Review 2025: Between celebration and counterterrorism measures
Is our association responsible for protection against terrorist attacks?
The 53rd International Dixieland Festival Dresden 2025, which took place in May, was once again an outstanding event on the national and international jazz scene. 42 bands and soloists from seven countries, including 13 international, 15 national, and 14 Dresden-based musicians, presented 277 hours of music, 148 hours of it free of admission. The festival offered an impressive range of programming and created a great atmosphere and unforgettable experiences for around 320,000 visitors.
Despite the last-minute changes required by the City of Dresden’s security regulations, which would have caused additional counterterrorism costs of at least 120,000 euros, our team accomplished something incredible: all publicly accessible, free-admission events were completely rescheduled in just four weeks to preserve the “Dresdner Jazzmeile” — thereby saving the festival’s most high-profile and best-attended event.
The stringent security requirements for the planned large-scale Mile would have added around 120,000 euros in costs, which we would not have been able to raise. Despite a deficit of 60,000 euros at the start of the festival, the “Jazz Mile” was able to take place by concentrating it on Prager Straße and securing it there more cost-effectively. Visitors could look forward to an impressive 103 hours of “Jazz Mile,” only slightly less than the originally planned 110 hours. Unfortunately, however, significant parts of the Jazz Mile in the historic old town fell victim to the security plan. Thanks to our team’s tireless efforts, the “Dresdner Jazzmeile” remained vibrant and accessible — a great success in challenging times so close to the festival.
The Jazz Mile, sponsored by WT Energiesysteme and at the request of managing director Dietmar Tietz, was to stretch from the main railway station across three stages on Prager Straße, continuing to the stage at Dr.-Külz-Ring, the Spring Market stage on Altmarkt, the stage at Taschenberg/Piazza, and on to the main stage on Schlossplatz in Dresden’s historic old town.
Festival highlight
The “1923 Prohibition Party” with Swing’it (N) brought the atmosphere of the 1920s and 1930s to life at the new venue Tante JU, with visitors dressed in authentic period attire.
Premieres
During the three days of the admission-free Jazz Mile, our media partner MDR Sachsen, hosted by Silvio Zschage, presented the »Open Stage«. This stage offered not only established artists a platform, but above all gave unknown amateur musicians the opportunity to present themselves to a broad audience.
»Jazz im Kaufpark Dresden« drew numerous visitors on Friday and Saturday from the city, the region, and the neighboring regions of the Czech Republic. Brass bands provided great entertainment and the typical Dixieland feeling.
The Löwensaal Dresden, a new festival venue, offered two concerts for jazz lovers. The hall provides an intimate atmosphere that makes it possible to experience the music in its purest form.
Passengers on the Weißeritztalbahn were able to experience the Dixieland Festival »Das Dixieland-Festival macht Dampf« from Malter to Coßmannsdorf. The MayDay Jazzband from the Netherlands travelled in for »Blues, Boogie & Swing«, which took place for the first time in the Coßmannsdorf ballrooms.
The festival week
From 11 to 18 May 2025, the festival offered a diverse programme with 48 events for jazz fans of all ages. Traditionally, Sunday began with the popular family event »Dixieland in Familie« featuring excerpts from the »Dixieland-ABC für Kinder«. Many highlights were already sold out in advance.
The musical events took place at various venues and also offered double bills, such as the »Dixietram Jazzrundfahrt« and the »Wohnzimmerkonzert«. Despite sold-out events such as the »Jazzclub«, the »Wohnzimmerkonzert« and »Hotjazz im Kanonenhof«, the festival also gave spontaneous visitors the chance to take part through remaining tickets for events such as the dance-night classic »Blues, Boogie & Swing« and the baroque concert series »Dixie meets Barock«.
The festival offered day visitors and multi-day tourists flexible schedules to experience the extensive programme. The mix of free and ticketed events ensured that Dixieland in Dresden was accessible to everyone, giving the festival vibrancy and openness. The »Dresdner Jazzmeile« from 16 to 18 May attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors with its numerous free concerts.
The »Open-Air-Gala« at the »Junge Garde« open-air stage offered a musical summary of the week with the top bands on the final day. The successful festival ended with the traditional »Dixieland-Parade« from Terrassenufer into the historic old town, which was witnessed by tens of thousands of visitors.
Our conclusion
As organizers, we can be very satisfied with the 53rd edition of the Dixieland Festival: visitors felt it was one of the best in recent years. Despite last-minute challenges, we were able to impress with a successful blend of tradition and innovation, as well as a line-up of local and international stars from the traditional jazz scene. The Dixieland Festival 2025 thus once again confirmed its status as the world's largest, oldest and most important festival for traditional jazz.
The International Dixieland Festival, a major musical event in Dresden, attracts up to 400,000 visitors every year and strengthens the local economy by supporting hotels, restaurants, retail, and service providers. It enhances Dresden’s international reputation as a vibrant cultural metropolis and draws musicians and music lovers from all over the world.
The festival is also a social event that brings together people of different generations and backgrounds and carries the living tradition of Dixieland jazz into the present. With new event formats, we continually reach new target groups, which secures the future of the festival and Dresden’s sustainable cultural development.
Open questions — and concerns
The legal and substantive responsibility of our association for protection against terrorist attacks in Germany is still unclear. We are neither responsible for the threat of terrorism nor have we contributed to its escalation. The material, financial, and personnel responsibility for counterterrorism lies clearly with the state.
Political decisions and the implementation of law determine how, and whether, large-scale events in public spaces can take place in the future. If clarity is not established soon and responsibility is left solely to the event organizer, this would mean the end of a major part of the culture and quality of life in our country.
Acknowledgements
We thank our sponsors, partners, and supporters of the International Dixieland Festival. Without your generous support, a festival of this scale and quality would not be possible. You make a decisive contribution to ensuring that year after year we can create a unique musical experience that delights artists and visitors from all over the world.