Partner Country Sweden
jazzahead! is looking forward to the Partner Coutry Sweden in 2026
Every year in April, the jazzahead! Festival takes place in parallel to the jazzahead! Trade Fair in Bremen. Together with numerous cooperation partners, we organize a city-wide music program around the world's largest meeting place for the jazz scene. In addition to the showcase festival, the program includes the Grand Opening, the Jazzport, the CLUBNIGHT and a fringe program.
In 2026 there will be our anniversary edition celebrating 20 years of jazzahead! as well as the partner country Sweden. From April 23 to April 25 we can observe the jazz szene of this strong music country. Sweden was selected as partner country in order to promote artistic exchange between Sweden and Germany in connection with the important topic of „Green Touring".
PARTNER COUNTRY INSTITUTIONS
FUNDING & PARTNERS FESTIVAL
THE PARTNER COUNTRY AND ITS JAZZ SCENE WILL BE PRESENTED AT THE FAIR, FOR EXAMPLE DURING THESE OPPORTUNITIES:
The combined space of the partner country stands with the lounge which is adjacent to it are the most central presentation areas at the trade fair.
At jazzahead! there will also be 38 showcase concerts, from which 8 are dedicated to the partner country.
Industry- and country-specific topics can be presented and discussed here. In the past, the programme ranged from book presentations, panels and talks to target-group-specific workshops.
For the Grand Opening of jazzahead! trade fair, national and international guests are expected. On stage, official representatives of the partner country (e.g. ambassadors, ministers, state secretaries) will open the trade fair and festival together with the jazzahead! and representatives of Bremen, which is one of the German Länder in its own right.
MUSIC FROM THE JAZZAHEAD! PARTNER COUNTRY IN BREMEN
The Partner Country Sweden is the focus of jazzahead! 2025, whether in the Grand Opening, in the context of the showcases in Messehalle 7 and the adjacent Kulturzentrum Schlachthof, or in the CLUBNIGHT in Bremen's city center.
CHOICE OF THE PARTNER COUNTRY
Since 2011 jazzahead! presents an annually changing partner country in the scope of the fair, but also within a city-wide cultural program aimed at the public in Bremen & region. The partner country is chosen and invited by jazzahead! The highest criterion is an exciting, in part still undiscovered jazz scene, which deserves greater international recognition.
jazzahead! selects its partner countries, applications are not possible. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to project manager Sybille Kornitschky.
- 2026 | SWEDEN
- 2025 | SPAIN, FRANCE, SWITZERLAND
- 2024 | NETHERLANDS
- 2023 | GERMANY
- 2022 | CANADA
- 2019 | NORWAY
- 2018 | POLAND
- 2017 | FINNLAND
- 2016 | SWITZERLAND
- 2015 | FRANCE
- 2014| DENMARK
- 2013 | ISRAEL
- 2012 | SPAIN
- 2011 | TURKEY
jazzahead! Grand Opening
The Grand Opening will take place on April 22nd 2026 at Congress Centrum Bremen, Great Concert Hall. The program will be released soon.
Louis Matute Large Ensemble @ Grand Opening 2025
PROGRAM
The showcase application phase for jazzahead! 2026 will end on 8th October, 2025. The jazzahead! showcases 2026 will be selected in October.
"Showcases" are the 30- to 45-minute short concerts at jazzahead!. 38 jazz highlights and current formations from Germany, Europe and overseas as well as the partner country be experienced on three days and nights on the stages of Hall 7 and the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof.
Improvisation and jazz for children has been one of the core topics in the specialist program since jazzahead! was founded. While the first events were held at a local level, the topic has developed over a national to an international focus. With the JazzCamp for Girls held in the second week of the Easter holidays, jazzahead! teamed up with the internationally active music institution Jazz Danmark, giving twelve girls the opportunity to spend four days at the museum Universum Bremen learning about rhythm instruments in jazz and forming their own band. They were accompanied by the two teachers Magdalena Otto and Johanna Borchert. The showing in the Universum on Thursday morning was complemented by the Nuremberg education project Zirkus Jazzino, which combines jazz improvisation with circus elements. Furthermore there were accompanying program items such as the subsequent panel “Education projects in the context of international cooperations” and a presentation of the teaching material “Jazzpilot*innen zu Gast im Klassenzimmer” by Magdalena Otto and Jan Darius Monazahian as well as on Friday the network meeting “Jazz and Children” and a family concert as part of the jazzahead! CLUBNIGHT at MS Dauerwelle. Further information on the individual events can be found further down on this page.
The focus on "Improvisation and Jazz for Children" as part of the jazzahead! specialist program is kindly supported by Dataport.
Your contact for more info is:
Jakob Fraisse
Improvisation & Jazz for Kids
T +49 (0)421 3505 583
E-Mail: fraisse@jazzahead.de
More information on jazzahead! Up and Coming Writers Camp 2026 to be released soon.
Your contact for more info is:
Jakob Fraisse
Improvisation & Jazz for Kids
T +49 (0)421 3505 583
E-Mail: fraisse@jazzahead.de
More information on jazzahead! Fringe Program 2026 to be released soon.
Your contact for more info is:
Jakob Fraisse
Improvisation & Jazz for Kids
T +49 (0)421 3505 583
E-Mail: fraisse@jazzahead.de
More information on Jazzport 2026 to be released soon.
Your contact for more info is:
Jakob Fraisse
Improvisation & Jazz for Kids
T +49 (0)421 3505 583
E-Mail: fraisse@jazzahead.de
CLUBNIGHT
24. APRIL 2026
1 TICKET - 1 NIGHT: JAZZAHEAD! CLUBNIGHT IN BREMEN
Since 2011, jazzahead! has been presenting jazz and related music in Bremen's city centre for a predominantly regional audience as part of its CLUBNIGHT. Every year, around 35 venues take part in the much-loved long night of jazz, which is to be held on the Friday evening of the trade fair in 2026. Clubs, bars, theatres, museums, churches and hotels, they all become live venues on this night. The program will be released in January 2026.
A CLUBNIGHT ticket gives access to all venues. Professional participants of jazzahead! can purchase this ticket at a reduced price.
Your contact for more info is: Jakob Fraisse
Partner Country & CLUBNIGHT
T +49 (0)421 3505 583
E-Mail: fraisse@jazzahead.de
BY BIKE YOU CAN GET AROUND IN BREMEN AND TO THE FESTIVAL VENUES QUICKLY, FLEXIBLY AND RELAXED
In cooperation with Bremen Bike it! we organize bike rental in front of Hall 7:
Taking the bike is a quick, convenient and stress-free way to get around Bremen and to the various venues of the jazzahead! festival. You’ll find everything you need at the Bike it! bike station, where bikes are available for hire. More information coming soon.
In cooperation with ADFC Bremen we organize guided bike tours through the jazzahead! CLUBNIGHT. More information coming soon.
HOW TO PLAY DURING CLUBNIGHT
In parallel to the official Showcase-Festival the jazzahead! CLUBNIGHT will take place in about 35 venues in Bremen. CLUBNIGHT is not part of the showcase festival.
The booking of the bands will be handled exclusively by the clubs, but jazzahead! will help arrange country or label nights and will also forward showcase applications selected by the artistic management team to the clubs on request. So there is no additional application process.
Alpha-Ray @ Schiff No 2
Tyreek McDole @ Fritz Theater
Parra.Dice @ Himmelssaal
Weird Ugly Fish @ Zentrum für Kunst
CLUBNIGHT @ Zentrum für Kunst
Concert Tickets & Prices
If you only want to see the concerts and have no access to the trade fair, you can buy your tickets here by the end of November.
If you want to get the full jazzahead! experience and have access to the trade fair, the conference program and all the showcase concerts, please register as exhibitor or professional participant.
For registered participants of jazzahead! access to the showcase concerts and the Grand Opening is included in the registration for the trade fair.
Tickets for the CLUBNIGHT can be purchased at the reduced price. Please show your jazzahead! badge at the entrance as proof of validation.
