Lifestyle

There’s something in the air in Scarborough this week. No, it’s not just the salt and sunshine — it’s the sound of saxophones, trumpets, double bass and velvet voices warming up for what’s set to be the biggest weekend of music Scarborough has ever seen.

Jazz Connect 2025 is here — and if you’ve been wondering what to do in Scarborough this weekend, wonder no more. From Friday 30 August to Sunday 1 September, Scarborough will transform into a multi-stage, multi-sensory celebration of jazz, community, rhythm, and local creativity.

Whether you’re a long-time jazz lover or someone who just likes good music and great vibes by the beach — this is your weekend.

It’s More Than a Festival — It’s a Takeover

What makes Jazz Connect so special isn’t just the lineup (although yes, it’s incredible). It’s the way Scarborough becomes the festival.

Instead of packing into one big space, you’ll find music flowing across twelve different venues — each one with its own atmosphere, its own crowd, its own feel. From beach bars to laneways, rooftop lounges to skate cafés, the entire coastline is going to pulse with sound.

One minute you’re catching a laid-back sax solo with your morning coffee at Zoie Café, the next you’re grooving under the stars at The Lookout with a cocktail in hand.

And just when you think it’s over? You’ll hear trumpet notes echoing out of a laneway you didn’t even know existed.

Where You’ll Find the Music

Here’s what makes this weekend so deliciously Scarborough: the music meets you where you are.

We’re talking:

• Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre — music at golden hour with the ocean as your backdrop
• Scarborough Sunset Markets — food trucks, community buzz and jazz under festoon lights
• The Lookout, El Grotto, The Sandbar and Scarborough Beach Bar — for your late-night grooves and seaside sips
• Livid Skate Café and Livid Laneway — raw energy, youth vibes and edgy beats
• Zoie Café, Indigo Oscar, and La Cabaña — beachside brunches with background brass
• Scarborough Beach Community Centre — family-friendly workshops and performances
• Rendezvous Hotel Lobby Bar — your classy Sunday wind-down with upright bass and all the feels

Some shows are completely free. Others — like standout sessions at The Lookout and El Grotto — are ticketed and worth every cent. You can check out the full artist and venue schedule at artconnectwa.com.au/events

Who You’ll Hear

Expect everything from smooth and sultry vocals to foot-tapping funk and experimental jazz fusion.

Local legends like Ali Bodycoat and Gemma Farrell will be lighting up the main stages, while rhythm-heavy sets from Daniel Susnjar’s Afro-Peruvian Project and Holli Scott & The Rush Hour Circus promise to shake things up in all the right ways.

But here’s the thing — you don’t need to know the names to enjoy the music. That’s the beauty of Jazz Connect. You discover your new favourite artist by accident. Sitting on a bar stool. Walking past a café. Lying on the grass at the amphitheatre, listening with your eyes closed.

 

The Rhythm of Scarborough

What makes this weekend so magical isn’t just the music. It’s where you’re hearing it.

The way the breeze carries a trumpet solo across the shoreline.
The way the crowd hushes for a quiet moment at sunset.
The way strangers start moving in sync to the rhythm of something bigger than all of us.

Scarborough comes alive in a way that doesn’t happen every weekend. This is jazz in its purest form — spontaneous, soulful, and woven into the very streets we walk every day.

 

Here’s How to Do Jazz Connect Like a Local:

Friday night: Start at the Livid Skate Lounge— with the Late Night Organ Donors

SATURDAY 30 AUGUST – The Main Event
Morning – For the Early Risers & Families

9:00–11:00 AM → Jazz with Junior at Scarborough Beach Community Centre – family-friendly, interactive music

10:00–12:00 PM → Laneway Jazz at Livid Laneway – easy groove in a hidden urban pocket

Afternoon – Breezy Beats & Brunch Vibes

1:00–3:00 PM → Ocean View Jazz at Zoie Café

2:30–4:30 PM → Tom O’Halloran Trio at Rendezvous Hotel Lobby Bar

Evening – Peak Festival Energy

4:00–6:00 PM → Swing Dance Party at Scarborough Sunset Markets

5:30–7:30 PM → Latin Sessions at Scarborough Beach Bar

6:30–9:30 PM → Sandbar Jazz Party at The Sandbar

 

SUNDAY 31 AUGUST – The Wind-Down
 Morning – Easy Like a Sunday

9:30–11:30 AM → Laneway Jazz at Livid Laneway

10:00–12:00 PM → Jazz Through the Ages at Scarborough Beach Community Centre

Midday – Seaside Grooves

12:00–2:00 PM → Danilo da Paz at The Sandbar

1:00–3:00 PM → Ocean View Jazz at Zoie Café

1:30–4:00 PM → The Basilios at The Lookout Bar

Afternoon into Sunset – Creative Closers

2:00–4:00 PM → Music Makers & Art Shakers (Workshop) at Community Centre

2:30–4:30 PM → Brenda Lee Duo at The Sandbar

4:00–6:00 PM → Sunset Samba at Scarborough Beach Bar

5:30–8:30 PM → Sophie Foster at The Sandbar

So, What Are You Doing This Weekend?

Let’s be real — if you live in Scarborough, or you love Scarborough, this is your chance to see it like never before.

This is music for the people.
By the beach.
In your neighbourhood.
And you’re invited.

🎟️ Some events are free. Some are ticketed. All are worth it.
📲 Full schedule & venue details: artconnectwa.com.au/events

📸 Tag @scarboroughlive with #JazzConnect to be featured