Dresden – City of Music

A breathtaking silence can emerge at a concert in Dresden. Anyone who has experienced it knows that such a moment has addictive potential. International stars are always happy to come to Dresden for this! But don't worry, you can also listen to loud music in Dresden. Pure energy pulsates in the Junge Garde, at the Film Nights on the Elbe or in the Flutrinne. And of course, the city's clubs keep your ears ringing all year round.

For those who don't just want to travel to the city, but also within the city: in the various districts and from the Festspielhaus with HELLERAU to Pillnitz Castle Park, there is music and dance from contemporary to classical to historical to discover.

Whether you're a Queen of the Night or a fan of the Zauberflöte - anyone travelling to Dresden is sure to find their personal favourite place of sound!

Musical Calendar 2023/24

Classical music & more

Jazz

Jazzclub Tonne

From up-and-coming artists to international stars, the "Tonne" presents all kinds of jazz in over 100 live concerts every year. When selecting the artists, the focus is on the exceptional, the quality and the joy of playing. The whole spectrum of jazz can be experienced: jazz, soul, funk, world music and protagonists of the singer-songwriter scene. In addition, one hears about artistic boundaries in the direction of rock, pop or electronic music. This unique mixture makes the "Tonne" one of the best-known German clubs in the jazz scene.

The venue is located in the heart of the city in the Kurländer Palais, a vaulted cellar in the middle of Dresden's old town. Even in GDR times, jazz was played in the historic building. After the Kurländer Palais was reconstructed in the early 2000s, the jazz club has been back in the vaulted cellar, the eponymous "Tonne", since 2015.

Dixieland Festival

The INTERNATIONAL DIXIELAND FESTIVAL Dresden invites you to numerous days of rousing jazz every year. Since 2023, the world's largest and oldest festival for traditional jazz will be particularly young and danceable, following a fascinating international trend.

All over the world, swing is experiencing a remarkable renaissance. Swing dancing, with all its multifaceted dance styles, has become very fashionable, especially among young people, and is practised regularly in many places and on very different occasions. And it is precisely this "dance" music, this jazz from the beginnings of the 20th century, that is able to captivate many young people with its joie de vivre, lightness, passion and light-heartedness. This jazz, which used to be played almost exclusively by "old hands", is nowadays being reinterpreted more and more by young musicians, whether as a band or as a soloist, on the level of the musical elite in a heart-stopping way, without leaving the roots of this music.

The 51st edition of the INTERNATIONAL DIXIELAND FESTIVAL in May 2023 offered more than 280 hours of world-class traditional jazz, of which more than 140 hours were free of admission charges, and were interpreted with heartfelt enthusiasm by 37 bands and soloists from 8 countries in 53 events.

Jazztage Dresden

For more than 20 years, the Jazztage Dresden, now one of the largest jazz festivals in Germany, has been inviting around 80 concerts to Saxony's Elbflorenz every year.

Around 40,000 guests from all over the world travel to Dresden every year in October-November for the concerts with world stars of the jazz scene, with ensembles from all continents and the rising stars of tomorrow from near and far.

The design of the festival programmes reflects the artistic drive of the festival organisers to present jazz in the full diversity and range of its genres and styles and the permanent development of itself. The spectrum ranges from swing, traditional, Latin and Afro to singer-songwriter, funk, bebop, blues, avant-garde, modern and experimental. Complemented by a special focus on genre- and style-crossing projects such as jazz-classical, swing-electro or world music-techno.

Club Culture

At Albertplatz, the starting point for the arriving party community on weekend evenings, is the Äußere Neustadt (Outer New Town), which is considered a hot and sizzling trendy district. In this party zone there are around 150 bars and clubs that invite you to have fun.

When bar-hopping, a detour to the student bar Hebedas, one of the oldest and most frequented bars in the Neustadt with its tiny Zebradisko, should not be missed. The Alte Wettbüro also shines with its diversity, because there you can dance to electronic beats as well as enjoy a cool beer in the beer garden.

Dresden's vibrant club scene offers top-notch music, unforgettable nights, great drinks, and an escape from everyday life. Numerous clubs belong to KLUBNETZ Dresden and are known for their parties, concerts, and festivals.

Almost every music genre is catered to: Techno can be found at Sektor Evolution and Paula, house at the Klub Koralle and Chemiefabrik host indie and rock acts as well as heavy metal and punk parties. In addition to music, there is also space for art and literature, for example, at Scheune and Groovestation.

Ostpol exudes the pure charm of a 1960s residential area pub with a wide range of events and a diverse crowd.

KLUBNETZ Dresden – list of all clubs

Architecture for music

Carl Maria von Weber

Carl Maria von Weber Museum

The Carl Maria von Weber Museum enchants as an authentic place where one of the most important German composers lived and worked. It is the only museum in the world dedicated to Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826).

The Dresden court conductor withdrew to the vintner's house in Hosterwitz with his family and experienced the happiest moments of his life here. He wrote numerous compositions, such as his operas "Euryanthe" or "Abu Hassan", many songs and chamber music. His famous opera "Der Freischütz" may have been inspired by excursions to Saxon Switzerland.

As early as the mid-19th century, the composer's memory was cherished in the vintner's house; the first exhibition was created on the ground floor in 1948 and the memorial was officially opened in 1957. Since 2005, the Carl Maria von Weber Museum has belonged to the museums of the city of Dresden. In the original rooms, furniture, works of art and contemporary testimonies recall the composer and his environment. The flair of the authentic place can be experienced at concerts, lectures, musical-literary events and garden concerts.

Carl Maria von Weber College of Music

The Dresden University of Music is known for its exceptionally broad spectrum of study opportunities at an outstanding level. Two faculties train future musicians as well as teachers. The university currently has over 700 enrolled students from many nations around the world.

The Dresden University of Music is the largest concert organiser in the region. Over 400 events take place every year in the modern concert hall, in smaller university halls and in several external venues. The variety of offerings is unique and ranges from workshops to competitions to master classes, from recitals to opera productions and from children's and chamber music concerts to symphony and graduate concerts to band summits, jazz festivals and open-air events.

Dresden Information ticket service