XJAZZ! Festival 2026 – Jazz Festival Germany

What to expect in 2026

XJAZZ! Festival 2026 returns to Berlin from 9–11 October with a three-day programme focused on contemporary jazz, electronic music, neo-soul, experimental sounds, improvisation and genre-crossing performances. The official festival programme currently features artists including Another Taste, Dumama, Emma-Jean Thackray, Ludwig Wandinger, Luminiah, Momoko Gill, Nduduzo Makhathini, Richard Koch and Tonina.

The festival is closely associated with Berlin’s Kreuzberg music and cultural scene and has developed a reputation for presenting jazz as a broad, contemporary musical language rather than restricting the programme to traditional jazz formats. Previous editions have combined jazz with electronic music, soul, funk, poetry, experimental performance and club culture.

The 2026 edition is also notable because it moves XJAZZ! into an autumn festival period rather than the May timing used for the 2025 edition. The 2025 festival ran across several days in May and included more than 100 live performances and DJ sets across venues in Kreuzberg.

Visitors can expect a programme designed around discovery. Instead of concentrating all performances in one conventional festival field, XJAZZ! uses Berlin’s established music venues and cultural spaces, creating an urban festival experience where concerts, club-oriented performances and experimental sessions can form part of the same itinerary.

Event dates

XJAZZ! Festival 2026 takes place from 9–11 October 2026 in Berlin, Germany. The official festival website currently presents the 9–11 October dates as the 2026 festival period.

The three-day format makes it possible for visitors to attend individual days or use a festival pass to follow several performances throughout the weekend. Because the programme is distributed across venues, visitors should check the official timetable before travelling between performances.

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Venue & festival site

XJAZZ! is an urban festival rather than an event located inside one large permanent festival field. Its identity is strongly connected with Berlin’s Kreuzberg district and surrounding cultural venues.

A notable location from the festival’s recent history is Festsaal Kreuzberg, which has hosted XJAZZ! performances and a main stage. The venue is located at Am Flutgraben 2, 12435 Berlin. The 2025 edition also used the Festsaal Kreuzberg Outdoor Stage for daytime performances and informal encounters.

Other recent XJAZZ locations have included spaces such as Emmauskirche, MAAYA, FluxBau and ŒLGARTEN, demonstrating how the festival integrates music into different architectural and neighbourhood settings.

For 2026, visitors should use the official festival programme as the definitive source for individual performance locations because the venue allocation and schedule can vary between editions.

Full lineup

The announced 2026 artist programme currently includes:

• Another Taste – disco and funk
• Dumama – spiritual jazz, improvisation and poetry
• Emma-Jean Thackray – jazz, jazz fusion, electronic music, P-funk and alternative pop rock
• Ludwig Wandinger – experimental electronic, ambient and avant-garde jazz
• Luminiah – neo-soul and indie pop
• Momoko Gill – jazz, left-field pop and neo-soul
• Nduduzo Makhathini – jazz, ritual and spiritual music
• Richard Koch – jazz
• Tonina – jazz, soul, folk and classical influences

These artists and genre descriptions are currently presented by the official XJAZZ! Festival website.

The programme illustrates the festival’s broad approach to contemporary music. Rather than presenting only conventional jazz ensembles, the 2026 lineup connects improvisation with electronic production, soul, funk, poetry, alternative pop and experimental performance.

The programme may continue to develop as the festival approaches October, so visitors should check the official artist and programme pages for any additions, timetable changes or venue announcements.

Headliners & featured artists

Emma-Jean Thackray is one of the most prominent names in the announced 2026 programme. Her work connects jazz with electronic music, P-funk, alternative pop and other contemporary influences, fitting closely with XJAZZ!’s genre-crossing identity.

Nduduzo Makhathini brings another important dimension to the festival, with music associated with jazz, ritual and spiritual expression. His inclusion adds a strong international and contemporary jazz perspective to the programme.

Dumama represents another experimental side of the festival through the combination of spiritual jazz, improvisation and poetry, while Momoko Gill brings together jazz, left-field pop and neo-soul.

Other featured artists include Tonina, whose listed influences cover jazz, soul, folk and classical music, as well as Another Taste’s disco and funk-oriented sound. Together, the announced artists demonstrate the wide musical territory covered by the 2026 festival.

Stages & performance areas

XJAZZ! does not operate like a traditional festival with one large field and a fixed collection of stages. Its performance areas are distributed through Berlin venues, particularly around Kreuzberg and its surrounding cultural districts.

Recent editions have included:

• Festsaal Kreuzberg Main Stage for major festival performances
• Festsaal Kreuzberg Outdoor Stage for open-air daytime performances
• ŒLGARTEN for intimate DJ sets and community-oriented sessions
• Emmauskirche for performances in a distinctive church setting
• MAAYA and other Kreuzberg-area spaces for additional concerts and special events
• Club and electronic spaces for late-night programming and genre-crossing performances

The 2025 Outdoor Stage was described as a relaxed courtyard space for daytime concerts and spontaneous encounters, while ŒLGARTEN hosted a Refuge Worldwide takeover featuring selected DJ sets and deep-listening sessions.

The exact 2026 venue map should be checked against the final official programme before planning a multi-concert route.

Stage-by-stage schedule

The detailed 2026 stage-by-stage timetable is released through the festival programme rather than being represented as one fixed schedule covering a single festival site.

For planning purposes, visitors should organise their itinerary around:

• Main concert spaces for major artist performances
• Experimental venues for contemporary and improvisational work
• Outdoor or courtyard areas for daytime performances where scheduled
• Club-oriented locations for electronic and late-night programming
• Special cultural venues for performances where the surroundings form part of the experience

The festival’s previous editions have encouraged visitors to create their own routes between venues. In 2025, the programme included more than 100 live performances and DJ sets, allowing visitors to build an individual itinerary rather than following one fixed stage.

For 2026, the official schedule should be treated as the final authority for artist times, room assignments and any last-minute programme changes.

Set times

Individual set times depend on the venue and daily programme. Exact performance times for every 2026 artist should be checked through the official schedule before attending.

The format of XJAZZ! means that set times are particularly important because moving between venues can take additional time. Visitors planning several performances on the same evening should allow enough time for walking, entry procedures and potential queues.

Previous XJAZZ events have included afternoon, evening and late-night programming. For example, the 2025 Festsaal Kreuzberg programme included doors and performances beginning in the afternoon, while other festival events extended into later evening and club-oriented sessions.

Ticket types

The official 2026 website currently promotes a Regular Festival Pass covering 9–11 October. The festival homepage describes this as the best-value option for the complete three-day period.

The 2026 ticket structure should be checked before purchase because individual concerts or special programme elements may have different access conditions.

For reference, the currently published third-party event information lists the regular festival pass at approximately $102 based on a listed price of about €89 and an exchange rate of approximately $1.148 per euro on 20 September 2026. The converted figure is approximate because ticketing platforms, payment providers and exchange rates can affect the final amount.

Possible ticket formats can include:

• Regular Festival Pass for the three-day festival period
• Day-specific access, where offered
• Individual event tickets, where particular performances are ticketed separately
• Special programme tickets for selected events or venue-specific experiences

Visitors should confirm exactly what their selected ticket covers before completing the purchase.

VIP & premium options

The official 2026 festival homepage currently promotes the Regular Festival Pass rather than a clearly advertised VIP package.

XJAZZ!’s format is primarily centred on access to concerts and different festival spaces rather than a conventional VIP structure with large hospitality areas, VIP tables or luxury viewing platforms.

If premium upgrades, reserved seating, special access or hospitality options are introduced for individual 2026 performances, these should be checked directly through the official ticketing information. Visitors should not assume that a standard festival pass includes reserved seating or backstage access.

Event rules

Festival rules can vary according to the individual venue because XJAZZ! takes place across established Berlin music and cultural locations.

Visitors should follow the instructions of each venue regarding:

• Entry and security: Have the correct ticket or access credential ready and follow venue security procedures.
• Photography and recording: Follow individual venue policies concerning professional cameras, audio recording and filming.
• Venue capacity: Entry may depend on the capacity of a particular room even when a festival pass provides general access.
• Respect for performers: Avoid disruptive behaviour during concerts, especially at acoustic or intimate performances.
• Smoking: Follow the smoking rules applicable to each venue and outdoor area.
• Accessibility: Contact the festival or individual venue in advance if specific access arrangements are required.
• Programme changes: Artist schedules and venue arrangements can change, so visitors should check official updates before travelling.

Because XJAZZ! operates through multiple venues, the rules of the individual location can be as important as the general festival information.

How to get there

Berlin is well connected to the rest of Germany and Europe by rail, air and long-distance bus services. Visitors arriving from outside Berlin can use Berlin Hauptbahnhof as a major rail arrival point before continuing toward Kreuzberg and the relevant festival venues.

For international visitors, Berlin Brandenburg Airport provides the city’s principal airport connection. From the airport, public transport links connect with central Berlin and onward journeys toward Kreuzberg.

Because the festival uses different venues, visitors should avoid planning their entire journey around one fixed address. Instead, check the location of the specific concert and calculate travel time between each venue.

Walking is also practical for some festival routes, particularly when several events are concentrated around Kreuzberg.

Public transport & parking

Public transport is one of the most practical ways to move around Berlin during XJAZZ! because the festival is integrated into the city’s urban venue network.

Useful transport options include:

• U-Bahn: Berlin’s underground network provides connections to Kreuzberg and central districts.
• S-Bahn: Useful for longer journeys across Berlin and for connections from major railway stations.
• Bus: Local buses provide connections between venues and nearby neighbourhoods.
• Tram: Useful for routes outside the immediate Kreuzberg core.
• Walking: A practical option between nearby festival venues.
• Taxi and ride-hailing: Useful after late-night performances when public transport journeys are less convenient.

Parking directly outside individual venues may be limited. Visitors staying in central Berlin should generally consider public transport rather than relying on festival-site parking.

Accommodation areas

Staying in or around Kreuzberg provides convenient access to the festival atmosphere and many cultural venues. However, Berlin’s wider central districts can also work well because the city has an extensive public transport network.

Recommended areas to consider include:

• Kreuzberg: Convenient for the festival’s core cultural environment and many recent XJAZZ venues.
• Neukölln: A lively neighbouring district with accommodation, restaurants and nightlife.
• Friedrichshain: Suitable for visitors interested in Berlin’s wider music and nightlife scene.
• Mitte: Central location with extensive hotel choices and strong transport connections.
• Schöneberg: Another practical central option with good access to Berlin’s public transport network.

Booking early can be useful during major Berlin events because accommodation demand can rise quickly, particularly for visitors wanting to stay within walking distance of festival venues.

Food & drink

XJAZZ! takes place in neighbourhoods known for a diverse restaurant, café and nightlife scene rather than inside a traditional enclosed festival grounds.

Kreuzberg offers a broad selection of food styles, including Turkish, Middle Eastern, Asian, vegetarian, vegan and international cuisine. Visitors can therefore plan meals between concerts rather than depending entirely on festival food stalls.

Cafés and bars are also useful for filling gaps between daytime and evening performances. Some individual festival venues may have their own bars or refreshments, although the selection and opening hours can vary.

Because the programme can continue into the evening, visitors attending several performances should plan meal breaks around their timetable and allow enough time to travel between venues.

Accessibility

Accessibility should be considered on a venue-by-venue basis because XJAZZ! is spread across multiple buildings rather than one purpose-built festival site.

Some locations may offer easier step-free access than others, while historic or unusual venues can have architectural limitations. Visitors who require wheelchair access, accessible toilets, seating assistance or another accommodation should contact the relevant venue or festival team before arrival.

When planning a route, check the accessibility information for every venue rather than assuming that accessibility arrangements are identical throughout the festival.

The distributed format can also provide flexibility because visitors may choose individual performances based on the accessibility and facilities of the specific venue.

Best days to attend

Friday: The opening day is suitable for visitors who want to begin with the festival atmosphere and concentrate on the first wave of performances. It can work particularly well for people attending a smaller number of carefully selected concerts.

Saturday: Saturday is useful for visitors who want a fuller festival experience and more time to move between different performances, venues and musical styles.

Sunday: Sunday can be a good option for visitors looking for a more relaxed final day while still experiencing the closing programme. It may also suit travellers who prefer to avoid a very late final night.

Three-day pass: Visitors who want the widest possible selection can use the full festival period to spread concerts across the three days rather than trying to fit too many performances into one day.

Previous year’s highlights

The previous XJAZZ! edition in 2025 took place in May and marked the festival’s tenth birthday. The programme included more than 100 live performances and DJ sets across Berlin venues, with artists such as Bonaparte, Àbáse and Yukimi among the announced programme highlights.

Festsaal Kreuzberg was an important location, including the Berlin Focus programme featuring Àbáse, Brown Penny, D.$AHIN, EX GENERATION: The Napoli Exchange, Jembaa Groove and Yeah, ABOUT THAT.

The 2025 edition also demonstrated XJAZZ!’s interest in combining international and local talent. Berlin-based artists and collectives appeared alongside international performers, while special spaces such as ŒLGARTEN hosted community-oriented DJ programming.

The festival’s programming philosophy has consistently extended beyond conventional jazz. Radio coverage of the 2025 edition highlighted its combination of electronica, grooves and experimental jazz, reinforcing the festival’s broad contemporary approach.

Official tickets

The official XJAZZ! Festival website is the primary place to check the 2026 festival pass, ticket availability, artist announcements, programme information and any changes to the festival schedule. The current official homepage lists the Regular Festival Pass for 9–11 October 2026.

Visitors should check the official ticket information before travelling because festival access can depend on the specific ticket type and venue capacity.

For ticket updates and general festival enquiries, the supplied festival contact is office@xjazz.online.