You don’t need a ticket to catch some of the best of this year’s festival. Here are all eleven Dundee Jazz Festival free events, from a Thursday night jam to a Sunday afternoon of swing.
Dundee Jazz Festival runs from Wednesday 11 to Sunday 15 November, with more than 20 concerts and events across the city. Most headline shows cost between £12 and £18, with £9 student tickets. But eleven events are free to get into, and they include some of the friendliest nights of the week.
Can’t afford a ticket? Ask for one free. The festival runs a Warm Welcome scheme: if money is a barrier, email info@jazzscotland.com and they’ll book you a free ticket to any show. It’s in the printed programme but easy to miss.
Dundee Jazz Festival free events: the full list
| Day | Time | Event | Venue | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 12 Nov | 8pm (doors 7.30pm) | Lowdown Jam Session | Canvas | Local and visiting festival musicians, hosted by double bassist Seth Bennett. Three hours, with an interval |
| Fri 13 Nov | 5pm (doors 4.30pm) | Sleeve Notes | Canvas | An hour of records and conversation around an LP player, hosted by Professor Haftor Medbøe with a guest artist |
| Fri 13 Nov | 10pm till late | Festival after-party | Canvas | DJs |
| Sat 14 Nov | 11am | Dundee Jazz Workshop | Just Bee, Nethergate | For anyone who plays or sings, any age or level. Free if you need it; suggested donation £5 unwaged, £10 waged. Book with Seth: seth@dundeejazzfestival.com |
| Sat 14 Nov | 1pm and 2.10pm | Interactive Jazz for Kids with Sue McKenzie | ScrapAntics | Two sessions, for ages 3–5 and 5–10. Free, but now fully booked |
| Sat 14 Nov | 4.30pm | Dave Toule | Vinyls Bar | Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Armstrong and Ella, with plenty of swing |
| Sat 14 Nov | 5pm | Clarks Live at 5: Funk Connection | Clarks on Lindsay Street | A ten-piece disco and funk band; tickets through Clarks’ website |
| Sat 14 Nov | 7pm | Caitlyn Bogart | Vinyls Bar | Rising Glasgow jazz singer, with guitarist Dave Toule, making her festival debut |
| Sun 15 Nov | Midnight till late | After-party with Raven Afrikulture | Canvas | DJs, straight after Saturday’s Raven Afrikulture show |
| Sun 15 Nov | 12.30pm (doors 12pm) | Inclusive Jazz Workshop with Sue McKenzie | Bonar Hall | For women and minority genders, any instrument or voice, any level. Free with booking: seth@dundeejazzfestival.com |
| Sun 15 Nov | 3pm (doors 2.30pm) | Canvas Sunday Jazz | Canvas | A local host band playing swinging standards |
Make a day of it: Saturday
Saturday packs in more of the Dundee Jazz Festival free events than any other day, so it’s the best day for a free festival crawl. Start at the morning workshop on the Nethergate if you play. Then head to Vinyls Bar for Dave Toule at 4.30pm, catch Funk Connection at Clarks at 5pm, and be back at Vinyls for Caitlyn Bogart at 7pm. Finish at the Canvas after-party.
Nearly free: Just Bee Community Musical, £5
It isn’t one of the Dundee Jazz Festival free events, but at £5 it’s close. On Sunday at 6pm (doors 5.30pm), Just Bee Productions on the Nethergate premieres a brand-new jazz musical. Their community members created and perform it, backed by a band of professional musicians. It runs for an hour, with an interval.
Worth paying for
If you do want to splash out beyond the Dundee Jazz Festival free events, the full programme includes Colin Steele’s quintet playing Miles Davis on Wednesday and two new Dundee commissions: Seth Bennett’s What’s Here at Verdant Works on Friday and Kimberley Tessa’s premiere at Bonar Hall on Saturday. See our full festival guide.
Canvas, the festival hub, is at 16 Ure Street and hosts five of the Dundee Jazz Festival free events. Tickets for paid shows are at dundeejazzfestival.co.uk or on the door (card preferred); students pay £9 with proof of status. Full listings are also on the Jazz Scotland website.
Sources
- Dundee Jazz Festival 2026 programme — Jazz Scotland, plus the festival’s printed programme
- Canvas Sunday Jazz — Jazz Scotland
- Dundee Jazz Workshop — Jazz Scotland
