The first Hamburg Cruise Days after the pandemic come to a highly successful end

Hamburg, 21 August 2022 – The Hamburg Cruise Days pur ended with sunshine on Sunday – and despite the different conditions, once again proved that the event truly is the world’s most spellbinding cruise festival: with 135,000 cruise fans, an inspiring shore programme, five impressive cruise ships, two breath-taking evening shows on the Elbe River – and captivating images and messages that went out around the world from Hamburg.

Greater flexibility, sharper focus and more consciousness: a few modifications were required to be able to celebrate the Hamburg Cruise Days again in the shadow of the pandemic. The site was smaller to allow a rigorous hygiene plan to be implemented in the event of a resurgence; there were fewer ships than usual and, instead of the fireworks and grand Saturday evening parade of previous events, the water extravaganzas were slightly different.

Despite these necessary modifications the event was just as joyous and elated as it has always been. The Hamburg Cruise Days pur 2022 was an incredible success, and delighted the many, many spectators along the waterfront. Katja Derow, co-organiser and managing director of redroses communications GmbH: “In many regards the slightly ‘decelerated’ Hamburg Cruise Days pur 2022 perfectly captured the spirit of the times. After the pandemic, people simply want to come together and enjoy carefree experiences and unforgettable moments – and this is exactly what we were able to provide. The thrilling world of cruises, the longing to travel, the Port of Hamburg as a stage – at the Hamburg Cruise Days pur we wanted to focus on all these aspects, and I am proud that we fully succeeded.”

Hamburg’s head of tourism, Michael Otremba, was also highly satisfied with the successful relaunch of the popular Hamburg cruise festival: “The number of visitors shows that the Port of Hamburg holds a great fascination for so many people. The stunning displays on the water in the evening and the relaxed mood on land made for a truly unforgettable atmosphere.”

Inspiring moments and a message  from Hamburg to the world
As well as the shore programme with cruise information provided by the cruise lines, culture, cabaret and gastronomic delights, the spectators were treated to stunning shows on the water. The first highlight of the event came on Friday evening when the Queen Mary 2 – the cruise ship that holds such a very special place in the hearts of the people of Hamburg – gave the starting signal for the light-up of the Blue Port Hamburg illuminations by artist Michael Batz. To the sound of swelling music, first the Queen herself was lit up in royal blue, followed by Hamburg’s landmarks in succession, including the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, the tower of the Michel church, the Blohm + Voss shipyard and the Cap San Diego, all of which shone in luminous blue. The Blue Port Hamburg illuminations can be enjoyed in the port until 28 August every evening between 20:00 and 01:00.

On Saturday evening, the port again attracted thousands of visitors who came to marvel at the Pas de deux on blue – the encounter of two majestic cruise ships against the backdrop of Blue Port Hamburg. In a moving artistic show, directed by Michael Batz, the AIDAprima, which belongs to the fleet of the Hamburg Cruise Days premium partner AIDA Cruises, and the MSC Magnifica took part in a spectacular multimedia display between the Elbphilharmonie and Landungsbrücken. The orchestrated combination of music, images drawn in the sky by drones, Hamburg’s landmarks and beautiful projections onto the AIDAprima captivated the spectators and was greeted with repeated spontaneous applause. The show also sent out a clear message to the world: a peace sign made of drones against Hamburg’s night sky brought the spectacular evening to a close.

Great visitor satisfaction and more than 135,000 guests
Co-organiser Uwe Bergmann, managing director of uba gmbh, summed up: “The conditions were challenging, and we had to plan with great flexibility and pragmatism and be prepared to think on our feet. This is why we are particularly pleased that people so obviously loved the event. We welcomed around 135,000 visitors on the festival site between Friday and Sunday, and there were several thousand more along the Elbe. The results of our survey this year show that around 80% of visitors were satisfied or very satisfied with the event, which is a welcome endorsement of our work. We are very grateful to our licensor, Hamburg Tourismus, as well as our partners – first and foremost our premium partner AIDA Cruises – without whom this would not have been possible.” In addition to premium partner AIDA Cruises, the cruise lines MSC Cruises, nicko cruises and Cunard Line also sponsored the event and participated with their own presentations.

The Hamburg Cruise Days pur took place in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere without incidents.

Full steam ahead into the 2023 cruise year – AIDA Cruises remains premium partner
As the Hamburg Cruise Days pur 2022 was held to make up for last year’s event, which was cancelled due to the pandemic, the next cruise festival is already on the horizon: the 9th Hamburg Cruise Days will take place next year from 8 to 10 September 2023. AIDA Cruises will again be a premium partner. Preparations for next year’s event are already underway – and according to the visitor survey, more than 50% of the visitors to this year’s Hamburg Cruise Days are considering returning next year.