Important changes to Hastings Jazz and Blues Festival this weekend

Mike Raxworthy at Jazz Festival SUS-190529-090155001

The free three day festival on The Stade has been organised by Hastings Winkle Club to raise funds for good causes.

Licensing conditions require there is no live music on the Stade Open Space after 6pm on a day preceding a school day, so unfortunately the music will have to finish by 6pm on Sunday June 2.

Festival Director Mike Raxworthy, by trimming only 15 minutes off of some of the sets has managed to keep all five bands booked for the Sunday program.

B&T Music in Hastings kindly sponsored a drum kit for the whole weekend so change-overs could go as smoothly as possible.

So the running order for Sunday June 2 will be: Doors open at 10am. 10.30am: The Big Band Breakfast with the fabulous South Coast Big Band; 1pm until 1.45pm: Swing Street. 2.15pm till 3pm: Midnight Rider; 3.30pm till 4.15: The Greg Heath Band; 4.45pm - 6pm: The Kat Pearson Blues Band (USA).The rest of Mike’s published and printed program is unchanged.

The funs starts this Friday. The Chantelle Duncan band play The Old Market from 9pm, The Letter Quintet at The Jenny Lind from 8.30pm and The Black Sheep Blues Band at The Lord Nelson from 9pm.

Doors open Saturday at 12 noon with The Invicta Jazz Orchestra on the Main Stage from 12.30. Music continues with The Jonas Larsson Band, The Cadillac Kings and Soul Town through to 7.30 - 9pm on Saturday night with Tony O’Malley, who has just announced an even bigger band with the addition of sax player Jim Hunt and guest vocalist Alba Plano. Tony will also be joining Mike Raxworthy for a duet with his band Soul Town from 5.30.

Pick up a copy of the program in one of the pubs in Hastings Old Town or at The Hastings Information Centre on the Seafront, just remembering that the Sunday Schedule has these time changes.

Entrance is free on The Stade and participating pubs and bars, but support Hastings Winkle Club, who raise money for numerous local charities and good causes, by giving as generously as you can into the collecting buckets.

The weather is expected to be hot and sunny!