Kai Hoffman founded the Herne Bay Jazz Festival in 2017 after sixteen years of singing professionally in London (which she continues to do). Herne Bay Jazz Festival began as a free entry, six-hour event at Herne Bay Pier Stage, and has grown to include performances by over 100 musicians, nearly 30 hours of shows, workshops for children and adults, with over 80% of shows remaining free entry to the public thanks to multiple fundraising grants for which Kai has applied, including support by Arts Council England Lottery Fund, Kent County Council, Herne Bay Festival Charity, Canterbury City Council and more, in addition to fundraising events including benefit concerts and quiz nights which she has organised with a team of volunteers. The 2023 festival Pier stage shows were live streamed and a highlights video from this year can be viewed on Youtube @hernebayjazz. As a sole trader, Kai Hoffman has presented, promoted and organised jazz and vintage music-based events for nearly decade including the London Time Out Critic’s Choice club night ‘Live & Let Jive’ at Ronnie Scott’s from 2008-2016 - called “London's coolest hepcat hangout” by The Stage, and featured in the Metro and Evening Standard Newspapers. As a bandleader and jazz singer, Kai Hoffman has organised performances, negotiated fees, booked musicians and performed with her own band over 80 times at Ronnie Scott’s Club, Europe’s oldest jazz venue, as well as the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall, London Jazz Festival, the European Jazz Expo, the City of London Festival, Ealing Jazz Festival, Twinwood Festival etc. since 2001.