Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival 2027 dates, venues and tickets

Save the dates for the 40th anniversary in March 2027

The festival's own website now reads "Save the Dates!" for March 2027. Here is what the organisers have confirmed so far.

Keep an eye on the official festival website and its Facebook page for the line-up. Plans change, so check before you go. For everything else on in town, see our Kiama events guide.

Understand why the festival paused in 2026

On 11 December 2025 the organisers announced that the festival would not go ahead in March 2026. Their press release pointed to a mix of pressures: much less financial support, the risk of a ticketed model, capacity limits at a key central venue, delays in Kiama Council development approvals, and the long wait before a planned Special Entertainment Precinct takes effect.

The same release called the pause temporary and said the focus was turning to 2027 and the 40th anniversary. The dates on the festival website now confirm that return.

Kiama did not go quiet that March. Destination Kiama promoted Sounds of Jazz and Blues, a community-led weekend from 6 to 8 March 2026 where local venues hosted their own gigs, with Council running a central gig guide and the Kiama Business Network sponsoring a free Blues Bus between venues.

Get to know the festival's venues around town

The festival has no single gate. Music spreads through cafes, bars, clubs, parks and halls, so you wander between gigs. The 2027 venue list is not out, so the venues below are the official 2025 ones from the festival venues page. Expect changes.

The 2025 list also included Cin Cin Wine Bar, JJ's Indian Restaurant, Little Earth Cafe, Parfait Patisserie, Saltwater Cafe, Silica, The Hungry Monkey, Diggies, Kiama Bowling Club, Kiama Library, Little Betty's, the Old Fire Station (vintage and vinyl), SS Peter and Paul's Church (a Sunday gospel service), Scoops and Native, Slow Dough, The Grand Hotel and Yves. Many of them are in our Kiama pubs and bars guide.

Most venues sit on or near Manning, Terralong and Collins Streets in the town centre, so you can walk between them. The festival's venue page lists access notes for each one, such as level entry and accessible bathrooms, mapped by a local Inclusion Project Officer in 2025.

Buy tickets once the 2027 passes go on sale

Ticket details for 2027 have not been published. In 2025, the festival tickets page explained how it worked: most of the music in cafes, restaurants, bars, the Top Shops car park, the street buskers and Coronation Park was free. A weekend pass gave you a wristband for three close-together venues: Finding Fillmore's, the Uniting Church and Kiama Surf Club. A day pass was also offered.

Wristbands were collected from the festival hub at the Uniting Church across the weekend, and from the Kiama Farmers' Market on the Wednesday before. The festival does not list 2027 prices yet, so none are listed here. Buy only through the link on the official website when sales open, and check before you go.

Learn how the festival began

According to the festival, it started with Dennis Cox, a South African jazz enthusiast and creative arts teacher at Kiama High School. He formed a jazz club with friends and began hosting gigs. That grew into the Kiama Jazz Festival and later the Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival. The 2025 event was its 38th year, which makes 2027 the 40th.

It has always been run by volunteers. The organisers say musicians are chosen through an application process and paid properly, and local businesses become the venues. Buying a meal or a drink at those venues is part of how the festival keeps going, and the 2026 pause shows how much it relies on that support.

Fill the rest of the festival weekend

Gigs run across three days, so leave room for the coast. Early March is still warm, and the town is easy to explore on foot between sets.

• Wednesday market: the Kiama Farmers' Market runs every Wednesday afternoon at Coronation Park, 3pm to 6pm in daylight saving time. Arrive on Wednesday 3 March and you can start there.
• A morning swim: Easts Beach is a 15-minute walk from the apartments.
• The Blowhole: the Kiama Blowhole on Blowhole Point is free and open around the clock.
• A coastal walk: the Kiama Coast Walk is a good way to clear your head on Sunday morning.
• Dinner between sets: see where to eat in Kiama and book ahead, as restaurants fill on festival nights.

The Kiama Seaside Markets run on the third Sunday of the month, so they fall after the festival weekend in March 2027.

Plan how you'll get there and park

From the Sydney CBD, the drive takes about 1 hour 45 minutes (134 km) on the M1 Princes Motorway, without traffic. Trains on the South Coast Line run hourly, according to Destination Kiama, and Visit NSW puts the trip at about 2 hours 15 minutes from Central. Kiama station on Railway Parade is a short walk from the Uniting Church and most town centre venues. Weekend trackwork can replace trains with buses, so check the Transport NSW Trip Planner on the day. Our Sydney to Kiama guide has more detail.

Parking in the town centre is mostly free with signposted time limits, and spaces near Manning and Terralong Streets go first on a busy weekend. The Kiama Park&Ride on Bong Bong Street is free for up to 18 hours with a valid Opal trip. For accessible parking and toilets, the festival points to Kiama Council's Mobility Map. See our Kiama parking guide. Staying close enough to walk saves the hunt for a space altogether.

Stay at Kiama Ridge Waters for the festival

Leave the car in the garage at Kiama Ridge Waters and walk in to the music. Each of our three-bedroom apartments at 2 Surfleet Place sleeps six, with two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a laundry and garage parking for two cars. Here is how far you are from the main venues:

• Town centre and Uniting Church: about a 27-minute walk (2.3 km), or a 3-minute drive
• Coronation Park and Kiama Surf Club: about a 23-minute walk (1.9 km)
• Gerringong, Fern Street: about 8 minutes by car (7.9 km)
• Kiama Golf Club, Kiama Downs: about 9 minutes by car (8 km)

A 40th anniversary is likely to draw a crowd, so book early. If you are coming with friends or a band, you can book several apartments on the same site for the whole group. See group stays, weekends away, or check dates and book your stay. Check-in is from 3pm on Friday, in time for the first evening sets.