Hamburg: A City with Firework Dazzle

Oh! You say you miss the 4th of July fireworks happening in your hometown in the USA? Well, don’t worry, because you live in a beautiful city in Germany that allows you to watch spectacular firework displays at least five times a year. Yes! Hamburg is known for its craze for firework extravaganza. Each time Hamburg celebrates an important city festival, you can bet on a firework display to close out the day with style, grace and sometimes with choreographed music. Mark your calendar for these yearly events: the Hamburg Dom, happening three times a year; the birthday of the Hamburg Harbor (Hafengeburtstag) and the Japanese Cherry Blossom festival, both in the month of May; the Alster Fair during the month of August and New Year’s Eve on December 31.

Firework displays often happen spontaneously . . . sometimes the firework companies practice over the Elbe River or sometimes big companies hire an extravaganza show for a special event. So be prepared, because if you happen to live near the Elbe River and suddenly hear some big-boom intervals that shatter your windows or appear to make a big thud in your chest, muster the energy to jump on your bike and head to the river . . . you might be surprised to see one of the most awesome firework displays you’ve seen in a long time, and I tell you, it will be a night to remember.

The next firework display that you will be able to enjoy is coming up on September 1-4, at the festival called the Alster Fair (Alstervergnügen). This is Hamburg’s largest summer festival that draws thousands of visitors to the magnificent Alster Lake located in Hamburg’s city center. This enormous, weekend-long festival offers art exhibitions, theater, musical performances of every kind, a variety of food to eat, culinary demonstrations, and a nightly firework display. Hamburg’s beautiful city backdrop combined with all this activity is truly a sight to behold.

Being that this is an awesome sight to behold, we, the AWCH, are excited to let you in on a little secret. The plans are in the works to hold the AWCH 50th Birthday Gala during one of Hamburg’s firework festival events in 2006. We are looking at locations where there is an opportunity to view one night of the firework display in its entirety. Please mark your calendars for either the month of May or August 2006 to celebrate the AWCH 50th. Look for more details in the next issue of Currents as to the official time, date and location. It’s going to be a party you will not forget! It’s going to be great!