Jazz fans (and music fans for that matter), prepare yourselves as Chiang Mai enters full swing. And by swing, we mean jazz, folk and all kinds of funky music played across the city as, for one full week, the mountainside city transforms into a living, breathing jazz stage as the Chiang Mai Street Jazz Festival returns for its 7th edition.
This citywide celebration of brass, soul, improvisation and good music reaches far and wide. From street corners inside the old city moat to intimate club sessions and a grand finale on the Chiang Mai Cultural Center’s main stage, this festival is where Chiang Mai shows exactly why it’s one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing music hotspots.
Whether you’re a diehard jazz listener, a casual genre-hopper or simply someone who loves an excuse to visit Chiang Mai, this is one of the most exciting citywide festivals of the year. And to make it extra easy to navigate the busy schedule, here’s everything you need to know before you go.
What exactly is the Chiang Mai Street Jazz Festival?
Think jazz everywhere – performed in temples, cafes, parks, cultural spaces, clubs, bars, co-ops and on actual street corners. It’s a week where musicians spill out into the city, where locals and visitors wander between pop-up sets, and where you’re just as likely to stumble upon a late-afternoon sax solo as you are a midnight jam session.
The festival’s theme for 2025 – ‘Chiang Mai Jazz City: Let the City Play its Jazz’ – captures the spirit perfectly. It’s a festival that doesn’t sit on a stage, but one that seeps into the streets.
The Chiang Mai Street Jazz Festival lineup
The jazz festival week is divided up into three distinct parts. First the streets, then the clubs and finally, the grand finale showdown with a full-scale main stage event. Here’s the main lineup:
Street jazz takeover
The old city (the city inside the moat) becomes an open-air listening room, with pop-up performances all times of the day. It’s supposed to be spontaneous, and as charming as that is, we still think knowing where to go does help with planning.
December 1
- Grit Scat at North Gate Spirit, 2pm
- Street Jazz at Brewgining Cafe, 3.30pm-5pm
December 2
- The New Message at North Gate Spirit, 2pm
December 3
- Project 4KT at North Gate Spirit, 2pm
December 4
- Street Jazz Brass Band at North Gate Spirit, 2pm
December 5
- SMSJ Brass Band at North Gate Spirit, 2pm
Jazz masterclasses
There’s also a small handful of workshops and masterclasses you can sign up to if you’re that way inclined – sure a bit of talent goes a long way but with a professional to back you up, who knows? You could be performing on stage next year!
December 5
- Augmented saxophone with electronics workshop by Charley Rose at Moment’s Notice Jazz Club, 3pm
December 6
- Music philosophy and approach masterclass by Jorge Rossy at Moment’s Notice Jazz Club, 4pm
Jazz club nights
By sundown, the festival moves indoors for more intimate mini-concerts at some of Chiang Mai’s most iconic jazz venues. Expect standing-room-only crowds and musicians switching between rooms – the chaos is part of the magic.
December 1
- Joshua Lebofsky Trio, Sun Der (Feat.RASAMEE) and 3D at Moment’s Notice Jazz Club, starting 7.45pm
- Chiang Mai Big Band, Solar System and Project 4KT at The Mellowship Jazz Club, starting 8pm
- Chang the World at Mahoree City of Music, 11pm
- Chiangmai Incidents, CMRU Bigband, Chang the World and Montuno Project at North Gate Jazz Co-op, starting 7.30pm
December 2
- Jūji, Abandoned Town and Binlha Jazz at Moment’s Notice Jazz Club, starting 7.45pm
- Binlha Jazz, Dude Where’s My Car? and Sun Der at The Mellowship Jazz Club, starting 8pm
- JZB and Montuno Project at Mahoree City of Music, starting 7.30pm
- Moonlight and Fury, Ailia and a Jam Session at North Gate Jazz Co-op, starting 7.30pm
December 3
- Broccoli Blossom, ATM Trio (feat. Roy Rosenberg) and ASAP at Moment’s Notice Jazz Club, starting 7.45pm
- JZB, Vertigong and Kalio & The CM Crew at The Mellowship Jazz Club, starting 8pm
- Moonlight and Fury and Sun Der at Mahoree City of Music, starting 8.30pm
- Project 4KT, Binhla Jazz, 3D, Sun Der and Philadelphia Jazz Project at North Gate Jazz Co-op, starting 7.30pm
December 4
- Sugar Bomb, The New Message and Abandoned Town at Moment’s Notice Jazz Club, starting 7.45pm
- Pato Quartet, Sugar Bomb and Ailia at The Mellowship Jazz Club, starting 8pm
- Philadelphia Jazz Project at Mahoree City of Music, starting 8.30pm
- Vertigong, Nice Guys, Rossy Rose Carniel Trio, Waiting List and Hikaru Tanimoto, North Gate Jazz Co-op, starting 7.30pm
December 5
- ZB, Moment’s Notice Jazz Band & Mon CHER and New Stream Brass Band at Moment’s Notice Jazz Club, starting 7.45pm
- Saraswati, Rossy Rose Carniel Trio, Grace Moon and Waiting List at Mahoree City of Music, starting 7.30pm
- Sugar bomb, New Stream Brass Band, Super Nice Guys, Continuum and The Blue Whale Brass Band at North Gate Jazz Co-op, starting 7.30pm
December 6
- CM Saxtet, Moment’s Notice Jazz Band & Ploy Pachara and Groovy Doopy X Racheal at Moment’s Notice Jazz Club, starting 7.45pm
- Saraswati, Rossy Rose Carniel Trio and New Stream Brass Band at The Mellowship Jazz Club, starting 8pm
- Waiting List, Groovy Doopy X Racheal, Sugar Bomb and 4Brothers at Mahoree City of Music, starting 7.30pm
- 4Brothers, Singkai, Done Sense, Saraswati and Waiting list at North Gate Jazz Co-op, starting 7.30pm
The grand finale
The week crescendos at the Chiang Mai Cultural Center with a full-scale main stage event – the biggest gathering of the festival and a proper send-off for a week well played.
December 7
- Chiang Mai Big Band, 5.30pm
- Rossy Rose Carniel Trio, 7pm
- Yoh Duck Quartet Feat.Krit Buranavitayawut, 8.20pm
- Gen-Z Quartet, 9.40pm
- Groovy Doopy, 11pm
You can find the full lineup and more details about the festival via the official website or via their Facebook page.
How much do tickets cost and where to buy them?
There’s several ways you can pay to enjoy the Chiang Mai Street Jazz Festival 2025. While you can go all in for a full week, you can also choose to visit venues individually. That being said, we think the Music Supporter tier is the best for your buck, giving you full access to it all in one easy payment.
- Music Supporter tickets are B1,000 – This gets you a ticket to every event in the festival with part of the fee going to support Chiang Mai's musicians through Chiangmai Touch, a group dedicated to the sustainable development of Chiang Mai through natural and cultural heritage programmes. You'll also receive a festival souvenir.
- Grand Finale tickets are B590 – This gets you entry to the Grand Finale at the Chiang Mai Cultural Center. Youth tickets (ages 15-24 years old) are B350. They also have couple (2 people), group (4 people) and team (6 people) tickets for those who prefer to party with friends.
- Venue tickets are B380 – This is the cost of general admission to most evening shows. Daytime shows vary in price, some are free. Youth tickets (ages 18-24 years old) are B280, identification is required.
Music Supporter and Grand Finale tickets can be purchased online via Ticketmelon, while venue tickets are available at the door.
Why this festival matters
Chiang Mai’s jazz scene is one of Thailand’s best-kept secrets – in fact, it actually extends far beyond just jazz, but is still one of the most intimate, easygoing and wildly talented events of the season. It’s also deeply rooted in the community, and shares connections with the Chiang Rai Jazz Festival and Pai Jazz Festival.
When it’s not the festival, you’ll still find musicians jamming in tiny venues, students learning from pros and international artists performing across the city. However, the Street Jazz Festival is where it all comes together. It’s grassroots, local-first and powered by people who believe music should be heard, shared and accessible.
Time Out tips: How to make the most of the festival
The Chiang Mai Street Jazz Festival isn’t just a week of music – it’s the perfect excuse to travel north and soak in the city at its coolest and most creative. Here’s how to turn your jazz week into a full Chiang Mai getaway.
1. Book a stay in the Old City (this is where most the action is)
If you want to be steps away from the street stages, stay inside or just around the moat. These options keep you close to the jazz – and make post-show strolls home feel cinematic.
Tamarind Village – A serene, boutique stay tucked behind bamboo walls. Great for the style-conscious and those who have an excuse to spend. They also have loads of great city excursions and activities to keep you busy between shows.
Melia Chiang Mai – An upbeat, Spanish-style hotel that serves great food, has an awesome pool and is super family friendly. A great choice for those travelling with kids. It also sits across from Chiang Mai’s most hidden jazz speakeasy, Noir CMI, our off-the-record recommendation for even more jazz and tasty cocktails. You can read our full Time Out review here.
Nuan Nil Secret Courtyard – A perfect old city stay that’s as close to the action as you can get. The owner is a great barista too, and serves incredible coffee with their equally incredible breakfast brunches.
Libra Guest House – For those who want to keep things cheap, you’ll find sub-B1,000 air con rooms, a pool and an incredibly friendly owner named Dao who’s always keen to help arrange trips, travel and offer recommendations.
2. Organise your schedule
Depending on how many days you stay in Chiang Mai, it's best to get your schedule sorted so you can simply enjoy the ride. We recommend picking out your favourite bands (if we had to say, ours are Broccoli Blossom, Jūji, 3D, Solar System and Project 4KT – although all others are just as exceptional) and planning out a little itinerary of what to see.
Then you can work out what to do with the rest of your time. Think guided night market tours with locals (for the nights you want something different than jazz), cooking classes at Grandma’s Home Cooking School (she’s a legend, honestly) and front row seats at the best Muay Thai boxing ring in the city. And for the morning folk, a trip to one of the hundreds of specialty coffee spots across the city – like Aka Ama, Ristr8to and Graph – each with their own unique and totally check-inable hallmarks, really hits the spot.
3. Don’t go alone, and don’t be afraid to go alone
This is one of Chiang Mai’s most atmospheric cultural events – the kind that reminds you exactly why this city feels different from anywhere else. It’s easygoing, welcoming, creative, surprising and full of those serendipitous ‘only in Chiang Mai’ moments.
Street Jazz is also famously social. Come with friends, or if there on your own, make an effort to meet new ones while leaning against a moat railing listening to a sax solo float through the air.
For one week, it really feels like the whole city is a stage. All you have to do is show up and follow the sound. We’ll see you there, hopefully!