Weekend ticket holders get entry to ALL MAIN CONCERTS & EVENTS during the weekend
Friday Concert 23rd October
Doors 7pm - Opening Set 8pm
John Wheatcroft Trio featuring Olivia Frances Brown
Renowned Liverpudlian guitarist John Wheatcroft leads this gypsy jazz trio featuring 2 guitars and upright bass. Joining them is the phenomenal singer / actress Olivia Frances Brown.
Over the years John has performed with artists as diverse as Billy Cobham (Miles Davis), Alex Acuña, John Williams, Paco Peña, Biréli Lagrène, Stochelo Rosenberg, Angelo Debarre and many more.
John has toured the world with both Carl Palmer (ELP) and John Jorgenson (Elton John / Hellecasters) and is a regular contributor to Guitar Techniques Magazine and is often seen teaching lessons and writing editorial for Guitarist Magazine and Guitar World.
Olivia Frances Brown is a remarkable new voice on the UK jazz scene. An acclaimed singer and actress, she brings a rare combination of old-school glamour, effortless musicality and a voice that feels completely her own.
There’s something genuinely timeless about her sound — one moment fresh and contemporary, the next transporting you straight to a smoky 1930s jazz club. With an extraordinary presence both on stage and on screen, Olivia has all the ingredients of an artist destined for big things.
Headline Set - 9:15pm - 10:30pm
The Mozes Rosenberg Trio
with Christiaan Van Hemert
Saturday Daytime Jams
12pm - 5pm
Daytime DJam session venues
Glou Glou Wine Bar
17a Castle Gates, Shrewsbury SY1 2AD
(FREE ENTRY FOR ALL! - PLEASE GIVE SEATS TO MUSICIANS!)
12pm - 5pm
Daytime DJam session venues
The Bull Inn
7 Butcher Row, Shrewsbury SY1 1UW
(FREE ENTRY FOR ALL! - PLEASE GIVE SEATS TO MUSICIANS!)
Saturday Concert 24th October
Doors 6:30pm - Opening Set 7:30pm
Marion & Sobo Band
Headline Set 9.15pm - 11:00 pm
Paulus Schäfer & Olli Soikkeli
Sunday 12th October 12pm - 5pm
Daytime DJam Session at...
The Nags Head
22 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury SY1 1XB
(FREE ENTRY FOR ALL! - PLEASE GIVE SEATS TO MUSICIANS!)
Daytime DJam Session at...
The Bull Inn
7 Butcher Row, Shrewsbury SY1 1UW
(FREE ENTRY FOR ALL! - PLEASE GIVE SEATS TO MUSICIANS!)
Sunday Concert 12th October
Doors 5pm - Opening Set 5:30pm
Retreat Attendee Concert
Have you ever heard a 30 piece gypsy jazz guitar orchestra?...
Every year running alongside Shrewsbury Django Fest we have the gypsy jazz retreat: www.GypsyJazzRetreats.com
Guitarists from across the world, often professional and semi pro players learn from the masters in the day, jam and put together this special concert. Expect 5 bands each taking 2 songs each plus a spectacular finalé!
Set 2 - 7pm - 8:30pm
Marion & Sobo Band followed by
the "All Star Jam"
Born into the celebrated Rosenberg dynasty, Mozes Rosenberg is one of the most distinguished guitarists to emerge from the Dutch Sinti jazz tradition. The younger brother of Stochelo Rosenberg, he learned his craft within a remarkable musical lineage before establishing an international reputation entirely his own.
His playing combines extraordinary technical command with elegance, lyricism and an instinctive sense of swing, earning appearances at North Sea Jazz, the Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois-sur-Seine, and countless concert stages across the world.
For this special Shrewsbury Django Fest performance, Mozes is joined by Chris Quinn on rhythm guitar and Mike Green on double bass, with the superb Christiaan van Hemert as special guest on violin. A rare opportunity to hear one of Europe’s finest exponents of the music in an intimate quartet setting.
Viral sensations The Marion & Sobo Band bring a vibrant, cosmopolitan take on acoustic jazz, blending gypsy swing, French chanson and musical influences from across Europe and beyond.
Based in Germany and led by Franco-American singer Marion Lenfant-Preus and Polish guitarist Alexander “Sobo” Sobocinski, their music is stylish, rhythmic and full of infectious energy.
With appearances at major jazz and world-music festivals across Europe, and performances alongside leading gypsy jazz guitarists Joscho Stephan and Lulo Reinhardt, the band have developed a distinctive sound built around vocals, guitars, violin and double bass.
Expect original songs, reimagined melodies and a musical journey from Paris and New Orleans to Havana and the Canary Islands.
SHREWSBURY DJANGO FEST 2026 CONCERTS...
Two of the outstanding guitarists on the international Gypsy Jazz scene come together for a rare collaboration. Dutch Sinti guitarist Paulus Schäfer is one of the great contemporary exponents of the Django Reinhardt tradition - a player of remarkable authority, elegance and swing, whose career has taken him from the Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois-sur-Seine to concert halls and jazz festivals across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Joining him is Finnish-born, New York-based guitarist Olli Soikkeli, whose extraordinary technique and musical imagination have established him as one of the leading guitarists of his generation.
A regular on the international jazz circuit, Soikkeli has appeared at Blue Note New York, Birdland, Lincoln Center and Town Hall, and performed alongside artists including Stochelo Rosenberg, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tommy Emmanuel and Cyrille Aimée.
Schäfer and Soikkeli share a musical partnership stretching back more than a decade, including their acclaimed 2012 recording Kouvola Junction.
Completing the trio is Brazilian double bassist Matheus Nicolaiewsky, a formidable presence on the European jazz scene whose credits include performances with Stochelo Rosenberg, Peter Bernstein, Ivan Lins and the WDR Big Band. Together, Schäfer, Soikkeli and Nicolaiewsky bring breathtaking musicianship, deep swing and spontaneous interplay to the music of Django Reinhardt — Gypsy Jazz at its highest level.
