Jazztage Görlitz

Jazz in the Twin City

Görlitz, Germany's easternmost city and a cross-border European city together with its Polish neighbor Zgorzelec, has been home to one of Germany's most distinctive jazz festivals for three decades. Instead of focusing on a main stage for a few days, Jazztage Görlitz spans an entire month — systematically utilizing extraordinary venues throughout the Upper Lusatia region.

Venues as Part of the Program

The concept of Jazztage is clear: the place makes the concert. A piano manufactory in Löbau, a Protestant church nave in Rauschwalde, the early neoclassical castle in Berthelsdorf, the UNESCO-protected Fürst-Pückler-Park in Bad Muskau, or an industrial club like NOSTROMO and RABRYKA in Görlitz — each location tells its own story and shapes the sound of the respective concert. This creates a festival that not only delivers music but also an architecturally and scenically rich travel program in the Görlitz district.

Program Profile

Artistically, Jazztage positions itself between contemporary European jazz and experimental crossover projects. Headliners and newcomers alternate, solo concerts are presented alongside big band programs. With the Bundesjazzorchester (Federal Jazz Orchestra) as the closing highlight at the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater Görlitz, the festival clearly commits to supporting young talent. Accordionist Vincent Peirani, saxophonist Emile Parisien, bassist Kinga Głyk, and composer Tim Garland are among the international top-class artists who regularly perform here.

Cross-Border Concept

With concerts in Zgorzelec (Poland), Jazztage sees itself as a bridge builder. The German-Polish programming aligns with the European city identity of Görlitz and makes the festival a showcase for the younger Central European jazz scene between Berlin, Warsaw, and Prague.