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music · Tuesday 21 July 2026 · 5:00pm 
Sligo Jazz Festival - Festival Jam Sessions
At Hawk's Well Theatre · Temple Street, Sligo, Co. Sligo
At Hawk's Well Theatre · Temple Street, Sligo, Co. Sligo
Every evening during Sligo Jazz Festival week, the lobby of Hawk’s Well Theatre opens up for something looser and more immediate than a ticketed concert: musicians gather, swap instruments, and play off each other in sessions that nobody has scripted. The jam sessions run twice daily from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 July 2026, and they are free to attend. If you have ever wanted to hear jazz played by people who are genuinely in the moment, this is the format for it - and the fact that it is part of an international festival means the standard is anything but casual.
The Sligo Jazz Festival - properly known as the Sligo International Jazz Summer School and Festival - brings together some of the world’s leading jazz educators and musicians for a week of workshops, masterclasses and performances. The jam sessions are the public-facing, spontaneous end of that programme. The 5pm session in the Hawk’s Well lobby tends to draw musicians coming off afternoon workshops while the 10.30pm slot runs later, after the main evening concerts, when players are warmed up and the atmosphere loosens further. Because the festival is also a summer school, you may find yourself listening to participants at every level - from young students working with a mentor to seasoned professionals dropping in. That unpredictability is the point. Sessions are held in the theatre lobby rather than the main auditorium, so the feel is informal and close.
Hawk’s Well Theatre sits on Temple Street in Sligo town centre, directly beside the cathedral. It is about a ten-minute walk from Sligo train station and Bus Eireann stops nearby on Lord Edward Street. If you are driving, the Cathedral car park is the closest option - allow for a small parking charge. Sligo town is roughly 2.5 hours from Dublin on the N4, or about 1.5 hours from Galway via the N17. Bus Eireann runs regular services from Dublin, Galway and Donegal; Sligo is also on the Dublin Heuston to Sligo rail line with several services daily.
July is a good time to be in Sligo - the town comes alive with festival energy, and the surrounding landscape of Benbulben and Lough Gill is at its best in summer. A walk along the Garavogue River or a visit to the Model arts centre, just around the corner from Hawk’s Well, fits easily around an evening session. 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.