Here's where you can catch free gigs as part of the Jazz Festival in Cork this week

Get ready for a weekend of free music and an electric atmosphere on the streets of Cork city, as The Big Jazz Fringe returns to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival this October Bank Holiday weekend.

Organised by the Cork Jazz Festival Committee, the Big Fringe adds to the festival’s magic with spontaneous street performances, jam sessions and marching brass bands, turning Cork into one giant open-air stage.

The Big Jazz Fringe runs from October 21 to 26, with events taking place across the city, including performances on the streets, in Elizabeth Fort, Cork City Library and other venues.

Among the highlights will be Beat on the Street, with bands from Ireland, the UK and Europe performing across Cork city centre from Friday to Sunday. The line-up includes New York Brass Band, Hyde Park Brass Band, Lamarotte, Code of Behaviour, TBL8 Brass Band, Rebel Brass Band and Brass Kings.

A big highlight is the Oliver Plunkett Street Stroll on Friday, October 24 from 6.30pm. Stroll from Grand Parade, down the iconic Oliver Plunkett Street, onto Maylor Street and Caroline Street as you listen to some of the best national and international brass and marching bands for a special cacophony of music.

Jazz in the Fort at Elizabeth Fort is a new setting for the free jazz stage this year on Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 5pm. The historic venue will also host the Jazz Jamboree on Sunday at 5pm, when the visiting European brass bands come together for a final jam session before leaving Cork.

An open-top Jazz Bus will tour the city centre on Saturday and Sunday, with live music on board.

Meanwhile, Patrick Street will host the Jazz Market from 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Organised by Goldiefish Events, the market will feature local food producers, craft makers and artisan traders.

On Saturday afternoon, Blarney Brass & Reed Band will perform jazz at Daunt Square from 3pm to 3.30pm.

The annual Jazz Gospel Service will take place at St Anne’s Church, Shandon, at 10.45am on Sunday, October 26. The service is free, but tickets are required.

There will also be a ticketed This Is Cork Tours x Cork Jazz Festival Special, a walking tour tracing the history of Cork’s Jazz Festival from its launch in 1978.

Discover the stories behind the sounds along with performances at the Live at the Library series in the Rory Gallagher Music Library at Cork City Library over the week.

On Wednesday, Ian Darrington, MBE, will discuss the development of jazz festivals around the world at 11am.

Thursday’s programme includes The Wonderful Musical World of Oz at noon, an interactive music and storytelling event aimed at children and families, followed by a lunchtime concert of jazz standards at 1pm featuring Irish singer and songwriter Neasa.

On Friday, Cork jazz vocalist Ivy Favier will present Women in Jazz at 11am, looking at the contribution of women to jazz from the 1940s to the present day.

The New York Brass Band will then perform at the library at 2pm.

The Fringe will also have a community focus, with musicians visiting care centres and schools around Cork as part of its outreach programme.

The Jazz Festival Club at the Metropole Hotel, where it all began 48 years ago, will run throughout the festival weekend, while the River Lee Hotel will host live music at its Riverside Bar over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Fiona Collins, Chairperson of the Cork Jazz Festival Committee, shared her excitement: “The Big Fringe is a real highlight for many festival-goers. The energy and enthusiasm of acts like Hyde Park Brass and our local talents such as Rebel Brass always bring the streets to life.

“Of course, it wouldn’t be possible without our partners Diageo, Cork City Council, Cork Airport, Fáilte Ireland, and many local businesses.”

For even more jazz, the coastal town of Kinsale will host its own fringe, the Guinness Kinsale Jazz Festival, which runs alongside the main city events.

Highlights include a Marching Brass Band, Lamorotte, on the streets of Kinsale on the Saturday afternoon. More than 100 live performances will take place across four days at The Blue Haven, Hamlets, Kitty O’Sé’s, Harry’s, Oscar’s, Sam’s, The Lord Kingsale, The White House, Trident Hotel, Dalton’s, The Spaniard, The White Lady, the Tap Tavern and The Bulman.

An eight piece brass show band can be seen in Oscar Madisons, all the way from Kent, and Loose Change will make their appearance again in the heart of Kinsale.

The Fringe sits alongside the main Guinness Cork Jazz Festival programme, which includes ticketed concerts and a Guinness music trail in 70 pubs and venues throughout the weekend.

The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival takes place from October 22-26. For a full programme of events or to book, visit guinnesscorkjazz.com. Or follow the festival on @guinnesscorkjazz #GuinnessCorkJazz.

The programme of fringe events would not be possible without the generous support of Guinness, Fáilte Ireland, Cork City Council, Cork Airport and local businesses.