Queenstown JazzFest is sticking to its aim of making "great music accessible to all" this Labour Day weekend, with a full community programme of free performances and movies planned.
JazzFest spokesman Luke Baldock said although the event had slimmed down from a week-long extravaganza to a "leaner" five-day affair in recent years, the organisers were committed to making sure the festival remained accessible to everyone.
"Jazz encompasses many different styles of music which often means it's easy for people to dismiss the entire genre based on an album or a concert they didn't enjoy," Mr Baldock said.
"With our free community programme, we're giving people the opportunity to have a listen to a variety of styles without it costing a cent.
"They may not like Dixieland jazz but they might very well discover that swing or free jazz is more their thing.
"The fact that it is all free means you've got nothing to lose."
Stages would be set up at Earnslaw Park, Remarkables Park and Buckingham Green and would feature a line-up of artists both local and from overseas, including acclaimed hip hop jazz DJ and trumpeter Matthew Halsall, from the United Kingdom.
An extra special performance will be the debut of Queenstown's very own big band, The Queenstown Jazz Orchestra, on the Earnslaw Park stage on October 21.
The Village Green, renamed the Jazz Village for the duration of JazzFest, would also be the scene of some musical mayhem with impromptu street performance from Australian multi-instrumentalist Adam Page, as well as an art installation by Auckland artist Shannon Novak.
"The full festival programme is available online and it's definitely worth looking at it now and working out where you want to be and at what time.
"There's a wealth of entertainment and it's not a question of what you're going to go to but how much you can fit in."
The 2011 Queenstown JazzFest runs from October 20 to October 24.
