For 45 years, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival has provided a platform to showcase the very best jazz and blues artists that the world has to offer. Held over 10 days and with over 130 performances a year the festival is one of the largest jazz festivals in Europe, creating moving and memorable experiences for both residents of the city and visitors from around the globe.

The festival was the brainchild of Edinburgh guitarist and banjo player Mike Hart, who launched the first one in 1978. Originally, the festival featured traditional jazz performances played in Edinburgh’s pubs, and it slowly evolved to feature a more diverse range of styles, including funk and hip-hop. The festival attracts major international jazz names from all over the world, as well as from the burgeoning Scottish contemporary jazz scene – and the free Mardi Gras and Carnival events that take place during the opening weekend of the festival provide that real feel-good factor that every jazz festival hopes for.