Culture at the waterside: Elbphilharmonie, Elbfest and Harbour Front Literature Festival invite you to discover HAMBURG’S URBAN SHORE

Hamburg, 14 September 2018 – Countless events in and around Hamburg’s port continue to attract culture lovers from all over the world. On 22 and 23 September, for instance, Hamburg will be celebrating its maritime heritage as part of the Elbfest Hamburg festival, with event venues that include historical ships, harbour facilities, and the Port Museum. Until 8 October, authors from around the world will be reading from their works at the Harbour Front Literature Festival, and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg is currently kicking off its third concert season. Hamburg Tourismus now offers accommodation packages including concert tickets, with prices starting from €244 per person. So there are countless travel occasions for exploring the cultural gems of HAMBURG’S URBAN SHORE this autumn. To get a foretaste of things to come, you can follow our current Hamburg campaign at www.hamburg-travel.com/attractions/hamburg-maritime/urbanshore-hamburg, with video footage that allows insights into the many ways in which Hamburg’s locals enjoy living on the water. This September, the campaign’s focal theme is “Culture at the waterside”.

Maritime museums, large concert halls, exciting music festivals, ships to party and dance on: Hamburg's urban shore offers plenty of cultural opportunities. Along the banks of the Elbe and right on the water, there are unparalleled cultural highlights waiting to be explored. With unique venues such as the Miniatur Wunderland and the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg attracts young and old alike and continues to amaze even the city’s locals.

Elbphilharmonie kicks off new season – accommodation packages from €244

Undoubtedly, the Elbphilharmonie is the cultural and architectural highlight on Hamburg’s waterfront. Opened in January 2017, the iconic new concert hall has just started into the new season. Audiences can look forward to numerous excellent guest performances, and some of these will be part of programme priorities and themed festivals. Between September and November, for example, there will be several opportunities to experience Poland’s finest orchestras and soloists on the occasion of Poland's centenary celebrations of independence, and in early November, the contemporary music festival “Greatest Hits” will be dedicated to the topic of intoxication.

To make it easier for music lovers to buy tickets for concerts in the Elbphilharmonie throughout the year, tickets for many of the concerts will only be scheduled for sale in the course of the season, and release dates will be announced as the season progresses.

With prices starting from €244 per person, accommodation packages from Hamburg Tourismus are another option, comprising two overnight stays at a hotel including breakfast, one Hamburg CARD for free local public transport and reduced rates at numerous tourist attractions, as well as one coveted Elbphilharmonie concert ticket – e.g. for the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen on 3 November 2018. To book your package deal, please visit https://www.hamburg-travel.com/search-book/packages/book-online-now/details/the-german-chamber-philharmonic-bremen/

Maritime festival and international authors at Hamburg’s port

On 22 and 23 September 2018, the Elbfest Hamburg festival will be held for the second time. Featuring numerous maritime events and activities on both banks of the Elbe River, the festival includes venues such as historic ships, port facilities, the Port Museum as well as countless other waterside hotspots. Visitors can expect a rich choice of cultural and culinary treats. The festival programme stretches over four port locations: the Sandtorhafen in the HafenCity district, the Port Museum, the Oevelgönne museum harbour, and of course the Elbe River itself (www.elbfest.hamburg).

For the 10th consecutive time, the port of Hamburg will serve as a meeting place for the international and national literature scenes: until 8 October, the Harbour Front Literature Festival is providing a stage for world-famous novelists and promising newbies alike, presenting once again an exciting selection of this autumn’s new book releases. Overall there will be 79 event items across all genres of literature, including the most important book releases from the second half of 2018 (www.harbourfront-hamburg.com).

Life at the waterside: Hamburg’s URBAN SHORE campaign

Launched in July 2018, the URBAN SHORE campaign by Hamburg Tourismus presents selected tourist and cultural hotspots around Hamburg’s port. With entertaining videos and social media posts, the campaign is dedicated to picturing life at Hamburg’s waterfront.

Aimed at all (prospective) guests to Hamburg, the “Culture at the waterside” clip is the second of three videos from the campaign. As well as reflecting the cultural diversity of Hamburg’s waterside, the video conveys a maritime flair that draws on Hamburg’s history as a port city. Hamburg’s urban shore offers a wealth of activities, ranging from a visit to the Elbphilharmonie’s Plaza and coffee tasting sessions in the historic Speicherstadt to open-air tango lessons and live gigs on a reefer ship of the former GDR’s high-sea fishing fleet, and the range of events and activities just keeps growing.

Footage on Hamburg's URBAN SHORE is available at www.hamburg-travel.com/attractions/hamburg-maritime/urbanshore-hamburg. Additional content that has been, and will be, published throughout the year has a focus on events as well as life on the water.

Further information on Hamburg:

- Media services as well as general information on Hamburg: mediarelations.hamburg.de

- Pictures and footage for free editorial use: mediaserver.hamburg.de

More Hamburg:

Many more Hamburg tips for download or online at the following Websites:

- HHT website: hamburg-travel.com

- Hamburg CARD: hamburg-tourismus.de/card

- Calendar of events: www.hamburg-travel.com/experience/events

- Event app, including “culture alert”: hh-events.de

- Hamburg App: hh-app.de