Raise the anchor and let loose

18 Jul 2022 14:30 Entertainment

It’s finally back: After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, it’s time to “raise the anchor and let loose” from Friday the 16th of September to Sunday the 18th, as seaborne guests from all over the world gather in the Port of Hamburg. Visitors can look forward to a rousing festival with popular highlights such as the launch and dock parade, the unique tugboat ballet, free live concerts on numerous open-air stages as well as Mediterranean offerings from Croatia, this year’s country partner. Join us in the fish auction hall, at the Elbphilharmonie, in the traditional ship harbour, the Oevelgönne museum port and the Hansa harbour in Speicherstadt – the HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY [HAFENGEBURTSTAG HAMBURG> will deliver unforgettable moments on the Elbe with a non-stop programme for fans of the maritime world, families, culture aficionados and concert lovers.

Ship parades, dancing tugboats and fascinating guests from all over the world
The tradition is to begin the HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY with the International Ecumenical Service at St. Michaelis’ church. The service, with the motto “Full Speed Ahead”, will be held by the head pastor Alexander Röder and the actress Barbara Wussow. After Dr Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, officially casts the festival loose at the Rickmer Rickmers museum ship, the grandiose launch parade will commence at 1:30 pm, led by the frigate Bavaria. The unique tugboat ballet will follow on Saturday, at 3:00 pm. Multiple harbour tugboats with thousands of horsepower will float out on the Elbe, plying between the landing bridges and pirouetting to classic melodies. Another highlight will be the light show called “Hamburg’s Sea of Lights”, presented by AIDA Cruises, on Saturday evening at 9:30 pm. The focus of this impressive lightshow will be the AIDAprima, which will be anchored right in front of the landing bridges. And for the grand finale – a traditional magnet for visitors – the spectacular docking parade on Sunday at 3:00 pm will be led by Dar Mlodziezy, the Polish sail training ship.

The heart of the HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY is the water programme. Visitors will experience pure action on the Elbe for three straight days. Popular parts of the program such as daughter boat show cruises, parades of museum and traditional ships as well as up-close helicopter sea rescue operations, “SOS – Rescuers in Action”, will ensure non-stop entertainment. Cutting edge watercraft from the Maritime Search and Rescue Service [DGzRS>, the Fire Brigade, Hamburg Port Authority, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief [THW> and the Water Safety Police will also be in action.

Windjammers, tugboats and cruise ships make the maritime fleet a diverse collection
One of the star guests at the HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY will be the Polish Dar Mlodziezy, a full-rigged, three-masted ship, and the Eldorado, a two-masted gaff schooner. Anchored in the Hansa harbour, on Bremen’s quay, is the city’s new “flagship”, the four-masted barque PEKING. You can reach the so-called Flying P-Liner PEKING by shuttle service from the landing bridges [Landungsbrücken> and tour it in small guided groups.

Another attention-drawing part to explore can be found in the high-tech emergency vehicles used by various institutions, such as customs, fisheries protection and the federal police. Museum and traditional ships, such as the deep-sea tugboats named the Elbe and Holland, will also honour the Hanseatic city by sailing in for a visit. A total of five cruise ships will also be moored in the Port of Hamburg over the three days: the AIDAprima, the Mein Schiff 6, the river cruise ship Frederic Chopin as well as the Europa and the Norwegian cruise ship Otto Sverdrup.

Disembark for an impressive programme
On shore, the HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY will delight visitors with numerous special experiences against the unique backdrop of the Port of Hamburg. Play spaces for children, fairground rides, free live concerts on a variety of open-air stages as well as culinary specialities from all over the world will entice you to stroll around for hours on shore. Croatia, the country partner, will ensure a Mediterranean flair. At Kehrwiederspitze, visitors can immerse themselves in Croatian and Adriatic culture and lifestyle, learning more and enjoying entertainment and typical local cuisine.

Fans of classical music can look forward to a “best of” concert recording from the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie. At Platz der Deutschen Einheit, in front of the Elbphilharmonie, free performances from the unmistakable Hamburg landmark will be shown on a large high-definition video wall. To ensure that even local Hamburg residents get to navigate through new sides of their city or explore it from a different perspective, many of Hamburg’s museums and institutions will join in the shore programme by offering walking routes, guided tours, exhibitions and activities. 3

The organiser of the HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, represented by the Ministry for Economy and Innovation [Behörde für Wirtschaft und Innovation>. Since 1994, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH has acted as event representative of HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY for the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, it’s time to “raise the anchor and let loose” at the HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY.

Press contact

Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH

Press and PR

Andrea Heyden

Tel.: 040-3569-2446

E-Mail: andrea.heyden@hamburg-messe.de