As Europe’s largest club festival and international platform for pop culture, we turn Hamburg’s Reeperbahn into the centre of the international music scene once every year. We want to join forces with both artists and visitors to discover new talents, create special moments and broaden our musical horizons. We are led by the principles of diversity, sustainability and gender equality. We are a founding member of the Keychange initiative and are committed to a 50/50 gender quota at festivals and in music organisations worldwide.
Our music programme offers concerts for all tastes, with indie, pop, rock, folk, singer-songwriter, electronic, hip-hop, soul, jazz and classical genres on the bill. Well before their big breakthrough, artists such as Bon Iver from America, Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi from the UK, Sigrid and Aurora from Norway and the German artists Annenmaykantereit and Kraftklub played at the Reeperbahn Festival. Every year, gigs are played at around 70 venues in the vicinity of the Reeperbahn plus open air venues, including publicly accessible stages in the Festival Village on Heiligengeistfeld with a free programme.
The musical line-up is complemented by the curated Arts & Word section, which features over 30 events – including exhibitions, readings, live podcasts, film screenings and performances. The events focus on artistic explorations of relevant social topics such as sustainability, equality, awareness and different forms of discrimination.
This year’s motto, “Imagine Togetherness!”, is our call for new ways of coming together, taking responsibility and developing cooperation – for a culture that is united in its commitment to the next generation of musical artists, to fans, to the entire music ecosystem and, ultimately, to our democracy.
Anchor – Reeperbahn Festival International Music Award
Every September we present the Anchor – Reeperbahn Festival International Music Award. The Anchor is an international award for talented newcomers. It provides music fans and industry insiders with a guide to the music market, and gives those taking part in the competition a uniquely valuable opportunity to launch their careers on the international stage. Past winners include the Ukrainian artist Alyona Alyona, British indie rock band Yard Act and the German electronica duo ÄTNA.
