Hamburg’s Cool Festivals, Hot Beaches and Long Summer Nights

Hamburg, on the River Elbe not far from the North Sea, boasts urban lifestyle, great museums and shopping arcades. In the summer there is a great Mediterranean vibe right in the middle of the city; the days are long and warm and the people stay out until late at night enjoying the green parks, urban beaches and summer festivals.

From June to September, Hamburg hosts a wide range of events featuring music and art, film and literature.

The summer's biggest cultural event is the International Summer Festival at the Kampnagel crane factory. Creativity knows no bounds in these converted industrial halls, where an exciting mix of international dance and theater, concerts and thoughtprovoking debates will be setting the tone over the three weeks (mid of August).

The Dockville Festival in the Wilhelmsburg district, Europe's largest river island, explores new avenues with its eclectic program, being a gigantic playground devoted solely to music and the arts (mid of August).

Hamburg's summer festival season culminates in the Reeperbahn Festival, which features 150 bands on 20 or so stages around Spielbudenplatz square in the heart of famous St. Pauli. The program, which demonstrates a strong commitment to up-and-coming international music, excludes mainstream headline acts in favour of promising newcomers representing a multitude of genres (mid/end of September).

Hamburg Events & Festivals Weblinks

Beach Clubs

Beach clubs along the Elbe River are transformed by beaches and exotic palm trees, bringing a touch of the Mediterranean to Hamburg harbor. There are no better places to enjoy sunny days in the city than the quartet of beach clubs, including: Hamburg del Mar, Lago Bay, Hamburg City Beach-Club and Strand Pauli. Those everyday cares seem a world away as the sun sets over the Elbe, lending an air of romance to the port-side bustle of cranes and container ships.

Explore the 'green city by the water', its parks and cafes

People getting around by bike, bus or on foot in Hamburg is a perfect way to visit the city’s many idyllic parks and beautifully laid out gardens in a variety of sizes. Known as the 'green city by the water', there are so many ways to appreciate its natural beauty, whether relaxing in the shade of gnarled oak trees overlooking the Alster Lake or Elbe River. The municipal park has sweeping lawns and an array of leisure activities, the popular Planten un Blomen Park boasts a tropical house and Europe's largest Japanese garden, and the Alsterpark offers picturesque green spaces and panoramic views by the shores of the lake.

The Hamburg DOM – Northern Germany’s biggest and oldest outdoor fair

Related Topics:
The Hamburg DOM – Northern Germany’s biggest and oldest outdoor fair
Cherry blossom festival – Alster bathed in riot of colour
Christmas markets – a feast for the senses – in Hamburg and the metropolitan region
Dithmarschen Kohltage (Cabbage Days)

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