West Cork village celebrates 20th year of jazz fest in Ballydehob

This May bank holiday weekend, a tiny West Cork seaside village will again burst in to life with the Ballydehob Jazz Festival’s 20th edition. Ballydehob’s 345 residents will welcome 8,000 visitors.

This year’s festival will feature a free music trail, street performances, and five special concerts at the festival hall.

Among the acts featured will be The Paul Dunlea Quintet, Olivier Award-winning composer Benji Bower, and Stephanie Nilles with Tom Deakin.

Run largely by a passionate team of volunteers and rooted firmly in the local community, the festival has grown in to what some locals affectionately call “the biggest small jazz and arts festival in the world”.

Festival director Joseph O’Leary said the 20th edition will be both a celebration and a homecoming.

“It’s all about the friendships formed in this artistic and creative community.

“Over 20 festivals we’ve seen musicians, artists, and audiences come together in Ballydehob to create something very special,” he said.

“This year is a gathering of the best of what has come before: A celebration of the music, the creativity, and the people who made it all happen.”

Mr O’Leary said the festival has never had the budget to bring in marquee names.

“Instead, we worked with that indie underworld of jazz that exists between the corporate cracks: Supporting artists, supporting the community, and watching everyone rise together,” he said.

The Ballydehob Jazz Festival 2026 runs from Thursday, April 30, to Monday, May 4.

• See https://ballydehobjazzfestival.org/