Gibbons Hotel unveils free music lineup for Wellington Jazz Festival

As the Wellington Jazz Festival prepares to celebrate its milestone 30th anniversary this month, central city icon Gibbons Hotel has lined up back-to-back free music events.

From Thursday October 15 to Sunday October 18, the venue will host seven distinct, local acts across five days with free entry for every single performance.

Gibbons Hotel’s 2026 program also mixes up the standard pure jazz formula, blending traditional brass and instrumental sets with high-tempo, multi-genre crossovers.

Festivalgoers looking for variety will find neo-soul marathons, folk-rock tributes, and late-night dance parties all under one historic roof.

Venue Manager Brayden Holman said it’s a real mix of entertainment offerings at Gibbons Hotel this year.

“We’re so proud to be part of the Wellington Music Festival again this year,” Holman said.

“We really try to create a space that feels like ‘Jazz Fest at the Pub’. You don’t have to dress up, you can grab a meal and a table and see top-tier local artists experiment with soul, salsa, and rock.

“It’s about celebrating the true community spirit of Wellington’s music scene, which we’ve been doing for years,” he said.

Festival Co-Director Tama Waipara says the City Line-up demonstrates that the festival is as much about Wellington’s own music community as it is about bringing international artists to the capital.

“Wellington is renowned as a home for great musicians many of whom have extensive experience internationally already.

“Much of the jazz community play across multiple genres, work in a strongly collaborative way and are already hugely accomplished which means the homegrown offering is of an extremely high calibre.

“I think the innate creativity of this city also means that we get to see some fun and interesting innovations in music too.”

Gibbons Hotel program includes:

The Soul & Folk Kickoff: On Thursday 15 October (8.30pm), The Lowkeys bring the fourth instalment of their acclaimed “Soul Sessions,” reimagining neo-soul and R&B hits from Angie Stone to Marvin Gaye. On Friday 16 October (7.30pm), The Zimmermans pivot the festival into folk territory with a dedicated tribute set covering the legendary discography of Bob Dylan.

The Friday Night Mini-Marathon: Friday functions as a continuous, three-act festival within a festival, kicking off with smooth evening jazz from Kaletta (6.30pm), moving into Bob Dylan classics, and keeping the late-night crowd moving until midnight with The Bucks (10.00pm).

The Saturday Salsa Explosion: Breaking away from traditional jazz seating layouts, Saturday 17 October transforms the pub into a high-energy dance floor. Following an afternoon set by The Juice Quartet (3.00pm), the C-26 Salsa Band takes the stage at 9.30pm to deliver a massive, Latin-infused salsa party.

The Sunday Send-Off: Capital favourites Wellington Heads will close out the 30th-anniversary weekend with a relaxed, soulful Sunday session on 18 October at 3.00pm.
For the full event schedule and table bookings for dining groups, visit gibbonshotel.co.nz/events/jazz-fest.

Gibbons Hotel, 52 Taranaki Street, Te Aro, Wellington, 6011