With over 20,000 music-fans getting in the festival swing every year, Cheltenham has become one of the country’s best-loved jazz festivals! The festival site in Montpellier Gardens at the heart of Cheltenham is the perfect place to soak up an outstanding festival atmosphere. Featuring a feast of free outdoor music, a selection of food and drink stalls, and fun family activities – it’s the only place to be over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Jazz in the Gardens 2025 runs from 5pm Wednesday 30th April to Monday 5th May.

Full Line-up

Wednesday

• 5 – 5.45pm - Bath Uni Big Band: A talented group of student musicians who have sold out venues and won competitions across the South West with their unique combination of classic and contemporary big band tunes.
• 6 – 6.45pm - The Other Way: Formed by trumpeter and conservationist Rowan Porteous, The Other Way play ecological soul-jazz. They released their debut album Learning to Be in 2024 to great reviews and many plays on Jazz FM.
• 7 – 8pm - Thrill Collins: Thrill Collins are a skiffle trio playing epic mash ups and medleys of all the best music that has ever been written.

Thursday

• 4.30 – 5.30pm - Billy Pezzack: Highly creative, modern jazz guitar from a man with over four decades of guitar-playing experience.
• 5.45 – 6.45pm - Hannah and Lily: Hannah and Lily are a duo from Cheltenham. With a focus on acoustic guitar and rich harmonies, they aren’t afraid to delve into raw and honest topics whilst maintaining their delicate sound.
• 7 – 8pm - Late Night Juice: Late Night Juice are a six-piece funk powerhouse playing an eclectic mix of funk, jazz and soul covers that never fail to get you grooving.

Friday

• 1.30 – 2.30pm - Sasha and Bryony: An acoustic duo based in Cheltenham blending indie pop melodies with R&B influences. Their sound fuses mellow acoustic guitar and piano, creating a warm, intimate and modern ambiance.
• 2.45 – 3.45pm - Annecy Conservatoire: Hailing from Cheltenham’s twin town Annecy, this jazz ensemble from Annecy’s Conservatoire aims to deliver a vitamin-packed, energising cocktail of jazz standards that will have you on the edge of your seat.
• 4 – 5pm - Vanessa Carr: Inspired by the likes of Whitney Houston and  Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Carr brings a full live band experience fusing jazz, R&B and Latin to create a unique showcase.
• 5.15 – 6.15pm - Superorganic/Fusion: Superorganic began as a basement jam two years ago and has rapidly gained a reputation for reimagining hip hop, jazz and spoken word, releasing mixtapes and playing bold new sounds to sold out festival audiences.
• 6.30 – 7.30pm - Baluji Shrivastav OBE with Re:Orient - Re:Orient celebrate Latin, Indian and Jazz music, creating a kaleidoscope of rhythms and melodies with intricate patterns of percussive footwork and graceful movements from Indian dance.
• 7.45 – 8.45pm - Hootini: A nine-piece brass band of exciting emerging writers and musicians influenced by a range of musical genres including jazz, Afro-Latin, hip hop,  drum and bass and funk.
• 9 – 10.55pm - DJ Sam Atlantis: A musical journey, travelling from your  jazz favourites to fresh new sounds.

Saturday

• 10am - 1.30pm - Jazz It Up: Cheltenham Jazz Festival's annual highlight where school and county jazz bands perform at the heart of the Festival. See above for line-up.
• 2 - 2.45pm - Cheltenham Improvisors Orchestra: A collaboration between accomplished and 'wannabee' musicians, surprising and engaging audiences in musical experiences with roots in jazz and experimental music traditions.
• 3 - 3.45pm - Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Nonet: This band performed with recent guest artist to RBC Jazz Dept, Walt Weiskopf. The band will reprise some of this material and also introduce new student compositions for the band.
• 4 - 5pm - Tomorrow's Warriors Junior Band: Tomorrow's Warriors Junior Band is an exciting new line-up of musicians aged 14-16, featuring some of the most promising musicians of Tomorrow's Warriors' award-winning Young Artist Development Programme.
• 5.15 - 6.15pm - Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Banda Brasileira: Brazilian Classic songs arranged for a large ensemble, performed by the recently formed ensemble from RBC's Jazz and Percussion departments.
• 6.30 - 7.30pm - Aria Soul: A dynamic neo-soul/jazz artist who has performed at iconic venues like Ronnie Scott's and Pizza Express Live Soho.
• 7.45 - 8.45pm - NW Duke Ellington Orchestra: Fifteen-piece big band celebrating the music of Duke Ellington playing music from his Cotton Club days to the swinging suites.
• 9 - 10.55pm - Dan Cooper: Everyone's favourite Wetherspoons DJ Dan Cooper promises to get us dancing with an eclectic set, ranging from jazz to UKG, bassline and drum and bass.

Sunday

• 10am - 1.30pm - Jazz It Up: Cheltenham Jazz Festival's annual highlight where school and county jazz bands perform at the heart of the Festival. See above for line-up.
• 2 - 2.45pm - Cheltenham Singers: This community choir perform a range of songs to cater to a wide variety of musical tastes.
• 3 - 4pm - Chameleon: An amalgamation of various influences - the earthiness of blues and soul with the experimental elements of jazz funk to create a hybrid Avant Rock genre.
• 4.15 - 5.15pm - Stolen Chocolates: Local favourites Stolen Chocolates combines jazz, soul and blues with a bit of pop and funk thrown in the mix.
• 5.30 - 6.30pm - Head Rush: Head Rush brass brand come together from the lively Birmingham and Bristol music scenes. They play fresh takes on old school classic soul, RnB, NOLA trad tunes and originals songs.
• 6.45 - 9.30pm - Mike Sandcastle x Cheever: Blackpool-born, London-based Mike Sandcastle mixes the neon intensity of his seaside hometown with the disco buzz of '90s French Touch House - B2B with Cheever on the wheels of steel.

Bank Holiday Monday

• 10am - 1pm - Jazz It Up: Cheltenham Jazz Festival's annual highlight where school and county jazz bands perform at the heart of the Festival.
• 1.30 - 2.30pm - Ben Partridge's Sixways: Sixways, led by Ben Partridge, features bold modern jazz with horns, guitar, original compositions, inventive arrangements and influences fro jazz legends to indie-folk.
• 2.45 - 3.45pm - Dom Franks' StrayHorn: Dom Franks' StrayHorn was formed in 2010 to showcase Dom's harmonically emotive, lyrical, but groove-driven compositions. Over the years, the group has featured a revolving cast of leading musicians from the buzzing jazz scene around the world.
• 4 - 5pm - UWE Big Band: The band operates as an extra curricular activity for UWE students. They perform regularly and have won gold and platinum prizes.
• 5.15 - 6.15pm - Andy Hague's BS3: Trumpeter Andy Hague plays a mixture of original compositions, Blue Note classics and standards. Influenced by Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw and Kenny Wheeler.
• 6.30 - 7.30pm - Swing from Paris: Swing from Paris are a quartet inspired by the great swing bands of the 30s, 40s and 50s: Benny Goodman and Charlie Christian meets Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli and the Hot Club of France.
• 7.30 - 8.30pm - Dan Cooper: Everyone’s favourite Wetherspoons DJ Dan Cooper promises to get us dancing with an eclectic set, ranging from jazz to UKG, bassline and drum and bass.