A new, more visible hub in the grounds of Holy Trinity Cathedral will create a vibrant atmosphere for the 35th Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues, which kicks off this evening.

Featuring a free community stage in front of the cathedral, stalls showcasing local food and wine and manned by 15 local businesses, as well as kids' activities including a jumping castle, the hub is set to develop the festive feel around the rejuvenated annual event.

An opening party will be held nearby at The Railyard this evening, and ticketed events on the festival program for Saturday and Sunday are all within easy walking distance of the cathedral, adding to the relaxed, feelgood vibe for which the event is renowned.

Shows will be happening at The Railyard, Wangaratta Performing Arts and Convention Centre, Old Baptist Church, and at the GOTAFE Auditorium, where the 2025 National Jazz Award - this year focused on brass - will be contested on Saturday from 11am.

The always-popular jazz mass will be held inside Holy Trinity Cathedral on Sunday from 10am.

There are also shows at Old Faithfulls Brew Bar, and The Vine Hotel, while the Tarra Blues Fest will compliment the Wangaratta festival over its two-day program at Tarrawingee's Plough Inn, and a Big Record Fair at the Wangaratta Club from 10am on Saturday and Sunday will also delight music-lovers.

On Monday, the jazz and blues festival's focus will switch to Milawa, where performances will round out the four-day program on Melbourne Cup eve.

This year is the second staging of the decades-old festival since it was resurrected from what threatened to be its 'last hurrah', and festival chair Andrew Nunn said it was coming together well.

"This is such a big festival, and there is lots of goodwill around it," he said.

"The conversation about the event is starting to change, with the 'Why aren't you doing this?' questions now becoming 'How can I help?'.

"We're almost there in terms of turning that around.

"We have to keep trying things and seeing what works and what doesn't; we may make some mistakes along the way, but we can also fix them."

Festival sponsor Charmaine Hall, from Unbound Financial, said she had lived in Wangaratta for 27 years, and the event had been part of her growing-up years.

"Even though I had no idea what jazz was when I was younger, I loved the atmosphere, and it's important that we support it to keep going," she said.

"It's something that the community needs, and one of the things that puts Wangaratta on the map.

"I had no hesitation in helping out."

Kelly Kaur from Aroma Deli and Emily Scott from Watermarc will both be among the festivities over the weekend, with the businesses setting up stalls to complement the community stage and festival hub.

"We're excited to see it all happen," Ms Scott said.

"The festival means a lot to many of our customers, and we wanted to be part of it.

"It's a nice cultural thing, and I remember so much of it as a kid - people sitting, eating and drinking at the festival; that's the feeling we want to help create."

Ms Kaur said she had worked over the last 10 years during jazz festival weekend.

"It's always busy, and I enjoy the atmosphere; it brings people to town, and helps local businesses," she said.

With the weather outlook promising across Saturday and Sunday, Mr Nunn it was hoped locals would enjoy the chance to peruse stalls around the community stage, and perhaps also choose to attend one or more of the shows being regularly staged close-by.

About 30 local volunteers will generously donate their time in a range of roles over the weekend to help things run smoothly, and about the same number of local musicians will take to the community stage to entertain the crowds, from 12 noon on Saturday and 12.30pm on Sunday.

On the eve of the 2025 event, Mr Nunn said festival organisers were also looking further into the future.

"We'd love to hear from anyone keen to partner with us to help grow the festival, and to take that 'How can I help?' approach," he said.