Enjoy Jazz Festival

A Six-Week Jazz Journey

Founded in 1999, the Enjoy Jazz Festival is now one of Europe's most important and renowned jazz festivals. Its concept: six weeks of festival spread across the three cities of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region — Heidelberg (Baden-Württemberg, AGS 08221), Mannheim (Baden-Württemberg, AGS 08222), and Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate). Instead of a concentrated weekend format, Enjoy Jazz opts for an extended season where each concert is its own event.

Festival Period 2026 — October 2nd to November 7th

The 2026 season runs from Thursday, October 2nd, to Saturday, November 7th, 2026. Over 30 concerts spread across six weeks, often several per week, at various venues. Each concert evening is independent — tickets are sold individually, with a discounted festival pass also available.

Artist Program — International Top Level

The 2026 lineup features international jazz and crossover stars:

• Melody Gardot — American singer, likely at Konzerthaus Heidelberg
• Apparat — German electronic music icon (Sascha Ring), crossover with sound art
• Bohren & der Club of Gore — dark, jazzy-ambient German band
• Lizz Wright — American soul-jazz singer
• Gregory Porter — American singer, Grammy winner
• Plus other international and German acts (around 30 concerts)

The genre spectrum is broad — from acoustic mainstream jazz, vocal jazz, soul, crossover, avant-garde, to electronic music with a jazz connection. The motto "Jazz and More" hints at the wide genre horizon.

Venues in Three Cities

The festival utilizes the region's top cultural venues:

• Konzerthaus Stadthalle Heidelberg — classic concert hall on the Neckar riverbank (main stage)
• Karlstorbahnhof Heidelberg — alternative concert venue with a jazzy flair
• Alte Feuerwache Mannheim — significant venue on the Mannheim scene
• dasHaus Ludwigshafen — cultural center on the Rhine riverbank
• BASF Halls — concerts within the BASF complex in Ludwigshafen

Tickets and Festival Pass

Tickets are available individually per concert via Reservix and Ticketmaster. A Festival Pass allows access to multiple concerts at a reduced price. Hotel packages for festival visitors are offered through the cities' tourism information centers.

A Cultural Investment

Enjoy Jazz is jointly supported by the three cities and is considered a key cultural policy project for the metropolitan region — a format that brings jazz out of its niche into major concert halls while strengthening the regional identity of Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Ludwigshafen beyond the festival.