37th Maschsee Festival

On July 31, the Maschseefest in Hanover kicks off its 37th year. For 19 days—through August 18—the state capital will be celebrating all things water at Germany’s largest lake festival. Preparations are in full swing. The first news and highlights have been announced.

News

The Food Mile on the east bank is moving. Until now, food stands offering culinary delights from around the world lined the northern section of the Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Ufer. Now, the food vendors are moving to the Geibel. Spanning approximately 1,400 square meters, the new Food Village at Geibel offers visitors not only a wide variety of delicacies but also a diverse program of events from Wednesday through Sunday, featuring live music, DJ sets, and morning drinks. Among other things, the Soulclub will be performing on Fridays. And guests at the Geibel won’t have to miss out on fine wines paired with a relaxing view of the lake either: With Enrico Leone and the Constantins—which recently brought a maritime flair from Sylt to Hannover’s Markthalle—two new wine venues are setting up shop on the east bank.

The former food mile on Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Ufer will be transformed into a San Francisco-themed area. With street food-style pizza, burgers, and tacos, guests will be transported straight to California on the West Coast of the United States. The food mile on the Westufer will remain as is.

The north shore will soon be glowing blue, as KONE is the new partner of the Maschsee Pavilion. The global market leader in the elevator, escalator, and automatic door industry will sponsor this prominent location through 2026. The globally active company, with Finnish roots and its German headquarters in Hanover, offers the perfect venue for international events and gatherings of all kinds. As usual, the venue will serve trendy cocktails and long drinks, non-alcoholic beverages, and finger food—all while offering a magnificent view of the action.

As usual, a colorful and free hands-on program with plenty of creative and physical activities awaits young guests on the Kinderwiese on the west bank. For the first time this year, the Turn-Klubb Hannover (TKH) will also be there, featuring an air track, among other things. There will be plenty of acrobatics on the air track.

Program highlights

The final lineup is still being finalized, but a few acts have already been confirmed:
On Friday, August 2, bigFM will present German pop singer and rapper Malik Harris live, and on August 3, Munique will kick off the festival as is tradition on the main stage at Hellebardier.

As usual, there will be a drag show and dance performances on Wednesday, August 7, at Queer Wednesday with Disko Jutta & Carrie Gold. The popular “Fisch sucht Fahrrad” party will draw singles and those looking to flirt to the Maschsee stage on the north shore on August 9.
At the Maschseequelle, cover bands like Die Toten Ärzte (July 31) and mit18Band (August 10) will set the tone. The Hanover-based band The Jinxs will celebrate their 35th anniversary there on August 7.

Delicacies from around the world

With its culinary oases spread across some 20,000 square meters, the Maschseefest has established itself as a paradise for foodies—and that’s not about to change. International cuisine—ranging from Middle Eastern to Mexican, Asian, Scandinavian, and Hanseatic—whether exclusive, exotic, home-style, or “on the go”—takes guests on a culinary journey around the world. The international travel portal “Big 7 Travel” ranked the Maschseefest 9th among the best summer festivals for foodies in 2022. This makes it the only festival in Germany to be included among the top ten on the list.

More than 4,000 seats; table reservations are now available
. Many restaurants around Lake Maschsee are offering exclusive events—such as winemaker evenings, tastings, Sunday brunches, and special themed evenings—during the 19-day festival. Reservations can be made at www.maschseefest.de/tischreservierung.

Classics and audience favorites

On the last weekend of the festival, the charity race ducks traditionally take to the waters of Lake Maschsee. At what is now the 13th duck race organized by the North German Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Donor Registry (NKR), large “Big Ducks” and small squeaky ducks will take to the water for a good cause under the motto “Giving the Gift of Life—Fighting Leukemia.” Another crowd favorite, the traditional torchlight swim—which had to be canceled in 2023 for safety reasons—is scheduled to take place again this year on Saturday, August 3, starting at 9:30 p.m.
Little Maschsee pirates have something to look forward to, as the “üstralala” is setting sail once again on an adventure. Tickets are now available online at https://ticket2go.de/#!/checkout/4052. Space is limited.

For more information about the Maschseefest, visit www.visit-hannover.com/Maschseefest.

We would be happy to send you additional photos upon request.

Press contact
Ela Windels
Hannover Marketing & Tourism, Inc.
Vahrenwalder Street 7
30165 Hanover
Phone: 0511/1234 90 26
Email: presse@hannover-marketing.de