Planning for next year's Cork Jazz Festival to begin next week

THE excitement of Jazz weekend 2022 has officially ended, however, planning for the 2023 festival is only just beginning.

Ian Darrington, member of the Cork Chamber Jazz Festival Committee, has revealed that planning for next year's festival is set to start next week.

“We start planning for next year's festival next week. It’s a twelve months of the year job. There’s just so many things to think about. 

“Next week we’ll sit down and take a look at this year and see what was good, what can we do better, if there was anything that felt short and if there was, is there anything we can do to make them that little bit better for next time,” he said.

Mr Darrington has been a member of the Jazz festival committee for 15 years, along with seven other committee members who work hard to ensure the festival goes smoothly each year.

“Unfortunately, the weather is the one thing we can’t change despite all that planning.

 “We did have a good bit of rain over the weekend but that didn’t matter we still heard some great music. It didn’t dampen the spirit of Jazz. It would defiantly be very difficult to dampen the spirits of jazz musicians.” 

As a jazz musician himself, committee member Darrington understands the passion that the people of Cork have for the festival.

“The more I’m here, the more I fall in love with Cork. There are so many spectacular restaurants, venues and of course the wonderful people, it makes Cork city the perfect place for this festival and what keeps bringing people back each year.

“Jazz music is such an infectious and social music; it holds a lot of character. I think its similar to Cork in that way. The atmosphere, the people and there’s definitely a good few characters around here.” 

This year’s festival saw record numbers of trade and is estimated to have brought €20 million into the local economy.

Darrington believes that the festival will continue to grow in the coming years and that Cork Jazz will go from strength to strength by becoming one of Europe’s top festivals.