From Boney M to Masters At Work: Line-up revealed for Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2026The upcoming event has an eclectic roster of jazz acts and other genres Mon, 07 Sep, 2026 – 15:05Des O’Driscoll
The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival has revealed its line-up for this year’s event. Running across the bank holiday weekend from October 22-26, the roster again features a mix of music that will appeal to both serious jazz fans and those who prefer other genres.
Indeed, it’s one of the jazz-adjacent acts that will likely attract most attention with house music legends Masters At Work lined up for a DJ set at Cork Opera House. The New York duo of Little Louie Vega and Kenny Dope Gonzalez would have been behind many of the top dance tunes played at Sir Henrys and other clubs through the decades. MAW have only on previous Cork appearance under their belt, having brought their Latin-infused sounds to the Savoy in 2001.
The household name on the bill is a version of multi-million selling pop act Boney M, featuring early member Maizie Williams. A Saturday singalong is guaranteed at the Opera House for such classic hits as Rasputin, Rivers of Babylon, and Brown Girl in the Ring.
For the jazz hardcore, top names include British drummer Yussef Dayes, American duo Keyon Harrold and Marcus Strickland, acclaimed pianist Jason Moran, and Bill Laurence of Snarky Puppy. The latter two artists are playing at Triskel Christchurch, a venue that also continues its association with the ECM label with a showcase headlined by Trygve Seim and Tord Gustavsen.
Courtney Pine has been a regular visitor to the festival and, at the Everyman on the Sunday, the London-born saxophonist will play a retrospective of tunes from his career.
Other acts playing in Cork across the five days are highly-rated British band Kokoroko, Donegal’s teenage blues sensation Muireann Bradley, and well-known DJ Annie Mac.
The 2026 festival has been put together by programmer Eoin Cregan, in his first year after taking over from fellow Dubliner, Mark Murphy. “The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is more than an event, it’s a legacy and a culture,” said Cregan, who promised more announcements would be made in the coming weeks.
As well as the ticketed concerts, this year’s festival will as usual feature the Guinness Music Trail across 70 pubs and other venues, while the Big Fringe will see free performances around the streets of Cork and at a designated stage in Emmet Place.
The festival was founded at the Metropole Hotel back in 1978, with Guinness taking over the title sponsorship in 1981, and has previously hosted such legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Rollins.
Tickets for concerts go on sale on Wednesday, September 9, at 10am on Guinnesscorkjazzfestival.com
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