Last year, 800,000 visitors came despite Hamburg's miserable weather, a figure that they would like to surpass again this year. The numerous concerts on the open-air stages along the Elbe are intended to spread a festival atmosphere. The live programme ranges from rock and pop to shanties and classical music. There will also be broadcasts from the Elbphilharmonie: recordings of concerts from the Great Hall will be shown free of charge on a large screen in front of the striking building.
The port is not only the economic centre of Hamburg, but also our gateway to the world and part of our Hanseatic identity. It also symbolises the openness and tolerance of the people of Hamburg as well as exchange and trade."- Melanie Leonhard, Hamburg Senator for Economics and Innovation
However, the centre of the maritime spectacle, the actual stage so to speak, will once again be the Elbe: from Kehrwieder with the Elbphilharmonie along the Überseebrücke to the Old Elbe Tunnel at the Landungsbrücken, there will of course be plenty of ships to see. As always, the Hafengeburtstag kicks off with the traditional entry parade on Friday, followed at the weekend by round trips, an action programme (such as the tugboat ballet) and, of course, visits on board at the Open Ship.
Which ships are expected at the harbour birthday
The tall ships "Dar Młodzieży" from Poland and the "Alexander von Humboldt II" as well as the German Navy frigate "Hamburg" have already confirmed their participation, and a free shuttle will be offered to the restored four-masted barque "Peking" in the Hansa harbour on the opposite bank of the river. As always, there will also be numerous other ships of all sizes, from traditional sailing ships and steam icebreakers to sea rescue cruisers and other modern emergency vessels. Many of the ships can be visited. A detailed list of the 250 or so expected guests will be published soon on the official website of the 834th Harbour Birthday published. The same applies to the show programme on the water and on land - including fireworks.
