Jazz wraps up in style

Jazz artists perform on the Riverstage on Gympie Terrace in the final event of the Noosa Jazz Festival. Pictures: ROB MACCOLL

The 2023 Noosa Jazz Festival wrapped up with a great crowd at the Riverstage on Gympie Terrace on Father’s Day.

The free public concert has become a feature of the festival and is made possible with the support of Noosa Council’s Signature Event grant.

Noosa Jazz Club president Richard Stevens said it was heartening to see visitor numbers from interstate and New Zealand returning toward pre-Covid levels despite cost-of-living pressures and the higher cost of airfares. Richard and the late Frank Johnson co-founded the Noosa Jazz Party in 1992, and this festival of jazz has been on Noosa’s calendar of annual events ever since.

“It would not be possible to keep staging this event without the support of many people and businesses in the Noosa community: our hard-working committee members and volunteers, sponsors such as Bendigo Community Bank Tewantin-Noosa, Marcoola and Cooroy branches, the Campbell family, The Islander Resort, Noosa River Gardens, Music Noosa and participating venues who partner with us, Lucio’s Marina, Noosa Italian Restaurant, Miss Moneypenny’s, Noosa Springs Spa and Golf Resort, Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club, Noosa Ferries, The J Theatre and The Majestic Theatre, Pomona.” Richard said.

“High quality cultural and arts events play an important role in connecting and enriching our community,” Deputy Mayor Frank Wilkie said when he officially opened the festival, and that it was “worth acknowledging the incredible determination involved in keeping an event, any event going for over 30 years”.

Mr Stevens said that planning was already underway for next year’s event and encouraged people who attended this year’s festival to complete the audience survey that has been emailed to ticket holders this year to provide feedback and assist the Jazz Club in staging an even better festival next year.

If you haven’t received the link to the survey, send a request to info@noosajazzclub.com

The festival enjoys marketing support from Tourism Noosa and Tourism and Events Queensland through their Queensland Destination Events Program grants.