Bray Jazz Festival

Bray Jazz Festival returns for its 23rd year on the May Bank Holiday weekend - Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th. 

We’ve got a stellar programme of performers lined up for 2024, including international guests from the US, UK, France, Syria, Holland, Finland, Switzerland, Armenia, and West Africa.

As one of the host venues of the festival Mermaid Arts Centre are delighteed to have partnered with Bray Jazz Festival once again to bring a range of events from the afternoon matinee and early evening shows in the Townhall, the Headline events on our Main Stage in the Auditiorium as well as the newest addition to the programme - Late Night @ The Gallery. 

We want to keep the good vibes rolling into the night with our new late night lounge. Picture this: casual, intimate events in our Gallery space following the 8pm headline shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The best part? No tickets required! All festival attendees are welcome each evening, however our gallery space is a little smaller than the main auditorium so it will be first come, first served. Worry not - the bar will open and fully stocked and the music will carry through the space. Late Night @ The Gallery are not formal seated perfomances so feel free to stay for a while or stay for the evening.  

The theme for this programme of shows is ‘Ireland – At Home & Away’ – derived from the differing relationships that the participating musicians have with the island of Ireland. One of the bands comprises Irish musicians living north and south of the island; another is made up entirely of Irish players living and working overseas, and the third is a great UK- band led by an Englishman who has now made his home in rural Ireland. Check out the line up for Late Night @ The Gallery on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  

This new innovation is made possible through the support of The Arts Council as part of their Late-Night Events Pilot Scheme. This support has allowed us to keep the doors open and the music flowing into the night. "The scheme aims to promote a vibrant cultural ecosystem in Ireland that thrives after dark." - Minister Catherine Martin TD. 

Getting you home from Bray Jazz Festival!

To help you get home from this year’s festival, Bray Jazz is laying on a subsidised bus transport service that will ferry festival-goers northbound (as far as Donnybrook / Ballsbridge) and south to Wicklow town, on each night of this year’s festival. The service is limited in its availability, so advance booking is advised.

Buses will leave from outside Mermaid Arts Centre at 12.45am in the early hours of Saturday (after Friday night’s show), Sunday, and Monday mornings (after Sunday late night show) for the subsidised cost of just €7 PER PERSON. 

Below you can check out the routes that the coaches will take, each night.

Please note that there are planned works due to take place on the Dart line throughout the bank holiday weekend which may impact your journey getting here. For full details see Iarnród Eireann (Irish Rail).

Check out: www.brayjazz.com for more.