Name: International Kiel Blues Festival 2026
Start: 2026-02-27T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-27T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Räucherei Kiel-Gaarden

Kiel Blues Festival

About Kiel Blues Festival

The International Kiel Blues Festival is one of Northern Germany's longest-running blues events. For over a quarter of a century, the festival has gathered three international acts every year on the last Friday in February at the former herring smokehouse in Kiel-Gaarden — three bands, no intermissions, one evening of pure blues and blues-rock of the highest caliber. The organizer is German Concerts. The intimate atmosphere of the Räucherei, with its raw brick walls and industrial history, has long been a firm fixture for blues fans from all over Schleswig-Holstein.

Dates 27 Feb — 27 Feb 2026

Venue Kiel (01002)

Prices —

Status Finished

Edition 2026

Kiel Blues Festival — edition 2026

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The 27th edition of the International Kiel Blues Festival took place on Friday, February 27, 2026, at Räucherei Kiel-Gaarden. Three headliners equally sharing the stage: The Blues Overdrive (Denmark, two-time European Blues Award winner), Jimi Barbiani Band (Italy, slide guitar), and Chris Kramer & Beatbox'n Blues (Germany, six-time German Blues Award winner). Doors open 7 PM, show starts 8 PM.

27th Edition — Three Countries, Three Headliners

The 27th edition brought together three of Europe's most sought-after blues acts on the last Friday in February at the Räucherei Kiel. Three countries, three soundscapes, one evening — the concept has lost none of its appeal over the years.

Three Bands, Three Worlds

The evening kicked off with the Danish band The Blues Overdrive, a two-time winner of the European Blues Award and, according to the organizer, "one of Scandinavia's most respected live bands." This was followed by the Italian Jimi Barbiani Band, a power trio led by slide guitarist Jimi Barbiani, "one of Europe's best blues-rock slide guitarists." The finale featured German harmonica virtuoso Chris Kramer with his project Beatbox'n Blues — a six-time winner of the German Blues Award, characterized by a trio of acoustic harmonica, beatboxing, and electric guitar.

Highlights Kiel Blues Festival 2026

27th edition — one of Germany's oldest blues festivals
Three international headliners in one evening
European Blues Award + German Blues Award winners
Atmospheric Räucherei Kiel-Gaarden venue

Programme Kiel Blues Festival 2026

Friday, February 27, 2026 — Räucherei Kiel-Gaarden

7:00 PM — Doors open
8:00 PM — Show starts
The Blues Overdrive (Denmark) — two-time European Blues Award winner
Jimi Barbiani Band (Italy) — Blues-Rock slide guitar, power trio
Chris Kramer & Beatbox'n Blues (Germany) — six-time German Blues Award winner

Three headliners equally featured, no support acts, three full-length sets.

Prices Kiel Blues Festival 2026

Early bird discount until early December 2025 (€5 off). Regular advance sales via CTS-Eventim, Ticketmaster, MV-Ticket, hotline +49 451 58249143.

Practical information

Practical information — Kiel Blues Festival

Getting There

By car: Take the A215 to Kiel, then the B202/B76 into the city, Gaarden-Ost district; parking is available on Preetzer Straße and side streets. On concert nights, pay attention to fjord traffic advisories (congestion warnings). By train: Kiel Central Station, then a 10-minute bus ride (lines 11/12 towards Gaarden) or a 15-minute walk. Regular direct connections from Hamburg Central Station (approx. 1 hour 15 minutes).

Tickets

Advance sales until early December with an early bird discount (€5). Regular tickets available via CTS-Eventim, Ticketmaster, MV-Ticket, as well as via the hotline +49 451 58249143 and [email protected]. Also available at the advance ticket offices in Citti Park Kiel and selected Famila supermarkets.

Start Time

Doors open 7:00 PM, show starts 8:00 PM. Experience shows that the concert is often sold out long before the start — early arrival is recommended.

A Quarter Century of Blues by the Fjord

The International Kiel Blues Festival has taken place without interruption since 2000 — always on the last Friday in February, always at the Räucherei Kiel in the Gaarden-Ost district. With its 27th edition in 2026, the festival ranks among Germany's longest-running blues series, comparable only to a few events like the Lahnstein Blues Festival or the Eutin Blues Festival.

Three Headliners, One Evening

The concept has remained unchanged since its inception: three international-caliber bands, no opening or main act structure. The artists come from Germany, Scandinavia, Great Britain, Italy, France, or the USA — united by their love for classic blues, blues-rock, or roots music. The atmosphere is familial, the audience knows each other, and the organizer (German Concerts, based in Lübeck) has built up a devoted regular clientele.

Räucherei Kiel-Gaarden — The Venue Makes It Special

The Räucherei on Preetzer Straße is an architectural gem: Herring were smoked here until the 1980s; today, the listed brick building houses one of Northern Germany's most atmospheric concert stages. With a capacity for around 500 spectators, the Räucherei is small enough for every spot to have a close-up view of the stage — and large enough for truly loud blues-rock acts. The Gaarden-Ost district is considered the gritty, creative counterpoint to Kiel's bourgeois city center: industrial history, shipyards, multicultural residential streets — the ideal setting for the festival.

Kiel on the Fjord, in the State of Schleswig-Holstein

As the state capital of Schleswig-Holstein and a university city, Kiel is an important hub in the North German music scene, with an active club and festival culture (Kieler Woche, Bootshafensommer, Campusfestival, Reggae Festivals). The Blues Festival fits into this scene as the winter counterpart to the large summer open-airs — dark season, indoor venue, intense music.