← All events
music · Saturday 25 July 2026 · 8:00pm 
SJP All Stars
At Hawk's Well Theatre · Temple Street, Sligo, Co. Sligo
At Hawk's Well Theatre · Temple Street, Sligo, Co. Sligo
The SJP All Stars concert is the headline night of the Sligo Jazz Festival - a sold-out-calibre evening that draws jazz lovers from across Ireland and beyond every July. On stage at Hawk’s Well Theatre, the full faculty of the Sligo Jazz Project takes over: around twenty musicians, Irish and international, performing together in shifting configurations across the night. It is the kind of gig where small quartet pieces give way to large ensemble work, where you might hear a veteran American saxophonist trade phrases with a young Irish pianist. For anyone serious about jazz, or simply curious about it, this is a rare chance to hear genuinely world-class playing in a compact, intimate venue.
The Sligo Jazz Project runs across the last week of July each year - a summer school by day and a festival by night. The All Stars night, traditionally held at Hawk’s Well on the Saturday, brings the entire faculty together on one bill. Expect variety: the programme moves between small-group and large-ensemble formats, and the musicians involved change year to year as the festival draws in different international guests. The atmosphere is warm and knowledgeable - this is an audience that listens closely. After the main performance, a Festival Club Jam Session opens in the Hawk’s Well lobby at 10pm, free to attend, where musicians and audience members mix informally. Arrive a little early to pick up a programme and settle in - Hawk’s Well is a 340-seat theatre and the room fills up.
Hawk’s Well Theatre sits on Temple Street in Sligo town centre, within easy walking distance of the bus and rail stations. Bus Eireann runs regular services from Dublin, Galway, and surrounding towns. Sligo Rail Station on Lord Edward Street is about ten minutes on foot. If you are driving, Sligo town has several car parks within a short walk of the theatre - the Quayside Shopping Centre car park and the Wine Street multi-storey are both close. The N4 from Dublin takes roughly two and a half hours; the N17 connects from Galway in around ninety minutes. Sligo is well-signed once you are in town and the theatre is straightforward to find.
July is a good time to be in Sligo - the town is lively during festival week, and the county itself rewards an extra day or two. Yeats country, the Dartry Mountains, Strandhill beach, and Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery are all within easy reach. There is more to see in Sligo and across Co. Sligo.
Heading to Hawk's Well Theatre in Sligo? Sligo has plenty more to see. Read the Sligo area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.