Help us to nurture the artists of the future

Manchester Jazz Festival believes in supporting young musicians. Now, we need your help.

We are asking our friends, supporters, audiences – and jazz lovers across the country – to give the UK’s best young jazz musicians the stage at the next edition of mjf. Anticipated to run from 21 – 25 May*, mjf 2020 will be our 25th anniversary festival.

NOW’S THE TIME 2020 will present the best young and emerging musicians across the five-days of our 2020 festival in a series of 25 free concerts and pop-up performances.

Your support will allow us to give young artists vital experience of playing in a national festival programme, audience exposure across Manchester and the North West, and unparalleled industry networking opportunities.

Find out more on our crowdfunding page now.

Manchester Jazz Festival was established in 1996, when a group of friends decided to put on a celebration of the music they loved.

From this seed, mjf has grown to become Manchester’s longest running music festival. We are an integral part of Manchester’s musical landscape, with a track-record of producing an annual multi-venue, multi-day festival event across the city. We are synonymous with northern talent, new music and presenting the most exciting jazz artists.

Over 24 years, mjf – especially through the mjf introduces platform launched in 2009 – has given over 100 artists their first high-profile gig – artists whose careers have since blossomed internationally.

The list of artists who played their earliest gigs at mjf includes Beats & Pieces, GoGo Penguin, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, Stuart McCallum, Alice Zawadzki, Kirsty Almeida, Phil Meadows, Jessica Berry, Matt Halsall, Arun Ghosh, Anton Hunter, Rioghnach Connolly, Sam Healey, Dominic J Marshall, Jon Thorne, Alexandra Ridout, Yemi Bolatiwa and Mali Hayes.

Pledge your support here. In return, you can choose from the following rewards:

£25 Reward
Acknowledgment of your support of NOW’S THE TIME 2020 in the mjf 2020 festival brochure and on the mjf website.

£50 Reward
Acknowledgment of your support of NOW’S THE TIME 2020 in the mjf 2020 festival brochure and on the mjf website, along with a mjf 2020 t-shirt.

£100 Reward
1-day hospitality package at mjf 2020, including 2 tickets for 2 mjf gigs on your chosen day. Acknowledgment of your support of NOW’S THE TIME in the mjf 2020 festival brochure and on the mjf website, along with a mjf 2020 t-shirt.

£250 Reward
3-day hospitality package at mjf 2020, including 2-tickets for up to 6 mjf 2020 concerts. Acknowledgment of your support of NOW’S THE TIME in the mjf 2020 festival brochure and on the mjf website and a mjf 2020 t-shirt.

£1000 Reward
mjf 2020 comes to your house (or other suitable public place) with a unique personal performance by a musician appearing at festival.

Pledge your support here.

(*subject to confirmation)