The world’s greatest port festival!

Hamburg celebrates its harbour! From Friday, 7th of May to Sunday, 9th of May 2010 the Hanseatic city will be celebrating the 821st Birthday of the Port of Hamburg - each year with more than 1 million visitors. For three whole days the world’s largest harbour festival offers unlimited attractions on the water, on land and in the air.

Some of the world’s largest and most beautiful cruise ships are expected. Aquatic events like the parade of ships, the tugboat ballet and the dragon boat race are at the heart of the Port of Hamburg’s birthday celebrations. 

The celebration centres around land events along the gangplanks (Landungsbrücken) from the warehouses of the Dockland warehouse district (Kehrwiederspitze) to the fish auction hall with approx. 500 fair stands, artistic and culinary delights, shows and entertainment.

Countless stages, some of them featuring radio stations, events for children, young people and families, as well as museum specials (exhibitions, guided tours, etc.) round off the programme with a cultural flourish.

The date of the Port Birthday Hamburg goes back to Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa, who granted the people of Hamburg exemption from customs duties for ships on the Elbe from Hamburg to the North Sea on the 7th of May 1189. This date is generally regarded as the birthday of the Port of Hamburg and lets this year's opening celebration be a very special one, as it takes place on the exact same date, the 7th of May.

However, the Port Birthday Hamburg has been celebrated publicly for only a little over a quarter of a century - and has grown continuously. The port promenade now extends about 3.5 km (2.2 miles) from the Speicherstadt warehouse district to the fish auction hall and increasingly integrates the new HafenCity district.