Marsden Jazz Festival 2026: Three Days of Live Music Set to Take Over the Colne Valley

Martin Ballard

Sep 29

2 min read

Marsden is getting ready to turn into one huge live-music village again as Marsden Jazz Festival returns from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October 2026 — and this year's programme is absolutely packed.

One of Kirklees' best-loved music weekends, the festival has been running since 1992 and brings headline jazz artists, rising talent, school and youth ensembles, free performances and live music into venues right across Marsden.

Friday: local talent and serious jazz pedigree

Friday opens with a Musica Kirklees Showcase at Marsden Mechanics before the Yorkshire Gypsy Swing Collective take over the main stage at 8pm. The night then closes with a special Stan Tracey Centenary Celebration featuring Clark Tracey's Spectrum at 9.30pm.

Elsewhere around the village there is music at venues including Marsden Social Club, The Riverhead, Peel Street Social, Marsden Liberal Club and the North of England Centre for Music and Arts — making this far more than a single-venue festival.

Saturday: Marsden goes into full festival mode

Saturday is the monster day. Musica Kirklees ensembles take over the Bandstand in the Park and appear on Peel Street, while gigs run throughout the village from morning until late.

The Mechanics headline programme includes family show MiniFest at 11am, the Dan Casimir Band at 5pm, Laura Jurd's Rites & Revelations at 7pm and Rod Mason & the 007s bringing Saturday to a close from 10pm with their jazz arrangements of music from the James Bond films.

And if that isn't enough, the wider programme includes everything from blues, soul and funk to reggae DJs, jazz jams, choirs and live sets in pubs, clubs and community venues across Marsden.

Sunday: one more full day

Sunday starts with the free Jazz Cafe at Marsden Mechanics before The Gelatos headline at 1.30pm, Alligator Gumbo at 3.30pm and Kyla Brox at 6pm. There is also another packed programme around the village including music at Peel Street, The Riverhead, The New Inn, Marsden Liberal Club, Zapato Brewing and the North of England Centre for Music and Arts.

Monkey's pick: don't overlook the free programme

The headline concerts are well worth exploring, but one of the things Monkey loves about Marsden Jazz Festival is how much music spills out into the village. You can arrive in Marsden, wander between venues and discover something you had never planned to see.

The Musica Kirklees programme is particularly worth supporting. Young musicians from across Kirklees get a genuine festival platform alongside established performers — exactly the kind of grassroots live-music pathway we want to see thriving locally.