Hamburg celebrates: Harbor birthday with spectacle and great fireworks!

The Hamburg port birthday celebrates its 836th anniversary this year and offers visitors a variety of events from May 9th to 11th, 2025. Burgenland from Austria, which contributes to the celebration with wine and singing, this year. The largest maritime party in the world attracts numerous guests every year, and the organizers expect around a million visitors again this time.

On Saturday, May 10th, numerous highlights are on the program. One of the central attractions is the "SOS Joint Rescue Operation" rescue exercise on the Elbe, to the fire brigade, water protection police and the Bundeswehr. In this exercise, a simulated scenario of an accident is trained in the port of Hamburg, where people go overboard. In addition, the tractor ballet with tractors that perform up to 3,000 hp is listed and accompanied with waltz and film music.

festive highlights and live program

Another highlight is the live show "Elbe in Concert", in which artists such as Johannes Oerding, Wincent Weiss and the Hamburg ballet will appear. The traditional fireworks over the Elbe is ignited on the same evening at 10:45 p.m. Live music is also offered on various stages along the harbor mile, which underlines the festive character of the event.

The start of the port birthday will start on Friday, May 9th, with an inlet parade, where, among others, Nina Chuba and Lotto King Karl appear. The event also brings with it some logistical challenges, including road closures in the districts of Altona, St. Pauli, Neustadt and HafenCity. Visitors are strongly recommended to use public transport and bypass the event area. In addition, live streams are offered for various program items on NDR.de/hamburg.

In the coming days, numerous other events such as ship's parades, flea markets and a children's festival on the Michelwiese will also take place, which underline the attractiveness of the port birthday. The celebrations show the historical background of the event that marks the official birth of the port on May 7, 1189.