52nd International Dixieland Festival in Dresden

A total of 38 bands and soloists from ten countries are expected to perform at the 52nd International Dixieland Festival in Dresden over the Whitsun weekend. From 12 to 19 May, 44 events will offer around 250 hours of live traditional jazz, almost half of which will be free of charge, as the organizers announced on Wednesday. Guests range from the Mama Shakers from France to the Louis Armstrong Celebration Band from the Netherlands and Soko Dixie from Austria.

However, the festival is overshadowed by the organizers' financial worries. According to the organizers, the traditional Jazz Mile, which is one of the crowd pullers, will only take place in its almost usual form this time thanks to an "unexpected financial injection". Referring to sluggish advance sales, cancellations by some long-standing partners due to economic reasons, rising costs and excessive bureaucracy, the Saxon Festival Association called for "reliable financial support from the public sector for the free events" in order to be able to plan reliably and for the long term.

However, in addition to traditions such as family Dixieland at the zoo or the riverboat shuffle on the Elbe with "Dixie meets Baroque" or the boogie "living room concert", the 2024 program also includes novelties. These include "Dixie Pub" at the Alter Schlachthof or "Electro meets Dixie on the Dancefloor" at Kraftwerk Mitte for a younger audience. The aim is to celebrate the worldwide renaissance of swing dance, it was said. And under the motto "Life Artists", jazz musicians will once again play for people with disabilities to dance in the open air.