22 – 25 April 2026
A woman in a light dress stands on a sidewalk next to a road, holding up a handmade sign that reads, Honk if you like big band music!!! Cars drive by in the background, and musical notes decorate the sign.

GRAND OPENING

22 April 2026

The Grand Opening of jazzahead! 2026 will celebrate the ever-growing internationality of the jazz scene in our partner country, Sweden.


On the eve of the trade fair and festival, Wednesday, April 22, the Norrbotten Big Band invites you to Hall 7 of the Bremen Exhibition Center – with top-class guests. This  outstanding, incredibly nuanced ensemble from northeastern Sweden will present a new and unique programme alongside the American electro-new jazz-funk duo KNOWER, featuring Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi – a premiere of new music. Also featured are saxophonists Lisen Rylander Löve and Fredrik Ljungkvist, the (familiarly related) quartet of the Agnas Bros. as well as singer Josefine Cronholm (“Artist of the Year” for “Jazz in Sweden” in 2003).

 

 

Norbotten Big Band
KNOWER
Lisen Rylander Löve
Fredrik Ljungkvist
Agnas Bros.
Josefine Cronholm

Grand opening program
A woman in a bright green dress plays the saxophone on stage, accompanied by two men, one playing a double bass and the other playing drums, with microphones and blurred lights in the foreground.
Two people pose and smile at an indoor event. One wears a white durag, large sunglasses, and a striped hoodie; the other wears a blue beanie, teal glasses, and a light blue hoodie. People and booths are in the background.

Get your tickets now!

Be part of the international gala as jazzahead! 2026 kicks off with Partner Country Sweden. Tickets are limited – don’t miss out!

 

For participants of jazzahead! 2026 access to the Grand Opening is included in the registration.

To secure one of the limited free tickets, log in into our participant portal and find the ticket link in section “Documents & Information”.  

Buy now
White logo for Messe Bremen on a light gray background, featuring a circular emblem with three upward lines on the left and MESSE BREMEN in bold capital letters on the right. White logo with a circular emblem and three upward lines on the left, next to the text “CONGRESS BREMEN” in bold, capital letters on a light gray background. White logo of ÖVB Arena featuring a stylized circular icon, the text “ÖVB ARENA,” and a small shield with a key symbol, all on a light gray background. Logo with a decorative crest above the words BREMER RATSKELLER and the phrase Weinhandel seit 1405 below, on a light gray background. White logo with a stylized G in a circle on the left, next to the text Grossmarkt Bremen and below it, das frische centrum on a light gray background. White text on a light gray background reads M3B in a bold, modern font. The characters are evenly spaced and centered against the plain backdrop.