Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival wins trophy for best event in 2025
Organisers of the Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival have won a top award for running the city’s best event in 2025.
The popular festival has been named ‘Festival or Event of the Year’ in the annual Birmingham Awards after delivering 178 live performances across 101 venues this summer, in what was its 41st consecutive year.
Jim Simpson and Sarah Yang of Big Bear Music, organisers of the festival, were presented with the trophy at a glittering ceremony held at The Eastside Rooms.
They beat off stiff competition from several other shortlisted finalists, including Birmingham Light Festival, Filmgage International Film Festival, Solihull Summer Fest 2025 and The Jewellery Quarter Festival.
Mr Simpson said: “We were so pleased to have been judged the winners of this special trophy, especially given the quality of all the other finalists who we were up against.
“The award is deserved by everyone at Big Bear Music and by every single one of the 311 musicians from across the UK and abroad who took part in the 2025 Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival, plus our ever-loyal audience who turn out every year to support this event."
The Birmingham Awards evening was made extra special for Mr Simpson when Black Sabbath were awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the late Ozzy Osbourne was awarded with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, the latter accepted by Kelly Osbourne on behalf of the family.
Mr Simpson was the original manager of Black Sabbath in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and he was presented with the same Lifetime Achievement Award last year.
He added: “To have our festival recognised on the same night as those special awards went to the band and singer who are so much a part of my life and career was a poignant moment.”
The award for the Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival comes just weeks after Mr Simpson announced that the popular event would continue in 2026 after “overwhelming support” this year.
There had previously been fears that this summer’s 41st festival might be the final one because of reduced funding. But Mr Simpson has said that although more funding is still required, the general public’s ongoing generosity, plus the beginnings of relationships with new funding partners, means the 42nd consecutive festival will go ahead from 24 July to 2 August 2026.
Pictured (L-R): Jim Simpson and Sarah Yang
