Elbjazz Festival
International Jazz, Soul, and Blues Festival on the Blohm+Voss shipyard grounds in Hamburg Harbour
About Elbjazz
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Jazz in an Active Harbour
Elbjazz is the festival where shipyard cranes, harbour sirens, and saxophones become the backdrop together. Twice a year – once in summer, once in the programme announcement – the active Blohm+Voss shipyard in the Steinwerder district takes on a second identity: an open-air festival with multiple stages, a historic shipbuilding hall as the main concert venue, and the Elbphilharmonie on the opposite side of the Elbe as a curated special location.
The 10th Edition – Headliners and Breadth
2026 marks the 10th edition of the festival. Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion brings three singers to the forefront of the programme whose careers extend far beyond classic jazz: Tom Jones, Jamie Cullum, and Joss Stone. Alongside them is a deliberately broad lineup of contemporary jazz, British soul-jazz avant-garde, modern big band sound, and blues: Snarky Puppy, Greentea Peng, GoGo Penguin, Lizz Wright, Nubya Garcia, The Bad Plus, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Dominique Fils-Aimé, NDR Bigband with John Beasley, daoud, and around 20 other acts.
Elbphilharmonie Specials
For years, the festival has added a curated concert evening in the Elbphilharmonie to the shipyard backdrop. In 2026, two specials are scheduled in the Grand Hall: on July 10th, Joss Stone (Support: Don West), and on July 11th, the Canadian pianist and word acrobat Chilly Gonzales. Tickets for these are sold separately (from €50), but festival combo tickets can be extended to include these specials upon request.
Shipbuilding Hall, Am Helgen, Shipyard Cranes
The main stages are spread across the entire shipyard site. The shipbuilding hall – a 100-year-old industrial building with impressive acoustics – hosts a large part of the concerts. Directly by the water under the open sky is the "Am Helgen" stage, overlooking the Landungsbrücken on the other side of the Elbe. Several smaller stages are distributed across the site – moving between them, past cranes, containers, and active shipyard facilities, is part of the festival experience.
In the Hamburg-Mitte District, in the State of Hamburg
Steinwerder belongs to the Hamburg-Mitte district and is primarily accessible via ferries or tunnels – the festival operates additional shuttle ferries from Landungsbrücken. This makes Elbjazz one of the few major German festivals where the journey itself is part of the staging. Hamburg Harbour, Germany's largest gateway to the world, becomes the open-air concert hall for the state of Hamburg once a year.
Elbjazz — edition 2026
The 2026 edition celebrates the festival's tenth anniversary (premiere in 2010). Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion presents a programme that deliberately distinguishes itself from pure smooth jazz festivals, instead embracing the transition into soul, blues, and British nu-jazz. Tom Jones (84 years old at the time of the festival) as a Welsh soul veteran, Jamie Cullum as a British link between pop and standards, Joss Stone as the soul voice of the 2000s.
In addition, the festival curates a sharp contemporary block: Snarky Puppy as the most prominent big band formation of the 2010s, GoGo Penguin as a British jazz piano trio connected to electronics, Nubya Garcia as a key figure of the London nu-jazz scene, Lizz Wright and Dominique Fils-Aimé as an African-American vocal axis. With The Bad Plus, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, and the NDR Bigband with John Beasley, the spectrum is extended into avant-garde blues and big band classics.
Programme Elbjazz 2026
Friday, July 10, 2026 – Blohm+Voss Shipyard
- Headliner: Tom Jones
- Other Acts (Selection): Snarky Puppy, Greentea Peng, GoGo Penguin, Lizz Wright, NDR Bigband & John Beasley, daoud
- Stages: Shipbuilding Hall, Am Helgen, Container Stage
Friday, July 10, 2026 – Elbphilharmonie Special
- Grand Hall, 8:00 PM – Joss Stone (Support: Don West)
Saturday, July 11, 2026 – Blohm+Voss Shipyard
- Headliner: Jamie Cullum
- Other Acts (Selection): Nubya Garcia, The Bad Plus, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Jowee Omicil, Herbert & Momoko
- Stages: Shipbuilding Hall, Am Helgen, Container Stage
Saturday, July 11, 2026 – Elbphilharmonie Special
- Grand Hall, 8:00 PM – Chilly Gonzales
Full programme with stage plan and times: elbjazz.de and openairguide.net.
Highlights Elbjazz 2026
- 10th edition of the festival (since 2010)
- Headliners: Tom Jones, Jamie Cullum, Joss Stone
- Stages in the middle of the active Blohm+Voss shipyard
- Two Elbphilharmonie Specials (Joss Stone, Chilly Gonzales)
- Around 30 acts from jazz, soul, blues, nu-jazz
- Arrival by harbour ferry as part of the staging
Prices Elbjazz 2026
Practical information — Elbjazz
Getting There
Shuttle ferry from Landungsbrücken (Bridge 10) and St. Pauli Fischmarkt to the shipyard grounds. Alternative: HVV harbour ferry line 73 to Argentinienbrücke, then follow signs. Driving is not recommended (limited parking, harbour traffic).
Tickets
2-day festival combo: from €159. Grandstand seat: from €259. VIP package: €649 (grandstand plus catering). Elbphilharmonie Specials: from €50 (separate). Seat upgrade: from €65. Advance sales via elbjazz.de and kj.de.
On Site
Entry only with a ticket, no on-site box office guaranteed. Generous food and bar offerings, from harbour kiosk classics to curated food trucks. Weather-appropriate clothing recommended – open-air stages are exposed.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place Elbjazz
Werftgelände Blohm+Voss, Schiffbauhalle, Am Helgen, Elbphilharmonie
Hermann-Blohm-Straße, 20457 Hamburg