Details under wraps

Sharing more details here with our funders and sponsors
We hope to release the same to our public audiences in Q1 2025


Details under wraps

Sharing more details here with our funders and sponsors
We hope to release the same to our public audiences in Q1 2025





Details under wraps

Sharing more details here with our funders and sponsors
We hope to release the same to our public audiences in Q1 2025

The Lineup


Our lineup is solidly emerging. We are proud to present a good mix of grassroots music, homegrown talent and international musicians, all coming together for one day only! These are some of the people we're currently speaking to, to soon finalise our programme.


Mark Kavuma and the Banger Factory

The Banger Factory is a collective led by the genius Mark Kavuma, that is contingent upon bringing the people a good time. Over the last seven years, the band has developed and nourished a truly unmistakable group sound and attracts and features some of the most gifted and engaging musicians on the scene today.

The Banger Factory is a collective led by the genius Mark Kavuma, that is contingent upon bringing the people a good time. Over the last seven years, the band has developed and nourished a truly unmistakable group sound and attracts and features some of the most gifted and engaging musicians on the scene today.

Georgia Cecile

‘UK Jazz Act Of The Year’ and ‘Vocalist of the Year’ at the 2022 Jazz FM awards, Georgia Cécile is at the helm of the new wave of UK jazz crossover artists. Cécile’s band of top UK jazz players have featured widely across UK and European Festivals, including Love Supreme, Cheltenham and London Jazz Festival. Receiving great support from the national and international press, she was recently heralded by The Guardian as one of six jazz artists “blowing up” in 2023

Reuben James

The virtuoso pianist, singer, songwriter, and record label owner from Birmingham has written for some of the biggest artists in the game, yet he always keeps his process organic and collaborative. His collaborations include Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave, Jason Marsalis, Soweto Kinch, Moses Boyd, Abram Wilson, Zara McFarlane, Jean Toussaint and Theon Cross among them. He is known for his work with pop superstar Sam Smith, which is includes both playing and song writing.

The virtuoso pianist, singer, songwriter, and record label owner from Birmingham has written for some of the biggest artists in the game, yet he always keeps his process organic and collaborative. His collaborations include Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave, Jason Marsalis, Soweto Kinch, Moses Boyd, Abram Wilson, Zara McFarlane, Jean Toussaint and Theon Cross among them. He is known for his work with pop superstar Sam Smith, which is includes both playing and song writing.

Kinetika Bloco

A grassroots music ensemble with an exuberant mix of young brass and woodwind players, drummers, steel pan and dancers all in costume creating a “unique new British Carnival sound with a decidedly London edge” (BBC Radio 2)

Their mission is to get young people from South London engaged in long-term creative activity advancing their education, skills and capacity.

Peter Werth and the Jazz Crew

Peter's ensemble has a residency at one of De Beauvoir's much loved institutions, the Scolt Head. It's brilliant to have local musicians in the mix for our festival!

Peter's ensemble has a residency at one of De Beauvoir's much loved institutions, the Scolt Head. It's brilliant to have local musicians in the mix for our festival!

DJ Lil Koko

Lil' Koko is a London-based DJ and expert on the music and culture of New Orleans. Spinning rare New Orleans RnB, funk and soul with a few detours into the sweaty Bayous of Louisiana, she tours London bringing the rich musical history of New Orleans to the masses. One of the founding members of ‘Mardi Gras Mambo’- this unique collective organised rollicking authentic New Orleans parties packing hundreds into a tropical warehouse space in Hackney. 

Lil' Koko is a London-based DJ and expert on the music and culture of New Orleans. Spinning rare New Orleans RnB, funk and soul with a few detours into the sweaty Bayous of Louisiana, she tours London bringing the rich musical history of New Orleans to the masses. One of the founding members of ‘Mardi Gras Mambo’- this unique collective organised rollicking authentic New Orleans parties packing hundreds into a tropical warehouse space in Hackney. 

Irene Serra

Critically-acclaimed Italian Jazz vocalist Irene Serra is a charismatic performer with a beautiful vocal style and assured stage presence. She sings a great repertoire of eclectic tunes from straight ahead jazz standards, swinging blues and beautiful Brazilian songs to quirky pop arrangements.

Irene has performed in high-profile venues in and around the UK, including the Barbican (with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra), Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Jazz Club, Union Chapel & King’s Place.

Ewan Bleach and the Fleeting Paradise Orchestra

Ewan Bleach is a clarinetist, saxophonist, pianist, singer, bandleader, composer, teacher and session musician based in London and specialising in the early styles of jazz, ragtime, blues and swing.

The Fleeting Paradise Orchestra is Ewan’s 10-12 piece jazz ensemble that plays arrangements of original blues and jazz numbers of late 20s and early 30s America, such as Benny Moten, Charlie Johnson, Fess Williams and Duke Ellington. They also play material from the polite society dance bands such as Guy Lombardo, Bert Ambrose and Ben Bernie amongst others.

Gypsy Jazz All Stars

Celebrated clarinettist Giacomo Smith comes together with a stellar group across London and Paris, playing together to bridge culture, tradition and time to create unique concerts drawing on the history of Django Reinhard’s music. Performing original compositions, swing era classics, and other songs from outside the typical gypsy swing and Manouche repertoire.


Celebrated clarinettist Giacomo Smith comes together with a stellar group across London and Paris, playing together to bridge culture, tradition and time to create unique concerts drawing on the history of Django Reinhard’s music. Performing original compositions, swing era classics, and other songs from outside the typical gypsy swing and Manouche repertoire.

Sunday Service : Adrian Cox and crew!

One of the leading exponents of New Orleans clarinet, Adrian Cox has a huge wealth of knowledge for the music and the players of the era. His unrivalled feel and virtuosity for the music he plays has led to concerts with the biggest names in jazz including two concerts with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra both in London and New York.

One of the leading exponents of New Orleans clarinet, Adrian Cox has a huge wealth of knowledge for the music and the players of the era. His unrivalled feel and virtuosity for the music he plays has led to concerts with the biggest names in jazz including two concerts with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra both in London and New York.

Gordon Webster

One of the most sought after musicians in the lindy hop world based in NYC. His tremendous musicianship and passion, supported by his first-hand knowledge of social dancing, have inspired lindy hoppers at hundreds of dance events worldwide. Drawing on influences as diverse as Fats Waller, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson and Gene Harris, Webster serves up a smorgasbord of styles unified by one characteristic: irresistible danceability.

An emerging partnership with Swing Patrol. More details soon!

An emerging partnership with Swing Patrol. More details soon!

An emerging partnership with Swing Patrol. More details soon!

We plan to host an opening party with our partners on the night of the 11th of July at one of London's most delightful music venues, steeped in history and anchored in inclusion and music education.

We plan to host an opening party with our partners on the night of the 11th of July at one of London's most delightful music venues, steeped in history and anchored in inclusion and music education.

Our team continues to grow at pace and we now have a small group of incredible experts from multidisciplinary arenas, who are keen to ensure the foundations of a community-centric festival are set robustly. We have also brought on confirmed volunteers who will help us closer to the festival and will work with the Hackney Volunteers Service for additional support.

Pete Horsfall | Artistic Director

Musician extraordinaire, Pete is an award winning jazz trumpet player and vocalist, based in the UK.  His unique musical journey has seen him featured regularly as a guest on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM.

He has performed headline shows at venues such as London's Royal Albert Hall, New York's Lincoln Center, Paris' Duc Des Lombards, The North Sea Jazz Festival, Glastonbury Festival and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club amongst many others. He has performed and recorded with artists including Kurt Elling, Jamie Cullum, De La Soul, Guy Barker, Joe Stilgoe, Clare Teal, Kansas Smittys, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Friendly Fires and DJ Premier, to name but a few. A passionate jazz educator, Pete leads masterclasses and workshops at the University of Cambridge, Guildhall School of Music and the Trinity-Laban Conservatoire. 

Payal Wadhwa | Festival Director

Payal is a designer who lives in De Beauvoir.

She started her career working for the Osian's Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema. The festival world is where she's often found her feet. From theatre to design, her work has often centred on placemaking. She was the head of the Cities Lab at Fjord (part of Accenture Song) and is the co-founder of Placelabs - a collective founded in 2017 focused on making cities more equal and equitable. It brings together practitioners & academics from the built environment practice to engage on various urban issues, including privacy, inclusion, data infrastructures, mobility, better public spaces and services.

In design, she’s led ambitious programs for almost 15 years for the UK Government, and corporate clients such as Tide, Barclays, Booking.com, Unilever and IKEA amongst others. She was most recently, the Vice President of Innovation, Strategy and Design at frog.



Gillian Da Costa | Festival Core Team

Previously the Head of the Director's Office at The Institute of Contemporary Art - Gillian has a long career of working in arts organisations and has recently moved to take on a People focused role at Pan Macmillan. Having started her career at film festivals (she met Payal working on the Osian's Film Festival in 2006 - they go back a long way!) Gillian has worked with an array of organisations and understands deeply what it means to pull a team together towards a cohesive cultural effort. Within our team, Gillian will look after our team's collaborations and partner dependencies as well as overseeing our volunteers closer to the festival to ensure smooth event operations.

Dinesh Markose | Festival Core Team

A risk and quantitative modelling expert, Markose has significant experience in setting up risk models, and model control processes in his day job! He joins our festival core team as an avid jazz fan and a major supporter of the festival - helping us keep our focus on staying free for the community. Markose is spending time connecting us with corporate sponsors for funding as well as getting us set up for our crowdfunding campaign. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from Cambridge University, where he held the Ramanujan Fellowship at Trinity College,Cambridge.

Kyla Taylor | Festival Core Team

A policy & legislation expert and part of the indomitable Peers for the Planet at the House of Lords, Kyla has been an immense support to the festival in getting our governance in place and ensuring we can run successfully as a CIC. Her interest lies in sustainability and a greener planet for all and as a festival we have requested her support to ensure we can set the foundations right for running a sustainable and conscious festival year after year. Also an amateur pianist and a jazz enthusiast, Kyla's wide array of skills will help support the logistics of the festival.


Inaugural Festival Map - 12th July

Inaugural Festival Map - 12th July

Inaugural Festival Map - 12th July

We strongly believe in the idea of the
15 minute city and how our neighbourhood is a great example of how people live and work in better connection to their environment and their community.

We hope to share this with everyone and celebrate the our neighbourhood's independent businesses, the built environment and the creative community, our pedestrianised + cycle friendly streets and of course, the sheer brilliance of the musicians who're part of our lineup.

We strongly believe in the idea of the 15 minute city and how our neighbourhood is a great example of how people live and work with a better connection to their environment and their community.

We hope to share this with everyone and celebrate the our neighbourhood's independent businesses, the built environment and the creative community, our pedestrianised + cycle friendly streets and of course, the sheer brilliance of the musicians who're part of our lineup.

We strongly believe in the idea of the 15 minute city and how our neighbourhood is a brilliant example of how people live and work with a better connection to their environment and their community.

We hope to share this with everyone and celebrate the our neighbourhood's independent businesses, the built environment, pedestrianised streets, and of course, the brilliance of the musicians who're part of our lineup.

Our team


Our Team

Our Team

Our team continues to grow at pace and we now have a small group of incredible experts from multidisciplinary arenas, who are keen to ensure the foundations of a community-centric festival are set robustly. We have also brought on confirmed volunteers who will help us closer to the festival and will work with the Hackney Volunteers Service for additional support.


Pete Horsfall | Artistic Director

Musician extraordinaire, Pete is an award winning jazz trumpet player and vocalist, based in the UK.  His unique musical journey has seen him featured regularly as a guest on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM.

He has performed headline shows at venues such as London's Royal Albert Hall, New York's Lincoln Center, Paris' Duc Des Lombards, The North Sea Jazz Festival, Glastonbury Festival and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club amongst many others. He has performed and recorded with artists including Kurt Elling, Jamie Cullum, De La Soul, Guy Barker, Joe Stilgoe, Clare Teal, Kansas Smittys, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Friendly Fires and DJ Premier, to name but a few. A passionate jazz educator, Pete leads masterclasses and workshops at the University of Cambridge, Guildhall School of Music and the Trinity-Laban Conservatoire. 

Musician extraordinaire, Pete is an award winning jazz trumpet player and vocalist, based in the UK.  His unique musical journey has seen him featured regularly as a guest on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM.

He has performed headline shows at venues such as London's Royal Albert Hall, New York's Lincoln Center, Paris' Duc Des Lombards, The North Sea Jazz Festival, Glastonbury Festival and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club amongst many others. He has performed and recorded with artists including Kurt Elling, Jamie Cullum, De La Soul, Guy Barker, Joe Stilgoe, Clare Teal, Kansas Smittys, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Friendly Fires and DJ Premier, to name but a few. A passionate jazz educator, Pete leads masterclasses and workshops at the University of Cambridge, Guildhall School of Music and the Trinity-Laban Conservatoire. 


Gillian Da Costa | Festival Core Team

Previously the Head of the Director's Office at The Institute of Contemporary Art - Gillian has a long career of working in the arts. She currently works within the HR team at Pan Macmillan. Having started her career at film festivals (Payal and Gillian met whilst working on the Osian's Film Festival in 2006 - they go back a long way!) Gillian has worked with an array of organisations and understands deeply what it means to pull a team together towards a cohesive cultural effort. Within our team, Gillian will look after our team's collaborations and partner dependencies as well as overseeing our volunteers closer to the festival to ensure smooth event operations.


Kyla Taylor| Festival Core Team

A policy & legislation expert and part of the indomitable Peers for the Planet at the House of Lords, Kyla has been an immense support to the festival in getting our governance in place and ensuring we can run successfully as a CIC. Her interest lies in sustainability and a greener planet for all and as a festival we have requested her support to ensure we can set the foundations right for running a sustainable and conscious festival year after year. Also an amateur pianist and a jazz enthusiast, Kyla's wide array of skills will help support the logistics of the festival.


Payal Wadhwa | Festival Director

Payal is a designer who lives in De Beauvoir.

She started her career working for the Osian's Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema. The festival world is where she's often found her feet. From theatre to design, her work has often centred on placemaking. She was the head of the Cities Lab at Fjord (part of Accenture Song) and is the co-founder of Placelabs - a collective founded in 2017 focused on making cities more equal and equitable. It brings together practitioners & academics from the built environment practice to engage on various urban issues, including privacy, inclusion, data infrastructures, mobility, better public spaces and services.

In design, she’s led ambitious programs for almost 15 years for the UK Government, and corporate clients such as Tide, Barclays, Booking.com, Unilever and IKEA amongst others. She was most recently, the Vice President of Innovation, Strategy and Design at frog.




Dinesh Markose | Festival Core Team

A risk and quantitative modelling expert, Markose has significant experience in setting up risk models, and model control processes in his day job! He joins our festival core team as an avid jazz fan and a major supporter of the festival - helping us keep our focus on staying free for the community. Markose is spending time connecting us with corporate sponsors for funding as well as getting us set up for our crowdfunding campaign. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from Cambridge University, where he held the Ramanujan Fellowship at Trinity College,Cambridge.


To be Confirmed | Event Production Lead
We're in conversations with two expert event managers to consider one of them coming onboard, to help us with the event for the first edition. Both event management experts have a strong history of working in and with Hackney Council and we are awaiting our fundraise to be able to contractually bring one of them onboard.



Payal Wadhwa | Festival Director

De Beauvoir Jazz Festival is a Community Interest Company

Everyone's Invited