2023 Southport Jazz Festival organisers "thrilled" with success of event

The organisers of the 2023 Southport Jazz Festival say they are “thrilled” by the huge success of the event.

Hundreds of spectators from all over the UK made their way to Southport for the musical showcase as they watched sell-out shows performed by some of the top jazz musicians and bands in the UK.

The gigs all took place in The Grand on Lord Street, the beautiful art deco landmark which first opened in 1923 and is celebrating its centenary this year.

Plans are now being made for the 2024 Southport Jazz Festival with event organisers Emma Holcroft and Jez Murphy looking to book the best acts possible.

Guests enjoyed a variety of different shows suitable for all tastes this year.

Festival favourite Alan Barnes crowned the festival by presenting Copperfield – A Dickensian Jazz Suite; Jeremy Sassoon’s MOJO (Musicians Of Jewish Origin) took the audience on a journey of the best Jewish musicians and songwriters; the Wendy Kirkland Quartet featuring Dennis Rollins MBE presented their imaginative Get Carter Reimagined; there was a platform for young talent with the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra.

There were 10 shows in all over three days, with some guests already booking their hotels and their tickets for next year.

Southport Jazz Festival Director Emma Holcroft said:

“We were thrilled by the success of this year’s event, and with the huge level of support we had from everyone.

“We are so pleased and so proud of how well it has all gone.

“The performances were absolutely brilliant! We knew that they would be, as we went to see them all before we signed them up for the Festival.

“It was a real pleasure to see them all performing at The Grand in Southport.

“We hope that the event gave a real boost to lots of local businesses in Southport.

“Lots of visitors came for the whole weekend, staying in local hotels and guest houses, and the restaurants and bars nearby all looked full.

“We enjoyed working with Cooper’s Bar, which was great. We worked with them about staging acts in both venues. We enjoyed calling into Lord’s cafe too which was fantastic. I think we told too many people how good it was, it was always full!

“We have started looking at acts already for next year.

“Our audience members have been giving us their feedback on what they enjoyed and telling us who they would really like to see perform in Southport next year, and we really appreciate their views.

The Alex Clarke Quartet at Southport Jazz Festival. (Credit: Andrew Brown Media)

“Our team has been fantastic. We are really grateful for all their support.

“The staff at The Grand were absolutely amazing.

“I have never come across hospitality staff as good as they are before. They just couldn’t do enough to help us. They were exceptional.

“I would like to thank Southport BID for their help and support.

“It was good to see representatives from Scarborough Jazz Festival and Buxton Jazz Festival. They were really kind in promoting us and were delighted to promote their events too. It has been good working together.”