Australia's longest-running regional jazz gathering is back over the Melbourne Cup long weekend, with The Bamboos and Cookin' on 3 Burners topping the 36th Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues line-up.
The 36th Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues returns over the Melbourne Cup long weekend with a stacked 2026 program.
Running from 31 October to 1 November, the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues is led by The Bamboos featuring Kylie Auldist and Cookin’ on 3 Burners featuring Stella Angelico, with performances staged at the Cathedral Grounds main stage, the Old Baptist Church, St Pat’s Hall and Holy Trinity Cathedral.
The 36th Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues
- 30 October – Opening Night, St Pat’s Hall, Wangaratta, Victoria
- 31 October – festival weekend, various venues, Wangaratta, Victoria
- 1 November – festival weekend, various venues, Wangaratta, Victoria
- 2 November – Milawa Monday, Milawa, Victoria
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The bill runs deep on Australian talent, with Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers, Horns of Leroy featuring THNDO, ISEULA New Orleans Special, Checkerboard Lounge, the Frank Sultana Blues Band and Yunior Terry’s Afro-Cuban Roots all on the program. The weekend opens on 30 October with The Shuffle Club, a cabaret-style night at St Pat’s Hall, before the main event takes over.
The Tiny Jazz Series at the Old Baptist Church lines up Lounge of the Flamingo, Gianni Marinucci’s Born to Be Blue celebrating Chet Baker, and the Jamie Oehlers Quartet marking the centenary of John Coltrane. The 36th National Jazz Awards, focused on drums and curated by Chris Hale, are back as one of the weekend’s signature events, while the Jazz Mass with Bob Sedergreen and Carl Pannuzzo continues at Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Tickets are on sale now, with early-bird pricing running until 10 August before standard rates kick in. A Weekend Pass covers every act over both days, while single Day Passes are available for 31 October and 1 November. The program then spills into Milawa Monday on 2 November, a day of live jazz, food and wine across the Milawa gourmet region. First held in 1990, the event announced its closure in 2023 before returning the following year under a new board and artistic director Serge Carnovale.
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