The Wellington Jazz Festival is back and bigger than ever in 2018, with over 150 events at 45 locations throughout the city across 6-10 June.  

As the full line-up for the Jazz Festival goes live today, Festival Executive Director Meg Williams says she’s very pleased with the Wellington Jazz Festival’s new three-year headline partnership with Boulcott Suites (one of six Village Accommodation Group hotels in central Wellington) which will help ensure the ongoing success of the Festival and encourage visitors to travel to the capital for cultural events all year round. 

“Wellington Jazz Festival’s new headline partnership with Boulcott Suites means we can continue to grow this fantastic little Festival, which draws around 250 musicians and 30,000 music fans to Wellington each year. With around 30% of Jazz Festival attendees coming from out of town, it makes sense for us to align closely with respected accommodation partners,” 

Meg says that while the financial support from Boulcott Suites is very welcome, the partnership goes beyond dollars.

“We’re looking forward to working with Village Group Managing Director Adam Cunningham and his team with a shared vision to make Wellington a stand-out cultural destination through the winter as well as summer months. As part of this new headline partnership, Boulcott Suites and the Festival will host a discussion with representatives from government, the hospitality and cultural sectors, and the business community focused on what we can do to make Wellington the best host city into the future”. 

Village Accommodation Group Managing Director Adam Cunningham said Village Accommodation was keen to get behind vibrant homegrown initiatives like the Wellington Jazz Festival which complemented the customer experience Village sought to provide.  

“The Jazz Festival brings the headline musical talent, but the hospitality and accommodation sectors contribute to the overall visitor impression of the city at festival-time. We know that around 60% of out of town visitors to the Jazz Festival stay in Wellington two or more nights - Boulcott Suites is an ideal accommodation option for Festival goers as it is located right in the heart of the capital and close to all Jazz Festival venues,” he said.

New WREDA CEO Lance Walker said partnerships like that between the Jazz Festival and Boulcott Suites are key to Wellington keeping its reputation as a vibrant and hospitable place to visit. 

“Events help fuel the tourism sector in Wellington and it’s heartening to see partnerships like this that closely link the two. Sponsorships are crucial to making events in Wellington happen and I commend Adam and the team at Village Group for getting behind the Jazz Festival. The Festival really helps fill the city with energy in June.”

The full programme announced at jazzfestival.co.nz today includes a return of the Jazz at St Peters free series in Willis street, Duelling Pianos with Ben Wilcock and Dayle Jellyman, performances by Jake Baxendale,  Myele Manzanza, and Wellington City Shake-Em-On-Downers, as well as tributes to Miles Davis, Amy Winehouse and Nina Simone. The New Zealand School of Music Jazz Project will return to the Opera House with international guests Robben Ford and Lydia Pense for a day of workshops and competitions for secondary school students on 7 June.

The international line up for the 2018 Jazz Festival at the Opera House – Christian McBride’s New Jawn, John Beasley’s MONK’estra, Gretchen Parlato flor, Chris Dave and the Drumhedz – was announced in March.  

Visit jazzfestival.co.nz for more.

About the 2018 Wellington Jazz Festival

•    Wellington Jazz Festival runs 6-10 June 2018
•    Over 150 gigs will take place over five days at 45 venues 
•    The Jazz Festival draws a national audience of around 30,000 music fans across free and paid events
•    Visit our website www.jazzfestival.co.nz and follow us on Facebook or Twitter @welljazzfest