Bremen state of mind: jazzahead! comes to a successful close

A tremendous success for the jazzahead! trade fair. For the first time since the 2010s, the festival broke the 20,000 visitor mark: more than 23,000 attended from Wednesday evening to Sunday noon. The 130 concerts — spanning jazz, funk, afrobeat, electronica, and more — were well attended across over 40 stages throughout Bremen. Among them were 38 international showcase concerts (nine featuring bands from the partner region Spain, France, Switzerland) that offered a cross-section of today’s jazz: young talents and established artists.

Partner Country 2026: Sweden
The trade fair concluded on Sunday, April 27, with the ceremonial handover to jazzahead!’s next partner country, one that has long shaped European jazz: Sweden. Christian Gutschmidt, Head of International Affairs for the City of Bremen, presented a duffel bag filled with gifts to Anneli Strömqvist. Strömqvist, Counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the Swedish Embassy in Berlin said:
„Already in the 1950s and 60s, Swedish musicians traveled to Germany to perform, tour, and collaborate. German musicians drew inspiration from the Nordic sound and its melancholy. jazzahead!’s Sweden focus is not only a recognition of our vibrant jazz scene; it is also an opportunity to showcase Sweden’s rich ecosystem of musicians, producers, bookers, festivals, and networks. It is an invitation to further collaborate — to deepen the existing connections between Sweden and Germany and to jointly shape the future of jazz in Europe.“

Professional Program for Industry Experts
jazzahead! is the marketplace for jazz professionals worldwide. Public radio Deutschlandfunk observed that the trade fair has become a firmly established meeting point for networking and concert booking. Over 3,000 registered professionals attended Messe Bremen. Across 50 discussions and workshops, topics such as AI, distribution and media trends were explored.
One presentation marked the launch of the French-German cooperative project CooProg Music, a platform for sustainability and green touring launched just in time for jazzahead! This open-source project co-initiated by jazzahead! aims to make touring more efficient and reduce the live sector’s ecological footprint.

Clubnight on April 25
Artists from around the world performed at the traditional Friday Clubnight with 85 concerts across Bremen. This year the clubs, bars, museums, and theaters were busier than ever. Many regional associations represented at the fair have already signed up to host concerts again in 2026.

Outstanding Live Sound
Kenyan percussionist, singer, and guitarist Kasiva Mutua delivered two celebrated performances on Friday evening. Both at the new, free Jazzport stage and inside the trade fair halls, she got audiences dancing and singing along. Kasiva later stated she had almost never experienced a better live sound in her professional career — a rare feat for a festival where time is of the essence. Overall the quality of live mixing at the exhibition halls, the Schlachthof, and the Jazzport was unanimously praised by both professionals and audiences.

German Jazz Prize Returns to Bremen
More good news: next year, the prestigious German Jazz Prize will once again be awarded during the jazzahead! weekend in Bremen — on April 25, 2026. Katja Lucker, Managing Director of the Initiative Musik, commented:
“The awarding of the German Jazz Prize during jazzahead! 2026 emphasizes the importance as Germany’s leading jazz award and strengthens connections within the international jazz community.”

Please note: the next jazzahead! will take place from
April 22 to 26, 2026 — for the 20th time!

Clubnight Registration for country associations via Jakob Fraisse: fraisse@jazzahead.de

Sybille Kornitschky, Director of jazzahead!, and Götz Bühler, Artistic Advisor, are available for interviews.

MESSE BREMEN | M3B GmbH

jazzahead! Press Office
Jan Paersch
press@jazzahead.de