With a jubilee behind them and the audience award to go with it, it is now back on the tram once more. In 2026, Sunshine Brass celebrated its 25th anniversary and received the prize »Publikumsliebling des Festivals« at the Open-Air-Gala. In the fourth and final Dixietram of this festival edition, the band from Suhl appears in its familiar role: as the regular line-up of the rolling concert venue.

Six musicians bring more than six instruments with them. Trumpet and flugelhorn, clarinet and saxophones, trombone, banjo, sousaphone and drums are part of the line-up. Christian Hanft plays the sousaphone, while Thomas »Peppi« Gütter switches between clarinet and saxophones. Over the foundation laid by the rhythm section, the horn players carry the melodies. All six sing; even a megaphone is part of the equipment. So the band’s diversity cannot be reduced to the number of musicians.

Trumpeter Sven Viertel founded Sunshine Brass in 2001 and still leads the group today. It has been part of the festival since 2006. The final jazz tour thus brings together a long-standing festival companion and a format that brings the audience especially close to the musicians. A shared journey instead of the usual divide between stage and hall.

The breaks are the domain of Ekkehart »Ekki« Garten. In the dual role of host and conductor, he talks about jazz, its development and the festival. His contributions add background information and anecdotes to the programme. So even when the instruments fall silent, the focus remains on the music and its history.

Along the way, there is a stop for snacks and drinks. After that, Sunshine Brass changes places in the tram. Anyone who was sitting at the other end before now has the musicians closer by. Passengers keep their assigned seats. To round off the Dixietram series, the change of perspective that is part of this format is also preserved: the band itself ensures that everyone gets to be musical neighbours for once.