Harbour Street Jazz and Blues Festival 2020 is nearly here!

This years festival will run from the 20-22nd March. We have a fantastic weekend planned with details to be released soon. The grand finale will be featuring All Girls Big Band supported by The Saggy Britches Band with special guest Peta Mathias! A fantastic meal will be provided by The Loan and Merc which is included in the ticket price. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Tickets available from eventfinda.co.nz, Campbell's Butchery Oamaru, L J Hooker Oamaru and Oamaru iSite ($2 card fee at iSite).

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!