In the domed hall of the main station, an arrival can become your first encounter with the festival. This is one of eight stages of the Dresdner Jazzmeile. The others are spread across the city centre as far as Schlossplatz. Traditional jazz thus accompanies not only the journey to a concert: it becomes a reason in itself to stop along the way.

The festival bands play in locations where Dresden already gathers. The bustling market at Altmarkt will be complemented by a musical accompaniment. Further stages will be located at the Piazza am Taschenberg and Schlossplatz, as well as at the Newa and Lilienstein hotels. These individual stages create a connection between the train station and the Old Town, which can be explored in both directions. There is no fixed route – that's precisely the point.

Two performance points set a distinct accent: the Brassband-Points at Hotel Königstein and at Neumarkt. Their name points to the roots of this music. In New Orleans, brass bands played in parades, at celebrations and at funeral processions; brass players and drummers were part of public life. Jazz therefore has its history not only in halls and on concert stages. It also belongs to life on streets and squares. The Jazzmeile takes up this thread: with festival bands in the heart of Dresden and open routes from one stage to the next.

At the centre are the festival bands and the various styles of traditional jazz. At one stage, this may turn into a longer encounter with a band; at several stops, into a comparison of musical styles. The paths between them are part of the experience too. They leave room to carry what you have heard with you before other musicians at the next stage take up the shared tradition.

All eight stages are freely accessible. That makes the Jazzmeile just as suitable for a music walk you have planned especially for the occasion as for a break between errands. You don’t need to follow the route from start to finish without interruption: even a single stop is already a festival experience. Dresdner Jazzmeile is supported by WT Energiesysteme GmbH.