A Little Bit of Background

In the 1980s Oamaru held an annual jazz festival at the Brydone Hotel over Labour Weekend. It was a big event on jazz musicians’ calendars and they came from all over New Zealand to enjoy the music, camaraderie and opportunities to share their creative talents with other like-minded people and enthusiastic audiences.

In 2012, various jazz musicians were contacting people in Oamaru asking if the town could again host a jazz festival - a festival where the enjoyment of jazz and the spontaneity of musicians jamming together comes first.

After 2 very successful years we decided to incorporate ourselves and are now called Harbour Street Jazz Inc. If you wish to become a member please contact harbourstreetjazz@gmail.com.

Oamaru & Oamaru’s Victorian Precinct is fortunate in that it has a number of venues, as well as Harbour Street itself, which are ideally suited to hosting a weekend festival. The Criterion Hotel, Loan and Mercantile Function Centre, The Penguin Club, Birdlands Wine Co., Star & Garter Restaurant and The Brydone Hotel, and a wonderful new venue - Scotts Brewery along with The Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust, have all offered their support and practical assistance for the event.

The 2019 event was such a success that we have decided to hold it again. With a huge and talented line up playing each year makes our event destined to be spectacular.
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Check out our photo's from previous years here!