The Midhurst Jazz, Food & Blues Festival (MJFBF) has today announced its evolution into a year-round programme of live music, food and cultural events, following a hugely successful debut that drew more than 5,500 visitors and firmly established the West Sussex town as a new destination for jazz and blues.
Revealed on International Jazz Day (30 April), the move marks a significant next step for the festival, which welcomed approximately 2,500 ticket holders alongside a further 3,000 visitors to its Fringe programme in 2025, with sell-out performances, national press coverage and widespread acclaim from audiences, artists and local businesses alike.
Rather than remaining a once-a-year event, the festival will now deliver a curated programme of monthly and quarterly experiences across a network of venues throughout Midhurst, creating a permanent cultural presence in the town. New formats include “The Sofa Sessions” at the Lion’s Den Café and “The Cellar Sessions” at Fairview Wines (both from £20 online), the “The Sunday Tea Parties” at Kemaelli’s (from £5 online), alongside the “Jam Sessions” at The Wheatsheaf (from £7.50 online for spectators, free for musicians), the immersive “Half Note Club” at Fratelli’s (from £110 online), and a quarterly jazz/blues-only “Vinyl Fair” at the Old Library (just £2.50 to enter). The programme is built around a simple idea: to ‘discover together’ – bringing people closer to music, food and shared experiences across the year.
The first events in the new programme begin in May, opening with a Jam Session on 20th May, followed by the first Sofa Session on 21st May featuring Sam Kelly’s Station House. A Sunday Tea Party will take place on 31st May, with a Cellar Session from Will James on 10th June, and the first Half Note Club on 18th June presenting One Night Only… at the Half Note Club. Early performances will also feature artists including Big Joe Louis, The Fraser Smith Quartet, and “Level” Neville Malcolm. Further names will be announced on a rolling basis.
A special collaborative programme – “The Langham Sessions” – with the Langham Brewery will feature newer, innovative musicians, drawing on talent emerging from the UK’s now world-renowned new jazz scene. The first Langham Session will feature Resolution88.
Alongside the expanded programme, the festival is introducing its first-ever membership model, designed to build a loyal and engaged audience around the brand. Priced at £59 per year – with an Early Bird price of just £49 only until 20th May – membership includes 15% off year-round events, priority booking access, a quarterly newsletter, private events, exclusive updates and special offers from MJFBF partners. Membership offers a compelling new way for audiences to engage with the programme throughout the year.
The flagship Midhurst Jazz, Food & Blues Festival will return in November 2026, continuing to act as the annual centrepiece, with further artist announcements to follow in the coming weeks.
The move to a year-round model also creates a limited number of new opportunities for brand partners, with the festival offering a deliberately selective sponsorship structure designed to prioritise quality, visibility and meaningful engagement across the calendar.
Adam Page, Festival Director of MJFBF, said: “Last year proved something very important – that there is a real appetite for what we’re building here in Midhurst. The response from audiences, artists, venues and partners exceeded all expectations.
The natural next step was never to go quiet for eleven months of the year. This programme allows us to build something continuous – a proper cultural presence that supports artists, brings people into the town regularly, and creates a much deeper relationship with our audience.
Whether it’s an intimate Sofa Session or a packed Jam night, the focus is always on quality and experience. And with membership, we’re giving people a way to be part of it in a much more meaningful way.”
Richard Wyatt, Chair of sponsors Loudwater Partners, added: “What has been created in Midhurst is genuinely distinctive – an intimate, high-quality cultural offer with real depth. Moving to a year-round programme strengthens that considerably, giving audiences more opportunities to engage and partners a much more meaningful platform over time.
It’s rare to see something with this level of clarity and potential so early on, and it’s exactly the kind of initiative that merits long-term support.”
The year-round programme is supported by a growing group of partners who share the festival’s vision, including Mortimers Prestige and Langham Brewery, Loudwater Partners, Venelle Life, and Kerry Type. Together, they represent a collective commitment to supporting culture, community and independent business in Midhurst, helping to create a programme that brings the town together and invites audiences to discover something new throughout the year.
In its inaugural year, the festival delivered 2,456 ticket sales across 42 events, with 121 performances staged in 14 venues, alongside an estimated 3,250 additional Fringe attendees and a strong regional audience profile. With its expansion into a continuous programme, MJFBF is now positioned as both a cultural and economic driver for the town and wider region.
Matt Gooda of sponsors Mortimers Prestige, concluded: “What Adam’s done has already given Midhurst a strong sense of pride. The festival is staking a big claim for Midhurst’s cultural identity but his approach to making it town-wide also activates the town-wide economy, and now that’s going to be all year round. So we’re very happy to support that.”
Further information, including membership and sponsorship opportunities, is available at www.midhurstjazzandblues.com For tickets for upcoming events visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/midhurstjazzfestival
