Photo: via Facebook.

Noosa Jazz Festival brings live jazz, river cruises, concerts and dining events to Noosa across 10 days.

Noosa Jazz Festival returns from Friday, August 28, to Sunday, September 6, 2026.

The program brings jazz into theatres, restaurants, bars, river cruises and outdoor settings across Noosa.

At the centre of the festival is the Noosa Jazz Party at The J Theatre, with a wider run of live music events across the region.

For Sunshine Coast audiences, it gives Noosa a dedicated jazz celebration and adds another major music event to the calendar.

What is the festival?

Noosa Jazz Festival is a 10-day jazz event held across Noosa, with concerts, jazz cruises, dining events and live performances in venues around the region.

Organised by Noosa Heads Jazz Club, the event has a classic jazz focus and brings Australian and overseas-based musicians together across the program.

Unlike a single-site music festival, it moves through the town. Audiences can hear jazz in theatres, restaurants, bars, on the river and in relaxed Noosa settings.

When is the 2026 festival?

The 2026 festival runs from Friday, August 28, to Sunday, September 6, with performances and events scheduled throughout Noosa.

The preview program includes concerts, river cruises, lunches, dinners and special festival performances.

More details are expected through Noosa Heads Jazz Club.

Where is it held?

The festival takes place across Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, with the Noosa Jazz Party at The J Theatre sitting as one of the centrepiece events.

The wider program also includes events on the water, in restaurants, in bars and in other live performance settings around Noosa.

That spread gives the event a strong local feel. It does not sit in one paddock or one concert hall, but moves through the town and turns Noosa into a jazz weekend destination.

What kind of music is on the program?

The festival focuses on jazz, with a strong leaning toward classic and traditional sounds.

The program includes live concerts, jazz party sessions, river cruise performances and dining events with live music.

It is built for people who want more than background music with dinner, giving jazz a proper place in the Sunshine Coast festival calendar.

Why it matters

Noosa Jazz Festival adds a different kind of music event to the Sunshine Coast calendar, sitting alongside the region’s major festivals, coastal gigs, hinterland gatherings and touring shows.

It gives jazz its own dedicated space within that mix, while showing how live music can work across a town instead of staying inside one venue.

For Noosa, the festival connects music with restaurants, river settings, theatres and the wider visitor economy.

For Sunshine Coast music fans, it is another reason to look north for live music outside the usual pub and touring circuit.

Related YELO guides