The 2nd Hamburg Yacht Festival - a great festival for boating

It can be so beautiful on the Elbe. Three days of sunshine, immersed in the relaxed atmosphere of cheerful exhibitors and beaming visitors, the Hamburg Yacht Festival from September 6-8 presented a wonderful mix of information and entertainment. It was a successful end to the season for experienced boat owners and a relaxed introduction to a new hobby for beginners. In short: a three-day celebration of boating!

It attracted over 9,000 visitors to the Elbe. Many of them arrived by sailboat or motorboat. The In-Water Boat Show was just as much of an attraction as the 90 or so program items on two stages and on the water. On the two party evenings, the party went on late into the night.

On Friday morning, Julia Fisauli-Aalto, 2nd Mayor of the city of Wedel, opened the event in Hamburg's marina in Mediterranean weather with a long tuuut from the ship's horn. In her opening speech, she emphasized the importance of the Hamburg Yacht Festival for the city of Wedel and the maritime leisure industry on the Elbe.

The 60 exhibitors around Hall 2 and on Pier B were extremely satisfied. Not only was advice given, but purchases were also made. Many boat enthusiasts strolled along the jetties in the Osthafen to admire the boats on display or even enjoy a test drive on the Elbe. The boat exhibitors reported very good contacts and even sales.

There was something for everyone at the large hands-on activities related to boating. Whether for children and adults interested in sailing, taster sailing from the German Sailing Association, Hamburg Sailing Association and Schleswig-Holstein Sailing Association, RC sailing or motor boating for kids from the Hamburg Motorboat Association. The "Yacht Festival Cup" on the Elbe could not be sailed due to a lack of wind, but the kids showed off their light wind skills in the marina opti-cup in the harbor. In addition to the German Sailing Association's youth lab, there was also the "Fun & Games for Kids" campaign organized by Hamburger Sparkasse. 

The expert presentations on the subject of safety at sea on the stage in the harbor apron were very popular and met with great interest from both motorboaters and sailors. At the very well-attended maritime flea market in Hall 4 on Saturday, many treasures changed hands.

The boating festival was rounded off with delicious food and drink on the large food court and the evening parties in Hall 2: on Friday at "Wedel tanzt" with DJ Robert'o and DJ Georg Rehn. On Saturday, around 1200 enthusiastic people sang at "Wedel sings". At the marina party afterwards, the "JustForFun-Hitband" fired up the party.

Heiko Zimmermann, Managing Director of Yachtfestival 365 GmbH: "Our concept of celebrating a festival for boating in Hamburg's marina is working. The mixture of exhibition, InWater boat show, lectures, demonstrations, a children's program, hands-on activities, a maritime flea market and great evening events is very well received by boating enthusiasts and those who want to become one. The response from the 60 exhibitors has been consistently positive. This also applies to our partners, who are unanimously enthusiastic. An event is being established that will become a fixed date in the year for everyone involved."

The next Hamburg Yacht Festival will take place at the beginning of September 2025.

The next ancora yacht festival will take place in Neustadt i.H. from May 23 - 25, 2025.

Partners of the HAMBURG YACHTFESTIVAL 2024: Hamburger Yachthafen-Gemeinschaft, HASPA Hamburger Sparkasse, Delius-Klasing Verlag with YACHT and BOOTE-Magazin Deutscher Segler-Verband, Hamburger Segel-Verband, Segler-Verband Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburger Motorboot Verband, Motorbootverband Schleswig- Holstein.

About the HAMBURG YACHTFESTIVAL: The organizer is the agency Yachtfestival365 with its partner TMI World, which also organizes the largest German in-water boat show, the ancora Yachtfestival in Neustadt in Holstein on the Baltic Sea.

Media download: https://www.yachtfestival.de/hamburg-yachtfestival/media-download/

Press contact: Heiko Zimmermann I 0151 12004198 I hz@yachtfestival365.de