Cork will get into the swing of things later as Ireland's first big festival in 18 months is launched.
The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival which is now in its 43rd year will run until Bank Holiday Monday with headline acts including Yasmin Bey, James Vincent McMorrow and Mark Copland being staged in the main festival venues.
The full Fringe Festival Programme will be unveiled later today but organisers are promising that there will be plenty for everyone with jazz taking over the streets of the city along with Kinsale and Douglas.
Fiona Collins told RedFM News that the Cork Jazz Festival Committee have announced a packed programme of mostly free events set to take place across Cork as part of the Big Fringe.
"The Big Fringe is anything that is happening outdoors, basically.
"There's pop up bands, Hyde Park, New York Brass, and I'm actually really delighted Road Brass are playing this year - they're a group of young Cork students that have grown up with the festival and they're actually now taking part this weekend, it's phenomenal to see them have a place in that."
The Big Red Bus will be in the city centre over the weekend and Cork's RedFM as proud media partners will broadcast live from the heart of the Festival at The Metropole Hotel with Dave Mac's Drive live from 4pm today and Izzy on The Saturday Afternoon Show from 2pm
