Brecon Jazz Festival

www.breconjazz.co.uk [1]Brecon Jazz Festival is held on an annual basis in the rural surroundings of Brecon, Wales. Normally staged during the second weekend of August, it is host to a range of jazz musicians who travel from across the world to take part.

During the weekend Brecon plays host to many visiting tourists who are attracted by the music, the social scene and the other leisure opportunities on offer in and around the Brecon Beacons.

The current festival manager is Jim Smith, and the festival organiser for many years has been Deborah Anthony. The festival is strongly supported by Rhodri Morgan, the First Minsister of Wales

Tickets

There are three programmes of music over the jazz weekend. 1) The Street Music: All music in this programme is free, and open to anyone without a ticket. Traditionally the music from this programme was performed on the bandstand in the centre of Brecon and throughout the streets, which were closed off to traffic for the duration of the festival weekend.

* In 2006 due to legal and policing issues the streets in the centre of Brecon will be open to traffic. As a result, the free 'Street Music' will now be held in the park next-door to the 'Theatr Brycheiniog' and anlogside the 'Watton Marquee', both of which are venues for paid events in the stroller and concert programmes.2) The Stroller Programme: With a large selection of events to pick and choose from (approximately 50 between Friday evening and Sunday night) this programme of music is open to anyone with a stroller ticket. Acts in this programme are usually from the Welsh or British Jazz scene. Stroller wristbands can be purchased for a single day, or for the entire weekend at a slightly discounted rate. Children 14 & under go free into stroller events as long as they are accompanied by at least one paying adult with a wristband.

Also available on the weekend itself are Open Air Tickets (formerly known as Family Tickets). These allow you entry to only the three outdoor stroller venues between Midday and 6pm. These tickets are subject to availability, and will not be sold if the festival sells out of 'full' stroller tickets for the specific day. The advantage of these tickets is that they cost significantly less than the full stroller tickets, but still allow children 14 and under free entry with a paying adult.

Traditionally, the venue and times for the stroller music is only released on the friday before the weekend, available in the souvenir brochure. A list of acts on the programme are usually made available on the website beforehand (www.breconjazz.co.uk)3) The Concert Programme: This programme is the first made available to the public, and includes the major acts coming to the festival. Past favourites include; Jamie Cullum, Van Morrison, Lucie Silvas and Jools Holland to name a few. Every concert on this programme requires an individual ticket. Prices range between £10 and £20 each. There are currently no discounts or concessions available for these events.'''

Accomodation

Camping is popular at the festival, there is one official site open to ticket holders, and several independent sites around the Brecon area including the Rugby Club, who sell camping spaces in their fields over the weekend.

Hotels and Bed & Breakfast are also available, but a high demand usually means that early booking is required.

2006 festival

Due to legal and policing issues, the 2006 festival will not feature "street music" — all concerts will be open to ticket holders only. Also for the first time, the roads through the centre of Brecon will be open to traffic.

The festival will be sponsored by HSBC.

Links

Brecon Jazz Festival Official WebsiteJazz In Wales