Göttingen Jazz Festival

Tradition Since 1978

The Göttingen Jazz Festival was founded in 1978, making it one of the oldest continuously held jazz festivals in Lower Saxony. For almost five decades, the festival has developed a consistent programming policy that combines top international artists with regional roots. This mix has given the festival its own profile and made it a regular fixture on the German jazz calendar.

Main Venue: Deutsches Theater

The Deutsches Theater Göttingen is the main stage of the festival. The theater's acoustic qualities and the engaged audience create the atmosphere that shapes the festival. The spaciousness allows for concerts with larger ensembles like the NDR Bigband, while the intimate seating simultaneously allows for concentration on the musical substance.

NDR Bigband with Nikki Iles

One of the headliners in 2026 is the NDR Bigband, a German big band legend based in Hamburg, in a program under the musical direction of Nikki Iles. Iles, a British composer and pianist, is one of the most prominent representatives of the European big band scene. The program promises contemporary big band composition at the highest level.

Tineke Postma, Shalosh, Marius Neset

Other international headliners include the Dutch saxophonist Tineke Postma, whose playing is considered one of the most distinctive in the contemporary jazz scene; the Israeli trio Shalosh, which has gained international attention with its genre-bending sound between jazz, classical, and rock; and the Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset, one of the most prominent saxophonists of the younger European jazz generation.

20 Regional Bands and Accompanying Program

In addition to the international headliners, the festival features 20 regional bands on other stages. This diversity creates space for the regional jazz scene and allows festival-goers to encounter artists who are not usually in the spotlight. A jam session and a jazz dance party complete the program.