Every year high-calibre stars of the national and international jazz scene take part in the Jazztage Dresden program.
It is one of the largest jazz festivals in Germany and presents the entire spectrum of the genre, from Latin, swing, funk and blues to modern jazz and innovative crossover themes at a top international level.
Despite drastic funding cuts: Jazztage Dresden, Dresden's international jazz festival, is celebrating its 25th anniversary - with a strong program, a new year-round format and an emotional highlight in Unkersdorf. There, they will return to their origins, and not just symbolically: the official anniversary will take place in the Unkersdorf church, where it all began in 2000, from September 19 to 21, 2025. A weekend full of musical remembrance, transcultural sounds and creative resilience. And although the planned major autumn festival cannot take place as usual due to massive funding cuts, the team led by Artistic Director Kilian Forster and Managing Director Tanja Grandmontagne is sending out a clear signal: with a new, year-round concert format - and the unbroken vision of an open, cross-style festival for everyone.
What began in 2000 with just a few concerts and a lot of idealism developed from a village project into Europe's largest crossover jazz festival before the pandemic. With around 100 concerts a year, over 40,000 visitors and more than 500 international artists from over 35 nations - all within five weeks. The festival has always stood for bridging the gap between jazz, classical music, world music and urban genres, for stylistic openness, artistic quality and cultural diversity. The founders and hosts - the Klazz Brothers - have had a decisive influence on its profile. Their musical concept of "jazz meets classical meets world" became the heart of the program and runs like a common thread through a quarter of a century of festival history.
Despite drastic funding cuts: Jazztage Dresden, Dresden's international jazz festival, is celebrating its 25th anniversary - with a strong program, a new year-round format and an emotional highlight in Unkersdorf. There, they will return to their origins, and not just symbolically: the official anniversary will take place in the Unkersdorf church, where it all began in 2000, from September 19 to 21, 2025. A weekend full of musical remembrance, transcultural sounds and creative resilience. And although the planned major autumn festival cannot take place as usual due to massive funding cuts, the team led by Artistic Director Kilian Forster and Managing Director Tanja Grandmontagne is sending out a clear signal: with a new, year-round concert format - and the unbroken vision of an open, cross-style festival for everyone.
What began in 2000 with just a few concerts and a lot of idealism developed from a village project into Europe's largest crossover jazz festival before the pandemic. With around 100 concerts a year, over 40,000 visitors and more than 500 international artists from over 35 nations - all within five weeks. The festival has always stood for bridging the gap between jazz, classical music, world music and urban genres, for stylistic openness, artistic quality and cultural diversity. The founders and hosts - the Klazz Brothers - have had a decisive influence on its profile. Their musical concept of "jazz meets classical meets world" became the heart of the program and runs like a common thread through a quarter of a century of festival history.