London’s biggest jazz party is back — and it’s taking over the city

Forget quiet nights in, London’s about to swing. The EFG London Jazz Festival returns this Friday, 14 November, lighting up the city with ten days of live music, late-night jams, and world-class artists. From global legends to the next generation of UK talent, this is London’s biggest celebration of jazz, and one of its most thrilling annual festivals, full stop.

This year’s theme is boundaries don’t exist. Expect everything from classic big-band glamour to experimental grooves, soul, spoken word and full-blown cross-genre chaos taking place across 60+ venues and 300+ performances citywide.

Things kick off with The Jazz Social at Citypoint, just by the Barbican, a pop-up bar, venue and record store that’s basically the festival’s beating heart. As part of the EFG London Jazz Festival celebrations, the Jazz Social at Citypoint has become one of the festival’s most vibrant new hubs, a space that brings together artists, audiences and the wider creative community in the heart of the City.

Run in partnership with Culture Mile, Serious, Arts Council England and Black Lives in Music, the Jazz Social is designed as an open, accessible home for jazz lovers of all ages. Across its ten-day run, the pop-up bar, record store and performance space are hosting live sets, talks, and drop-ins that celebrate jazz as a global, cross-cultural force.

The project also reflects a wider ambition to make the arts more inclusive, responding to findings from the recent Arts for All report, which identified Londoners as some of the least culturally engaged in the UK. By offering free performances, community events, and international collaborations, from spoken word to Japanese jazz, including a spotlight on Grammy-winning pianist Hiromi, the Jazz Social aims to reconnect the city with its creative energy.

Drop in for intimate gigs, vinyl pop-ups, and drop-by sessions all week. Highlights include spoken word artist Sophia Thakur (11 Nov), cellist-composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson (12 Nov, already sold out), and rising star Elysia Biro (15 Nov).

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Friday’s official opening night belongs to Aja Monet, the festival’s Artist in Residence, performing her spellbinding blend of jazz and poetry at the Barbican alongside guests Ganavya, Sheila Maurice-Grey, and Yahael Camara-Onono. Across the river, the Jazz Voice gala at the Southbank Centre brings together Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tanita Tikaram, Stella Cole, and Jacqui Dankworth, all backed by Guy Barker’s 44-piece orchestra: a full-throttle celebration of jazz vocals and legacy.

From there, the weekend is a whirlwind. Sam Amidon teams up with Beth Orton at Union Chapel, Joan As Police Woman brings her soulful cool to EartH Theatre, Kurt Elling joins The Yellowjackets at Cadogan Hall, and Mulatu Astatke, the godfather of Ethio-jazz, fills Royal Festival Hall (and, yes, sadly it’s already sold out).

Across the city, you’ll find free lunchtime sets, late-night jams, record fairs, artist talks and surprise collaborations, the kind that could only happen at this festival. It’s a week and a half where London itself becomes a jazz stage: big, bold, and beautifully unpredictable.

The EFG London Jazz Festival runs 14–23 November, with events across the Barbican, Southbank Centre, Union Chapel, KOKO, EartH, HERE at Outernet and more.

Full programme and tickets are available on the EFG website.

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