Hafengeburstag

The Harbor Festival of Hamburg is celebrated every year around the second week of May, attracting thousands of visitors from around the world to the evocative setting of this magical city of the North of Germany.

The History of the Festival

According to history, on the 7th of may of 1189, the emperator Federico Barbarossa, granted the right of free circulation and established the abolition of customs duties for the ships that sailed on the Elba river of Hamburg through the Northern Sea. This date was chosen as the birthday of the harbor, which in 2019 will complete 830 years.

Hamburg during the Festival

The 2015 edition of Hafengeburstag happened between the 8th and the 10th of may. The unfavorable weather of that weekend wasn't enough to stop the celebrations: all city was in a festivity mood, with concerts and expositions in every corner of Hamburg. The actual heart of the party tho was the harbor: hundreds of boats and ships, from every part of the world, big and small, new and old, all decorated for the party, ready for the show, which was for me the best moment of the celebration: the sirens of the ships echoing through the city creating a magical atmosphere, the historical ships created a pleasent contrast with the modern buildings that stood out in the horizon. Saturday evening, the unmissable pyrotechnik show, which was absolutely amazing.

Deutsche Life

The market close to the harbor is the ideal place for tasting the traditional german food: from Currywurst to Schmalzkuchen, squares of fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar, you can move on to beer after, of every kind taste and color.

During these days, the Sankt Pauli block is the core of the amusements of the city, particularly for the young ones: with concerts throughout the day, discos and clubs of every kind for the evening, defining Sankt Pauli just as the "red lights block of the city" would be a simplification. The high number of sexshops with bright colored signs that illuminated the streets and the excentric clubs create a fascinating contrast with the austere and elegant beauty of Hamburg.

The Hafengeburstag is an unique event in this genre, I had never seen anything of this kind so different and majestic, for me in particular for I love boats and ships, it was really a special occasion.