Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival won’t go ahead in 2026, but Kiama Council is insisting on making sure March is still filled with music. Photo: Jon Harris Photography.
Kiama Council will host its own version of the Jazz and Blues Festival on the dates previously marked for the original event next year, after the former organisers announced the festival would not be going ahead in 2026 due to red tape and financial constraints.
Thousands of dollars in grant funding designated to support the Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival which was scheduled for next March will now go towards a new event with the same theme run by council and scheduled for the weekend of the now-cancelled festival.
“For nearly 40 years, Kiama Municipal Council has supported the Jazz and Blues Festival through both financial and in-kind contributions,” Mayor Cameron McDonald said.
“The Festival has long been valued by the community and there’s strong interest in retaining the planned date and maintaining a musical jazz and blues presence in the community during that period.”
Councillors voted to delegate to the CEO to allocate limited human resources to coordinate the event program and promotion which would utilise both Kiama and Gerringong libraries.
They also commended local businesses who have already volunteered their venues and resources to ensure the event can go ahead.
“Just to point out, the venues that have already put their hat in the ring, their hand up to contribute to that weekend – Kiama Leagues Club, The Grand Hotel, Cin Cin’s, Burnett’s on Barney, and the Kiama Bowling Club – and that’s prior to any expressions of interest going out, so looking forward to some strong support,” Cr McDonald said.
The festival was initially put on pause partly because of the delays associated with a development application for venue Filmore’s to become a permanent performance space, which is a key location for the event.
Reduced financial support, financial risk of a ticketed model, capacity restrictions and the long lead in time before the delivery of the Special Entertainment Precinct were also cited as contributing factors.
Despite the event being the third Kiama festival to be cancelled in recent months, with Changing Tides and Folk By the Sea both pulling the plug, a Council spokesperson said they have offered financial support for events like these and simplified processes to make it easier for organisers.
“Despite well-documented financial challenges, Council has continued to invest in events, awarding $130,000 annually through its Destination Event Funding Program and supporting 64 major and destination events over the past three years,” the spokesperson said.
“This is alongside an additional $40,000 each year through our Community Events Funding Program and ongoing in-kind support for local activations.”
“We’ve also reduced red tape for organisers by amending the Local Environmental Plan to remove Development Application (DA) requirements for temporary events on public land, creating simpler pathways with concierge-style support.”
They said recent cancellations have been for various reasons which “reflects broader challenges across the national events sector” and that “interest in Kiama remains strong, with new proposals currently being progressed.”
Despite some issues being industry-wide, Kiama MP Katelin McInerney is determined to find solutions.
“This is an issue that is really important to our community and to me – we are cultural destination and venues and organisers have been warning for some time that we need to do better and reduce barriers for the arts and live performance in Kiama,” Ms McInerney said.
“That work has started, but there is much more to do.
“Venue owners, businesses and event organisers are telling me there is more local, State and Federal governments can be doing to make it easier and more affordable for festival organisers to put on great events that bring our communities together for fun, culture and connection, as well as bolstering the live music, art and performance that make our town such a great place to visit and live.”
Ms McInerney said she will facilitate a roundtable in the new year to efficiently identify key barriers including changes to funding eligibility and grants.
“While music festivals across NSW have faced a number of intersecting challenges like the continuing social and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather events, and increased operational and touring costs alongside changing audience preferences and cost of living pressures, the cancellation of the beloved Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival for 2026, and three more festivals calling it time in 2025 has highlighted that government needs to do more to help where we can to support festival organisers,” she said.
“I strongly believe by getting all the stakeholders around the table we will be able to identity common challenges for these events and ensure that all our local event organisers are utilising the supports that are already in place for festival delivery.”
