The festival uses two venues. One a large marquee catering for over 600 people, the other a redundant church used for more intimate and smaller concerts, The whole site which includes, a restaurant, a bar, campsite and car parking runs along the banks of the river Eden. It attracts an audience from all parts of the country and even abroad. It has gained critical acclaim in the US journal �Jazz Times� and around 50 hours of music have been recorded there by the BBC.

The music covers the wide spectrum of improvised music in this country going from the more mainstream music of Alan Barnes and David Newton, via the likes of Stan Tracey and Peter King to the free improvisation of musicians such as Evan Parker. There is a deliberate policy to try and pay all musicians taking part the same and to avoid the more normal hierarchy of bigger stars and lesser stars.

The festival is run by a small group of enthusiasts whose hard work and dedication have made it a success. It has been supported over the years by both The Arts council, Eden Arts and Rural Regeneraion Cumbria and has just gained a 3 year grant from The Northern Rock Foundation. As well as running the festival the society has been responsible for commissioning many new works and organising national tours. This year, a "world music weekend" has been added to the schedule, running from the 21st to the 23rd of July - the Jazz festival runs from 27th to 30th July.

If you are looking for a place to stay during Appleby Jazz Festival, or the World Music Weekend, please get in touch and we would be happy to discuss flexible dates for our accommodation. The house is 10 minutes walk from the venue, and has a piano if you are musicians too!

For more info - Appleby Jazz website