Full steam ahead: Hamburg Cruise Days and Blue Port Hamburg take over the port in September

Hamburg, 16/02/2023 – From 8-10 September 2023, when the Hamburg Cruise Days moors in the port, the city again becomes a stage for the glittering world of cruises. The world’s most beautiful cruise festival is back after the pandemic and a boutique edition last year – with stunning ships and a lavish, engaging programme along the waterfront, including Blue Port Hamburg and spectacular event highlights like the Grand Parade on Saturday evening. AIDA Cruises is again the event’s Premium Partner.

Nine cruise ships, the Grand Hamburg Cruise Days Parade on Saturday, Blue Port Hamburg and a colourful programme on land, ranging from culture to culinary delights. Countless cruise fans all over the world have been eagerly anticipating the return of this festival. From Friday, 8 September, until Sunday, 10 September 2023, for the ninth time the popular international festival invites guests from all around the world to the port of Hamburg.

Michael Otremba, managing director of the event’s licensor Hamburg Tourismus GmbH: “The Hamburg Cruise Days and Blue Port Hamburg will once again be creating a magic atmosphere in the port. Guests and locals alike will be able to experience the inimitable fascination of ocean travel and cruises up close in an experience that only Hamburg can offer.”

Highlights on land and water
Currently, nine ships have announced that they will be coming to Hamburg for the event weekend, ranging from majestic ocean cruisers and grand luxury liners to elegant expedition ships and river cruise boats: AIDAprima, AIDAperla and AIDAsol (AIDA Cruises), Artania (Phoenix Reisen), Mein Schiff 6 (TUI Cruises), MS Thurgau Chopin (Thurgau Travel), MS Sans Souci (PLANTOURS Kreuzfahrten), VASCO DA GAMA and WORLD VOYAGER (nicko cruises).

The event site will stretch from Landungsbrücken along Jan-Fedder-Promenade all the way to the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Visitors can look forward to a hugely engaging programme of events including showcases by the cruise lines and many inspiring presentations that invite spectators to browse, linger and enjoy – from entertainment on the show stage, cabaret, music and dance, all the way to an incredible variety of mouth-watering food and drinks plus a play zone for kids.

Naturally, Blue Port Hamburg will also be back: lighting artist Michael Batz will again be illuminating the port in a magical blue light a week before the Hamburg Cruise Days starts – an unforgettable experience for all visitors.

The highlight of the event will be the Grand Hamburg Cruise Days Parade on Saturday evening. Five cruise ships will sail majestically down the Elbe on Saturday evening. Premium partner AIDA Cruises will lead the parade with AIDAprima. The following ships will all be feted with individual fireworks. In keeping with the event’s tradition, the parade will be accompanied by music and a commentary by actor Marek Erhardt and ends with a spectacular firework display as a grand finale. Other highlights will include cruises on the Elbe with the river cruise ships, and the joint departure of the AIDAperla and AIDAsol with music and commentary on Sunday.

“After having to cancel the Hamburg Cruise Days in 2021 due to the pandemic, and the small boutique version of the event last year, we are overjoyed to be returning in full force this year and with all the event’s popular highlights”, says Katja Derow, managing director of redroses communications GmbH and co-organiser of the event. “We are so looking forward to that tangible sense of longing for far-away places and experiencing the unique thrill of this event in Hamburg’s port.”

AIDA Cruises again premium partner
The organisers have again been able to win AIDA Cruises as a premium partner. The cruise company will be involved in many ways at this year’s Hamburg Cruise Days: visitors will be able to admire three ships from the AIDA fleet in the port on all three days of the event; AIDAprima will be leading the parade on Saturday evening, and the AIDA Urlaubswelt welcomes guests of all ages with a whole range of highlights and attractions at Kehrwiederspitze.

More sustainability at the event – in minds and on the ground
The cruise industry has set itself some very ambitious sustainability targets. For many years the cruise lines have been working to protect marine eco-systems and use resources mindfully and efficiently. They have made significant investments in new vessels and emission-neutral propulsion technologies, all with the aim of achieving the long-term target of making cruises climate-neutral.

Uwe Bergmann, managing director of uba GmbH and co-organiser of the event: “The participating cruise lines will be featuring this issue prominently in their presentations on land, and will be highlighting their progress and achievements, for instance with technical facts and figures, multimedia information and fun activities for visitors to join in.”

The event itself is also becoming greener. “Our aim is to make the event truly sustainable, to highlight this issue and make it visible and accessible – and to use all the resources required as sustainably as possible”, says Bergmann. In concrete terms, this means using green electricity wherever possible, a waste avoidance strategy and waste separation scheme at the event site, a ban on disposables, digital information options, a barrier-free design and the use of an internal checklist to monitor CO₂ emissions for the KPIs water, electricity and waste.