After losing a key venue, organisers scattered this year’s programme across 18 spaces.
The Blue Lamp sadly closed in December and for Aberdeen Jazz Festival, that meant losing one of its main venues weeks before announcing the 2026 programme. Rather than fall back, organisers went hunting for spaces the festival had never touched. They found some unusual ones.
Bon Accord Baths has been closed since 2008. The Art Deco building reopens briefly for a Soundbath performance designed around its cathedral-like acoustics. The Victorian Toilets in Union Terrace Gardens host a gig. So do Queens Cross Church, the Tunnels, and the recently reopened Forum on Skene Terrace. These join familiar spots like Cowdray Hall and the Lemon Tree, but the overall mix feels stranger, and stronger than previous years.
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Sunday wandering
Jazz the Day City is back, where one ticket gets you into four venues across a Sunday afternoon. You pick your route through the city, dipping in and out as you like.
The 13-day programme runs 12 to 22 March with over 30 events. Late nights skew toward hip-hop: The Rhyme Lounge pairs live hip-hop with jazz, Kai Reesu (2025 Scottish Album of the Year winners) play, and the Gil Scott-Heron Project rounds out the after-dark lineup.
Bigger stages
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra headlines at the Music Hall with vibraphonist Joe Locke and vocalist Tommy Blaize. Orquestra Boreal bring 10-piece salsa to the Lemon Tree. Berlin’s Toolbox Orchestra, an all-female group who perform with workshop tools, make their Scottish debut.
Local acts are spread throughout. BBC Young Jazz Musician finalist Matthew Kilner returns to Aberdeen with his quintet. AiiTee brings her blend of Afrobeat, soul and R&B. Orcadian vocalist Marianne McGregor performs with her new sextet. Dame Evelyn Glennie, the Methlick-born percussionist, appears in conversation at Cowdray Hall.
Remembering Ron Bird
Ron Bird died in early 2025. He founded the Guarana street drumming band and ran programmes at Middlefield Community Centre for years. The Celtic Django Project play a free concert and workshop in his memory at the centre where he worked.
Events like this reflect the festival’s long connection to local community work, which often runs in the background of the touring headline acts. This year, with organisers forced to rethink their venue strategy, those community spaces have moved closer to the centre.
The 23rd edition might end up being remembered for what happened when a venue closed. Sometimes losing a space forces you to look at a city differently.
Tickets range from free to £22.50 at aberdeenjazzfestival.com.
