Experience culture. Poetry Slam in Hamburg

10 Years of LURUPINA – Circus Festival Celebrates Anniversary in Hamburg-Lurup

From September 4 to 6, 2026, LURUPINA will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Northern Germany’s largest circus festival will once again transform Böverstpark in Hamburg-Lurup into a stage for international contemporary circus—while remaining true to its community-oriented spirit.

GALA – the special LURUPINA kickoff

On Friday, September 4, at 7:30 p.m., the festival kicks off with the popular GALA.

This year, LURUPINA is celebrating “10 Years of Circus Art in Hamburg.” The first part will highlight 10 years of LURUPINA with a short film, a circus act, exciting interviews, and music. In the second part, the Swiss company Zirkus FahrAWaY will present a fantastic story centered on the big animals in the circus: “Elefant”—artfully performed without real animals.

Tickets for the GALA are available by advance reservation so that seniors and busy families, in particular, can easily gain access to the big top with peace of mind. Through the GALA, LURUPINA raises funds to make the circus festival free for all visitors on the following festival days. The friendliest, alcohol-free bar north of the 52nd parallel is open throughout the GALA. Remaining tickets for the GALA are available at gala@lurupina.de or by calling 040 280 55553; the full program can be found at www.lurupina.de.

A Festival for Everyone—Right in the Heart of the Neighborhood

For a decade, LURUPINA has been bringing together artists from around the world with children, teens, families, and seniors from many different cultures. This unique atmosphere makes the festival a place of welcome and solidarity.

Dr. Kaja Steffens, CDU District Caucus, Hamburg: “Lurupina is a gem of circus art for Hamburg and enchants audiences. I’m fascinated by how an urban green space can be transformed into a magical place. Goosebumps are guaranteed!”

The anniversary program includes tried-and-true formats such as the “Cirque de Quartier,” where circus schools and groups from the surrounding neighborhoods present their acts. The program is complemented by exhibitions on special themes in the Tarp.

LURUPINA – Only Possible Together

After 10 years, LURUPINA has become an internationally connected circus festival with around 5,000 visitors and is now an integral part of Hamburg-Altona’s cultural landscape. The festival is supported by its organizing body, Lichtwark-Forum Lurup e.V.

Artistic director and founder Andree Wenzel is delighted with the dedicated neighborhood community, which consistently creates a strong foundation for vibrant togetherness at the bar, at the information desk, and through the festival’s infrastructure.

LURUPINA is funded by the Altona District Office, Budnianer Hilfe e.V., the Mathias-Tantau Foundation, and the Hermann Hell Foundation, as well as through the dedication of many individuals.

LURUPINA is free and open to the public. Art and culture must be independent and non-negotiable—and open to everyone! We welcome ANY support for this and future circus festivals!

Press Contact:

Lichtwark-Forum Lurup e.V. | Jasmin Eikmeier, PR & Programming

Lurup Neighborhood Cultural Center, Luruper Hauptstraße 155, 22547 Hamburg

Tel.: +49 40 280 55 553 | pr@unser-lurup.de | www.lurupina.de

400 Jahre Reeperbahn - Die ganze Tour

Following in the Footsteps of the Rope Makers through Neustadt and St. Pauli: Before the street names even existed, the craft was alive and well – long before St. Pauli became the entertainment district it is today. In 1626, this trade, so vital to sailing ships, had to make way for a major city expansion, moving outside the new city walls to the then-undeveloped "Hamburger Berg" – and remaining there for more than 250 years. Eva Decker and Dominik Kloss, with their expert historical perspective, will explain what happened to the rope makers and their surroundings in the interim, before, and after this period, on this three-hour walking tour around the Millerntor Guardhouse, organized for the Museum of Hamburg History. A short break will be taken at the old Millerntor Guardhouse after the first half of the tour. Meeting point: Millerntor Guardhouse, Millerntorplatz 20, 20359 Hamburg. Recommended for adults and young people aged 14 and over. Here you can find Part 1 of the tour. Here you can find Part 2 of the tour.

400 Jahre Reeperbahn - Teil 1

Everyone knows the Reeperbahn, but the story behind its name is unfamiliar to many! To mark the 400th anniversary of the Reeperbahn(s), the Museum of Hamburg History, in cooperation with local historian Eva Decker and renowned city historian Dominik Kloss, is offering a program dedicated to the origins and forerunners of the St. Pauli district: what role did the ropewalkers and their ropewalks play over the past 400 years, and how did they shape St. Pauli? What traces of their history can still be found today in the district and its eastern neighbors? The tour is divided into two 90-minute parts, taking place on consecutive Sundays. Alternating between the first and last two centuries since 1626, the tours explain the reasons for the repeated relocation of this unique craft outside the city walls and the development of the St. Pauli suburb – always following in the footsteps of the ropemakers and their guild, as well as the milieu in which they lived and worked. Note: Tours must be booked individually. Duration: 90 minutes. Cost: €10 per person (€5 reduced). Meeting point Part 1: In front of the Museum of Hamburg History, Holstenwall 24, 20355 Hamburg (end of Millerntor Guardhouse). Meeting point Part 2: In front of the Millerntor Guardhouse, Millerntorplatz 20, 20359 Hamburg (end of Beatles Square). Recommended for adults and young people aged 14 and over. Part 2 of the tour can be found here.

400 Jahre Reeperbahn - Teil 2

Everyone knows the Reeperbahn, but the story behind its name is unfamiliar to many! To mark the 400th anniversary of the Reeperbahn(s), the Museum of Hamburg History, in cooperation with local historian Eva Decker and renowned city historian Dominik Kloss, is offering a program dedicated to the origins and forerunners of the St. Pauli district: what role did the ropewalkers and their ropewalks play over the past 400 years, and how did they shape St. Pauli? What traces of their history can still be found today in the district and its eastern neighbors? The tour is divided into two 90-minute parts, taking place on consecutive Sundays. Alternating between the first and last two centuries since 1626, the tour explains the reasons for the repeated relocation of this unique craft outside the city walls and the development of the St. Pauli suburb – always following in the footsteps of the ropemakers and their guild, as well as the milieu in which they lived and worked. Note: Tours must be booked individually. Duration: 90 minutes. Cost: €10 per person (€5 reduced). Meeting point Part 1: In front of the Museum of Hamburg History, Holstenwall 24, 20355 Hamburg (end of Millerntor Guardhouse). Meeting point Part 2: In front of the Millerntor Guardhouse, Millerntorplatz 20, 20359 Hamburg (end of Beatles Square). Recommended for adults and young people aged 14 and over. Here you can find Part 1 of the tour.

48h Jenfeld

The “Network Music” from Jenfeld invites you to the neighborhood festival “48h Jenfeld” for the third time: From Friday, 6 p.m. to Sunday, 6 p.m., musicians of every culture, genre, professionalism and age group will perform in their immediate neighborhood.

For 48 hours, music takes over in Jenfeld — a weekend full of diversity and cultural discoveries right on your doorstep. For example:

Together with drum circle facilitator Kemal Sanlitürk, we start the festival with a rousing participatory drum circle at the row of shops on Charlottenburger Strasse. The healing continues with MATAiLO at the Jenfeld House, who creates a completely new genre and calls his music "medical". Behind it is Luis, a gifted musician and filmmaker from Jenfeld.

The Haspa in JEN even opens on Saturday for the cheerful German pop of “JaKaNa”. Right around the corner in the Gläserne Werkstatt, the young musician EMILIA plays her debut and presents her music for the first time outside of her family and circle of friends.

Anyone who wants to dance to Colombian rhythms should come to Jenfelder Au. Here, “Tambores del Diablo” bring lively cumbia sounds to the neighborhood. The youngest musician at the festival will be playing in the youth club on Rodigallee. “Nami45”, aged 12, has written his own lyrics under the direction of rap veteran Mr. Schnabel and performs them with impressive aplomb. An absolute insider tip!

A Nail to Hang the Day On

Embedded within even the most basic household item is an emotional charge that binds it to the lives of those who use it, far exceeding the function of the object itself. Habit, trauma, fantasy, desire, or memory lodge themselves into our belongings, and the cold surfaces of a toaster or a cutting board transform, become abstract, and fossilise over time, from possessions into something else. The less directly useful an object slowly becomes, the more it accumulates meaning, specificity, and identity—and a broken chair can sometimes mean and matter more than a new one.