Wet weather won’t stop Tauranga Jazz Festival’s 62nd year

The 62nd Tauranga Jazz Festival is ramping up for another weekend full of live performances. Photo / Andrew Warner

The annual Tauranga Jazz Festival is ramping up for a weekend full of music - and the wet, windy weather isn’t stopping the show.

The festival, in its 62nd year, began on April 7 and runs to the end of Easter Weekend, when the Jazz Village and Downtown Carnival attract thousands.

The Jazz Village has moved indoors to the Baycourt Addison Theatre and will deliver entertainment for everyone in true New Orleans style from 11am on Good Friday.

Starting from midday on Saturday, the downtown carnival will take place indoors with live performances held at cafes and bars on Tauranga’s Strand, Wharf St and Red Square.

These performances celebrate international artists and New Zealand’s top jazz talent.

Festival manager Marc Anderson said there was little that could prevent a 62-year-old festival from occurring, especiallynot the weather.

“We are accustomed to working creatively and have made necessary adjustments to ensure all events proceed this Easter as planned.

“Due to the weather, we will be taking the music back indoors into the many fine bars and restaurants downtown.”

Anderson said this format was similar to the 2024 Downtown Carnival, attended by about 15,000 people.

National Jazz Festival manager Marc Anderson (left) and Tauranga Jazz Society president Jeff Baker in 2021. Photo / George Novak

“Its success comes from the dedicated Tauranga Jazz Society who has continued throughout the years to ensure the festival continues its fine tradition of showcasing jazz.

“We stick to the kaupapa and bring the Tauranga community with us,” he said.

The festival will feature a special concert honouring jazz icon Rodger Fox, with performances by two big bands.

Fox, a respected educator, musical director and big band leader, died in 2024.

The Celebrating Rodger Fox event will showcase 50 years of the Rodger Fox Big Band’s music, featuring talented musicians and soloists who worked with him.

It will take place on Saturday at the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre.

Anderson told The Bay of Plenty Times Rodger Fox’s name was part of the Jazz Society’s story.

“Rodger leaves a huge legacy, a lifetime of service and commitment to jazz.

“We honour and celebrate the music of the man and The Rodger Fox Big Band at this special Baycourt concert on Saturday.”

Anderson said the National Jazz Festival in Tauranga was the longest-running jazz festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

He said it had a proud 62-year history of delivering an Easter Weekend full of live music and experiences.

“I think we can claim the longest in length as well as age now. The extended length of our programme ensures there is something for the visitors to do for a longer period.”

Swarms of people attend the Downtown Carnival on The Strand in Tauranga. Photo / NZME

In his Winston Watusi entertainment blog for SunLive, Tauranga musician Derek Jacombs said it was the biggest jazz festival he could remember.

“There’s not a single concert in Baycourt Theatre I wouldn’t highly recommend, depending on your taste. Mine leans towards Adrian Cox’s brilliant clarinet-led New Orleans ragtime or Jess Deacon’s singing, with a side of bebop from Lockie Bennett’s ‘Boplicity’ Quartet, but there is something for everybody.”

Jazz Village Details

When: Friday April 18

Timings: 11am-5pm

Where: Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Addison Theatre and foyer

Downtown Carnival Details

When: Saturday April 19 & Sunday April 20

Timings: 12pm-6pm

Where: The Strand, Wharf St, Red Square, inside bars and cafes.

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.