"834th Hamburg Port Birthday: Thousands Celebrate with Tractor Ballet and Fireworks"

2023-05-06 19:18:45

Status: 05/06/2023 10:48 p.m

Thousands of visitors celebrated the second day of the 834th Hamburg port birthday around the Landungsbrücken on Saturday. In the afternoon, the tractor ballet attracted a number of visitors. The day ended with fireworks over the Elbe.

At 10:30 p.m., the 15-minute fireworks display started with the song “Let Me Entertain You” by Robbie Williams on the southern side of the Elbe opposite the Landungsbrücken. The second day of the harbor birthday came to an end with a crowd puller.

Hauler Ballet with National Youth Ballet

Another highlight on Saturday was the tractor ballet. Under a gray sky, the up to 3,000 hp tugboats in the harbor pirouetted to the accompaniment of waltzes and film music. The Hamburg anthem “Hammonia” formed the musical prelude. But this year they did not dance alone: the National Youth Ballet, founded by John Neumeier in 2011, danced for the first time on the largest of the five ships. Four of the smaller tractors opened the performance to a classic waltz.

Fifth tug with platform

The tractor ballet was performed in three acts: in the first act, the tractors moved in sweeping formations, in the second act, the dancers performed their choreography. In the third act, the Cologne band “Cat Ballou” played a medley of their most famous songs. For both acts, a stage measuring eight by eight meters and weighing up to two tons was set up on one of the harbor tugboats.

Hauler Ballet bids farewell with the Heidi Kabel classic

For the choreographer of the tugboat ballet, the harbor pilot Götz Bolte, the new production presented a particular challenge because of the swaying stage. He and his team had checked the feasibility of the performance beforehand when there were waves. Finally, the smugglers said goodbye with the classic by the Ohnsorg Theater actress Heidi Kabel “In Hamburg you say goodbye”.

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Rescue exercise on and above the Elbe

Things got much more serious afterwards. During the “SOS – Joint Rescue Operation”, the German Armed Forces, police, fire brigade, water police, the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons (DGzRS), ADAC and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) simulated an accident on the high seas with emergency vehicles and helicopters. THW pyrotechnicians used explosions to create a realistic setting.

Official opening with entry parade on Friday

The Hamburg Port Birthday was officially opened on Friday. Overall, the city expects more than a million guests at the weekend.

Road closures: Use public transport instead

On Saturday, too, some streets will be closed in the districts of Altona, St. Pauli, Neustadt and Hafencity because of the port birthday. Drivers are generally recommended to use public transport and drive around the event space as far as possible.

Harbor birthday has only been celebrated since 1989

Actually, the port is older than 834 years. Experts assume that it has existed since at least the early sixth century. On May 7, 1189, a decree is said to have enabled the citizens of Hamburg to travel duty-free from the Elbe. This date is used today as the starting point for the celebrations. The port has only been honored every year since 1977. The festival has been taking place on a grand scale since the port’s 800th anniversary in 1989.

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