Welcome to the 33rd Mildura Jazz Food and Wine Festival

It is with much pleasure that I welcome all locals and visitors to our vibrant rural city for the 2012 Jazz, Food and Wine Festival.

The Mildura Jazz, Food and Wine Festival is one of the major events on our spring calendar and is now in its 33rd year. The event showcases so much of what makes our region a wonderful place to live and to visit. The Festival celebrates all our city has to offer and reaffirms Mildura's reputation as Victoria's Food Bowl. This year will be no exception with top quality produce and fine wines again on show, at a number of our many fine restaurants and wineries.

The event also brings together traditional and mainstream jazz. A fine array of musicians, bands and traditional jazz ensembles feature in the 2012 Festival program. The ever popular Street Party will again be in full swing, along with the Queen of Boogie, Jan Preston and the Sam Leske Trio. Patrons will also be able to enjoy a paddleboat cruise to Trentham Estate and engage with a traditional jazz jam at the Mildura RSL.

If you're visiting the region I trust you will have an enjoyable stay and encourage you to experience some of the many other wonderful dining, cultural and tourist attractions our city boasts.

The Jazz, Food and Wine Festival continues to entrench itself as an important part of our region's character and provides a quality experience. I wish everyone involved yet another enjoyable and successful event, with the wish to return again next year.

Cr John Arnold - Mayor
Mildura Rural City Council

As an important tourism hub for regional Victoria, Mildura is renowned for its stunning river vistas, vibrant culture, gourmet produce and fine wines.

The Mildura Jazz, Food and Wine Festival is the perfect showcase for Mildura and the Murray region, offering a smorgasbord of vibrant cultural events appealing to all tastes and interests.

This year's Festival program features some of Australia's best loved musicians, including 'Queen of Boogie Woogie Piano', Jan Preston, and Adelaide's Sam Leske Trio.

The Victorian Government is proud to once again be supporting the Festival, which has established itself as one of regional Victoria's premier events, attracting visitors from all over Australia and delivering benefits to the local community and the State's $15.9 billion tourism industry.

With the recently re-established and expanded air services to Mildura, more visitors are set to enjoy the tastes, sounds and sights by the mighty Murray, than ever before.

I wish you a very enjoyable four days, taking in quality jazz at the many participating bars, cafes and restaurants, street entertainment and stunning backdrops against the many riverside stages.

Peter Crisp MP
Member for Mildura

2011 Festival Wrap

Well the sun has set on another successful festival with over 8,305 people attending the 20 events.

The Festival has stayed true to its Traditional Jazz Fans. Artsmildura works closely with the River City Jazz Club who founded the event 32 years ago to ensure that the core Festival audiences of Traditional Jazz fans were well catered for, as well as expanding the program to attract new audiences with a ‘Fringe’ component of progressive Jazz as well as an education program.

Under the management of artsmildura, audience numbers have increased from 4795 in 2007 to 8,305+ in 2011.

We look forward to seeing you all again in 2012

About the Festival

Jazz on the River
Jazz at the Wineries
Jazz on the Streets

The Mildura Jazz, Food and Wine Festival is a well established event that has attracted many locals and visitors to the Mildura district over the past thirty years. The Festival takes place as an annual Spring-time event, presenting four days of round the clock jazz entertainment in popular clubs, bars and cafes, restaurants, churches, as well as street side and riverside venues – with feature events utilising unique Murray River settings and all events showcasing regional food and wine.

The Festival combines Traditional Jazz and Swing with more contemporary and quirky sounds and caters to hardcore jazz enthusiasts and music lovers, not to mention those that just enjoy sitting back to the music, soaking in the ambiance of one of Mildura’s paddle steamers, riverside wineries and parks, taking in the gourmet food and locally produced wine. The Festival incorporates ticketed and free events and provides a non-stop program that caters to the tastes of all, attracting a growing number of visitors, as well as local audience members.

Past Events

2011

Jan Preston

The Mike Stewart Big Band featuring Luke Thompson
Maryborough Traditional Jazz Ensemble
Dixie Street Jazz Band
Jazzoholics
SHIRAZZ
Barry Messner Trio

The Sam Leske Trio

Don Mayne Trio

Mildura Stage Band

DJ Alicat

2010

Featuring:

The Mike Stewart Big Band featuring Luke Thompson
Pugsley Buzzard
Pippa Wilson Swingtet
Gail Kingston and Hot Foot Jazz
Maryborough Traditional Jazz Ensemble
Mr Jazz
Hot Licks Trio

2009

2009 marked the 30th Anniversary of the Festival and the milestone event enjoyed a huge increase in attendance on recent years.

A highlight of the Festival was a special performance by the winner of the 2009 ARAIA for best jazz composition. Joe Chindamo. Joe performed on Friday 30 October at the Mildura Arts Centre where he presented an original work inspired by the Art Centres treasured painting the Bathing Nude Girl by Edgar Degas.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary the Festival held an inaugural free street party on Saturday 31 October. Sponsored by Prime TV this free event will provided non stop jazz entertainment on two stages in the Mildura City Heart from 5pm to 10.30pm. This was a first for the Festival and with Bands such as E-Type Jazz, Gail Kingston and Hot Food Jazz, The Maryborough Traditional Jazz ensemble and Hot B Hines (to name just a few), combined with alfresco dinning, this event provided a fitting celebration for one of the longest running Jazz festivals in Australia.