Golden Age Festival – 10th Anniversary Edition
Step back in time to the golden era of hot jazz and swing! The Golden Age Festival celebrates its 10th edition in Bratislava, bringing authentic jazz of the 1920s–50s to life. For one September weekend, the Slovak capital becomes a stage for world-class orchestras, dancers, and stories that connect music with history.
📅 Date: 20–21 September 2025
📍 Venues: Slovak Radio – Large Concert Studio & Panta Rhei Bookstore (Aupark)
🎷 Saturday 20 September – Concert Night
The highlight of the festival: two extraordinary concerts in one evening, blending music, energy, and dance. Experience the renowned Fats Jazz Band together with swing dancers B-SWING, and the world-leading bigband Andrej Hermlin and His Swing Dance Orchestra from Germany. The night will close with a lively jam session of all artists.
Venue: Slovak Radio, Large Concert Studio
Start: 19:00
Programme:
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19:00 FATS JAZZ BAND
🎥 videospecial guests B-SWING dancers
🎥 video -
20:45 ANDREJ HERMLIN AND HIS SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA
🎥 video 1 | video 2 -
Finale: improvised jam session with all performers
🎟 Tickets: Ticketportal
📲 Facebook event: see here
🎶 Sunday 21 September – Lecture
For the first time, the festival also offers a cultural lecture. Musicologist Agata Schindler, author of Maličká slzička, will present the life and work of Karol Elbert, a Slovak swing composer whose career was tragically marked by persecution during WWII.
Venue: Panta Rhei Bookstore, Aupark
Start: 18:00
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Lecture: Karol Elbert – Master of Swing and Slovak Evergreens
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Speaker: Agata Schindler (musicologist, author, researcher in Germany)
🆓 Admission free
📲 Facebook event: see here
ℹ️ About the Festival
The Golden Age Festival is the only international festival of authentic traditional jazz in Slovakia. Its 10th edition carries the subtitle Jazz under Oppression, highlighting how jazz once provided escape, satire, and joy even in times of political crisis and social unrest.
Artists 2025:
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Andrej Hermlin and His Swing Dance Orchestra – a world-renowned bigband acclaimed by The New York Times, Forbes and LA Times.
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Fats Jazz Band – Slovakia’s leading traditional jazz ensemble with international recognition.
