The Wellington Jazz Festival is one of New Zealand's finest music events, bringing world-class jazz to the capital each June in a programme that spans traditional jazz, contemporary fusion, bebop, Latin jazz and improvised music across venues throughout the city. As the country's premier jazz festival outside Tauranga, it draws New Zealand and international artists for a week of concerts, sessions and events that celebrate one of the world's great musical traditions in a city that has always had a deep and passionate jazz culture.

Wellington's music scene has produced some of New Zealand's finest jazz musicians, and the festival provides a platform for local talent alongside visiting artists of international distinction. The combination of ticketed headline concerts and more informal venue performances creates a festival atmosphere that runs through the city — in bars, theatres, restaurants and public spaces — making jazz genuinely accessible to all.

For music lovers in Wellington in winter, the Jazz Festival is one of the finest reasons to brave the cold and venture out into the city. The combination of great music, great venues and the particular warmth of a Wellington winter night spent listening to live jazz makes it one of those events that reminds you why the capital's music culture is so consistently celebrated.