Easter in Tauranga means you cannot miss The 61st National Port of Tauranga Jazz Festival’s jam-packed weekend smorgasbord of entertainment!

The city centre will burst into life with The Historic Village turning into the Jazz Village on Good Friday followed by the Downtown Carnival engulfing  the city’s CBD for Easter Saturday, March 30, and Easter Sunday, March 31!

On Good Friday, The Historic Village becomes our very own New Orleans French Quarter!

“The Jazz Village from 11am-5pm is an absolute crowd-pleaser, delivering a day of entertainment for the whole family,” say festival organiser Marc Anderson.

“So come join the revelry on the streets, dance to dixie and swing in the Village Square, relax on the lawn in front of the outdoor Main Stage and be entertained by a chocolate box of jazz and blues flavours!”

Main Stage performers include the All Girl Big Band with their big band jazz, the Michal Martyniuk Quartet offering fresh and exciting fusion jazz, Shaken Not Stirred with their funky swingin’ jazz and blues, poppy groovy dancing tunes from Chill Winston, and red hot rhythm and blues of The Flaming Mudcats.

Shaken Not Stirred. Photo: supplied.

“Stroll through funky shops, meander down bustling aisles of artisan market stalls, enjoy a wide variety of food and refreshments and make a day of it!” Get tickets from: jazz.org.nz

Then head to the Downtown Carnival for two days of jazz, blues, funk and more! Hosted in the CBD, New Zealand’s finest musicians will perform live on three outdoor stages – on Wharf St, Red Square and Edgewater Fan – and inside bars and restaurants. Edgewater Fan will be family-friendly with a playground and food trucks too!

Tauranga-bred musician Damian Forlong, of band Shaken Not Stirred, has been part of the festival since 1998. He likens today’s carnival to a street party offering a smorgasbord of music from jazz through to funk, soul and probably some blues too – “all types of music!”

“It’s a street party that brings Tauranga’s CBD to life,” says Damian, who says Shaken Not Stirred has performed at the carnival annually since 2001.

“The carnival just makes so much different music accessible – you can wander around and listen in, and if you think: ‘Oh, I don’t like the sound of that’ you amble on to the next offering. You can always find something you’ll like – there’s always a great variety of sounds – the programme is so extensive!”

Big Tasty. Photo: supplied.

This year nearly 70 bands will perform live music from 12 noon- 6pm daily across two days.

“This year – with both outdoor stages and indoor live music – the Downtown Carnival is a fantastic place to soak up great music in a really cool environment,” says Marc.

“Jazz has so many sub-genres, and the Downtown Carnival is host to many of them. Filled with exciting music inspired by a variety of jazz expressions, there will be an open jazz session with musicians from the afro jazz scene from all over NZ,  performances that capture a fusion of traditional to pop French Jazz, folk-jazz, jazz-funk with a smattering of 1970s cinematic themes, swing, funk and soul, blues and rockabilly, jazz-fusion, New Orleans style, modern jazz, afro-beat, soulful jazz venturing into electronic funk with big harmonies, and much, much more!” View the full 2024 festival programme at: www.jazz.org.nz

Miho Wada. Photo: supplied.