Congleton Live CIC, the community interest company that organises Congleton's Unplugged and Jazz & Blues music festivals, has begun sharing details for the upcoming Congleton Jazz & Blues.

The Bank Holiday celebration of two of the oldest popular music genres, has put our town on the map since it started 12 years ago.

The Unplugged Event in March 2022 was perceived as extremely successful in musical, enjoyment and economic terms. 

The smaller stripped back session saw the team delivered 49 gigs, just over 21 less what the summer main festival usually delivers.

Congleton Jazz and Blues is back for 2022! (Image - Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival / AD Profile Design Works)

Unplugged was across 17 Congleton venues throughout an extended festival period, just four shy of CJAB's venue count.

It marked a positive turnaround in the wake of the pandemic, while also initiating Congleton's 750th birthday celebrations. 

One highlight was a sell-out ticketed gig at Congleton Town Hall where John Dhali launched his debut album In Time to great acclaim.  This event also saw funds raised for Ukrainian charities.  

Businesses from the town also benefited, one venue manager suggested footfall showed an "increase in the region of 100-150% for us".

So imagine the scale this August's full-on post-pandemic Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival will bring.

The forthcoming CJ&B promises to be better than ever with approximately 70 gigs.

These are spread across 20 venues over the two core festival days. 

The CJ&B free-entry music events will run for Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August, keeping Bank Holiday Monday free for recovery for guests, performers and organisers! 

Congleton Live CIC is currently enjoying support from Congleton Town Council as well local businesses.

These include AD Profile Design Works - who design the graphics, and Beartown Brewery.

Other supporters include Eze Talk Limited and Franklyn Financial Management.

Hammond McNulty, SAS Daniels and Stephenson Browne Congleton are also backers.

The line-up is to be finalised later today (Friday July 1), and will be reported on Congleton Nub News in the near future.

A joint statement from the Congleton Live CIC committee said the following:

"Residents and town visitors are invited to participate in the support and promotion of Congleton's town centre

 as we continue our emergence from pandemic and the pursuit of normal life."

"Live performance can be a joyous and inspiring mechanism for all of us. 

"Programmes and additional merchandise will be available in town centre establishments from late-July/early-August.

"Please follow platforms such as our website, Facebook and Instagram for more info.

"Thank you Congleton for your support."

For enquiries about events or merchandise, contact the organisers on the link above. Alternatively, you can call in to Congleton Town Hall, the Information Centre next door, Stonehammer Music across the road, or any of the listed venues. 

Next week, Congleton Nub News will publish a feature with the Congleton man who has ran Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival for over a decade.

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