EARLY bird tickets for October's Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues are now on sale.

The 2022 festival – running from October 28 to 30 – will be the first live version held since 2018, following a break in 2019 as organisers worked to ensure its future sustainability, and online events held in the last two years due to COVID–19.

"This year we excitedly present an Australian–centric program featuring local artists, expatriates returning from abroad and international artists collaborating with locals," festival chair Dave Fuller said.

"It will truly be a three day celebration of our incredible homegrown talent."

The festival again incorporates the National Jazz Awards, which this year focus on the guitar, with entry details to be released in coming weeks.

And Merriwa Park will resume its place as the home of blues at this year's event, with artists including The Black Sorrows set to take the stage.

The park will also play host to a free event on the Sunday of the festival, which will see musicians from the Wangaratta community and surrounds collaborate with New Orleans–style brass band Horns of Leroy and recent runner–up on The Voice, Thando.

Early bird tickets are on sale until August 18, with the full program for this year's festival to be announced on August 19.

For more details on purchasing tickets, visit https://wangarattajazz.com.