bank holiday downpours, it is believed this figure may have been surpassed.

An appreciative crowd at the Everyman Palace during the Jazz. Picture: Naoise Culhane

Festival spokesperson Niamh Murphy said feedback from businesses in Cork city had been very favourable and that many were recording “exceptional” attendances.

“A lot of the businesses are saying they haven’t seen such high numbers of people for 10, maybe 15 years,” she said. Many of those attending the festival, which brings more than €20m into the local economy, were among the 43,000 people who flew into Cork for the Bank Holiday weekend.

The festival, which was launched on Thursday night by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, featured 30 ticketed gigs spread around some 73 venues from Cork city to Douglas and Kinsale.

While almost all of the main indoor gigs had finished by Sunday night, the day’s festival highlights was the Festival Trail - a string of events in and around more than 57 pubs and other venues in Cork city and in another 13 or so in Kinsale.  However, even the hardiest of jazz fans seemed to have headed home by early afternoon as a constant torrent of rain poured over Cork city.

Booka Brass Band performing at the Cork Opera House during the Guinnes Cork Jazz Festival.

Despite the rain and repairs carried out over the weekend that impacted trains to Cork, Guinness Cork Jazz Festival director Mark Murphy is confident the festival was attended by well over the initial 40,000 estimate.

He said: “I think we are looking at 50,000.

“We don’t usually only get the exact figures until about two weeks after, but I would say you're probably looking at what could have been 50,000.

Karen Underwood performing at The Cork Opera House during the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. Picture: Naoise Culhane

“I was quizzing taxi drivers and the taxi man was saying it was really, really big but then the trains are messed up for Saturday and Sunday, you know, so that might have impinged on people.” 

He added: “It really looks like the result seems to be a resounding success. But there's been loads of hard work put into this.

George Hassan, performing as part of Harry’s band, at The Shelbourne Bar. Picture: Naoise Culhane-no fee

“So, you know the nature of preparing for something - you know if you're prepared, usually that once you kind of go for it, you tend to get what you go for. There have been lots of positive stories about this festival.” 

He plans to make next year an even bigger event and take the festival into the top realms of world jazz festivals.

Philip Gilliven, from MacCurtain Street’s Shelbourne Bar in Cork city centre, said: “It was an absolutely incredible weekend.

“The jazz was by far the best I have ever seen in my 26 years in the Shelbourne - incredible spending by the customers. The amount of people out and about on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was exceptional.

Hermeto Pascoal at The Everyman during the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. Picture: Naoise Culhane

“Everybody was in great form, and it delivered a huge boost to the local economy. Everybody benefits, from hairdressers to taxi drivers, to bars, restaurants, cafes, shops and big thanks to Diageo for delivering what was needed as we head into an uncertain winter.” 

Imperial Hotel General Manager Bastien Peyraud said: “This year's Guinness Cork Jazz Festival has brought so many more guests from abroad who came to experience this fantastic weekend in Cork city.

Seun Kuti at the Everyman during this year's Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. Photo: Thady Trá

“The feedback on the whole experience for them has been extremely positive with many already rebooking for next year. The comments were not only about our offering at the hotel but the incredible buzz in Cork city.” 

As well as being a hit with music lovers, the festival appears to have been a miss for trouble.

A Garda spokesman said: “This office has not been made aware of any specific incidents at this time.”