Jazzwoche Berlin
Eighth edition of the city-wide jazz festival week – opening at Club Gretchen, around 90 concerts in over 40 venues
About Jazzwoche Berlin
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Berlin as a Jazz Metropolis
For decades, Berlin has been considered one of Europe's most important jazz capitals. What was long scattered across individual clubs (A-Trane, Quasimodo, Zig Zag, b-flat, Donau115) and in the major concert halls (Philharmonie, Konzerthaus, Pierre-Boulez-Saal) has been bundled into a city-wide festival by Jazzwoche Berlin since 2019. The initiator is IG Jazz Berlin e.V., the professional association for jazz and improvised music in Berlin, funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
collective improv(e)ment
The 2026 motto plays with the double meaning of 'improvement' and 'improvisation' and asks the question of collective improvement – both musically and structurally. How does a scene organize itself? How are fees, funding, spaces, and visibility distributed fairly? The discourse days on June 20th and 21st invite musicians, organizers, funding institutions, and the public to engage in conversation.
One Week, Dozens of Stages
The heart of the festival is the concerts themselves: around 90 performances in more than 40 Berlin venues, from concert halls to Kreuzberg clubs to backyard gardens in Neukölln or Pankow. Jazzwoche does not curate all concerts centrally but offers a common umbrella for concerts that are taking place this week anyway – with a curated opening, coordinated marketing, and a central program tool that facilitates audience visits to multiple venues.
Opening at Club Gretchen
The 2026 opening on June 19th will feature the opening concert at Club Gretchen in Kreuzberg, with the Kelvin Sholar Trio and Ensemble Unique (Composition and Conduction: Holly Schlott). Admission: free. Typical for Jazzwoche: music, discussions, and industry networking in one place.
Jazzwoche Berlin — edition 2026
The eighth edition of Jazzwoche Berlin is under the double motto 'collective improv(e)ment' – a play on words that connects collective musical improvisation with the structural improvement of the scene. In terms of content, the 2026 festival focuses particularly on solidarity-based organizational forms, fair fees, and visibility for underrepresented musicians.
Between June 19th and 26th, around 90 concerts will fill more than 40 venues in almost every Berlin district – from Kreuzberg and Neukölln clubs to concert halls in Mitte and Pankow. The program is not centrally curated by the festival itself, but rather bundles concerts that are taking place this week anyway, under a common festival umbrella with joint marketing.
Programme Jazzwoche Berlin 2026
Friday, June 19, 2026 – Opening
- Club Gretchen, Kreuzberg (Obentrautstraße 19-21, 10963 Berlin)
- Doors open 7:00 PM, start 7:30 PM – free admission
- Kelvin Sholar Trio (Piano)
- Unique – Ensemble with Composition and Conduction by Holly Schlott
- Opening speech, followed by live music and networking
Saturday, June 20, 2026 – Discourse Day I
- Panels and workshops on funding structures, diversity, and working conditions in jazz
- Concerts from the evening onwards in several Berlin venues (exact program will be gradually released from spring 2026)
Sunday, June 21, 2026 – Discourse Day II
- Continuation of discourse events
- Concerts in clubs and concert halls
Monday to Thursday, June 22 – 25, 2026
- Full festival operation: daily concerts in around 40 different venues
- Range of styles: from acoustic trio jazz to big band, free improvisation, and electronic hybrid formats
- Venues in Mitte, Kreuzberg, Neukölln, Pankow, Friedrichshain, Charlottenburg, etc.
Friday, June 26, 2026 – Closing Day
- Last concerts and curated closing event (venue to be announced by the festival)
Note: As Jazzwoche is organized decentrally, the festival does not release a complete line-up plan in the classic sense. Concerts and venues will be continuously added on ig-jazz-berlin.de and in the festival calendar.
Highlights Jazzwoche Berlin 2026
- Free admission to the opening concert at Club Gretchen on June 19th
- Around 90 concerts in over 40 venues in several districts
- Discourse days on June 20th and 21st on the structures of the Berlin jazz scene
- Accompanying podcast episodes on the festival motto
- Organized by IG Jazz Berlin, the professional association for jazz and improvised music
Prices Jazzwoche Berlin 2026
Practical information — Jazzwoche Berlin
Getting There
Opening: Club Gretchen, Obentrautstraße 19-21, 10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg (U-Bahn U1/U1/U7 Möckernbrücke or Mehringdamm). Further venues in all Berlin districts – the exact distribution can be found in the program on ig-jazz-berlin.de.
Tickets
The opening is free of charge. Individual concerts are ticketed separately through the respective venues. There is no central festival ticket – Jazzwoche primarily bundles the program, not advance sales.
Organizer
IG Jazz Berlin e.V., Professional Association for Jazz and Improvised Music. Funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
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Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Jazzwoche Berlin al mejor precio.
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Where it takes place Jazzwoche Berlin
Stadtweit – Eröffnung im Club Gretchen, Kreuzberg; ca. 45 Spielstätten in mehreren Bezirken
Obentrautstraße 19-21, 10963 Berlin