2023 International Fireworks Competition and the Current Hannover Tourism Campaign

Hello Europe!

“Hello Europe – Welcome to Hannover”: Under this motto, next year’s International Fireworks Competition invites our neighbors to the Herrenhausen Gardens.

After some 58,000 guests watched unique fireworks displays from five continents this year to mark the competition’s anniversary, the 31st International Fireworks Competition in 2023 will focus on Germany and our European neighbors. So, under the motto “Brilliant as always – closer than ever,” we’ll be saying: Hello, Herzlich Willkommen, Salut, Grüezi, and Servus! As usual, each fireworks display will consist of a standard compulsory piece—next year, in keeping with the theme, an excerpt from Ludwig van Beethoven’s European anthem “Ode to Joy”—followed by an individual freestyle performance.

Marketing activities

From today through mid-December, the 2023 International Fireworks Competition will be featured on select large-format billboards in the surrounding area, CityLight posters, flagpoles in the city center, passenger TV screens, ads on Facebook and Instagram, flyers at cultural institutions, as well as interstitials and online banners in Northern German daily newspapers. The Hannover newspaper supplement “Tipps und Termine,” which will be published on November 11, also features the theme “Hello Europe.” With a fireworks motif from the Herrenhausen Gardens on the cover, it will be included with a circulation of 1.5 million copies in daily newspapers across northern Germany, in selected editions of the *Welt* and *Süddeutsche Zeitung*, and on select ICE trains. In addition, the International Fireworks Competition, with its “Hannover explosiv” experience package, is part of the winter campaign by Hannover Marketing and Tourism GmbH (HMTG) to mark the end of the 2022 tourism year. From late November through Christmas, various designs on large-format posters, newspaper and magazine ads, and online banners will showcase special gift ideas from Hannover. In line with this, starting in mid-November, articles in travel magazines, periodicals, and on tourism-related websites in Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria, as well as in the Netherlands, England, and Denmark, will promote a visit to Hanover.

Hans Nolte, Managing Director of Hannover Marketing and Tourism as well as Hannover Veranstaltungs GmbH, on the current campaign: “With the slogan ‘Hello Europe,’ which is more relevant now than ever, we have made the International Fireworks Competition the ambassador and focal point of our current marketing activities. Drawing on the appeal of the Herrenhausen Gardens and the international character of the fireworks competition, the Hannover region is presenting itself as an attractive tourist destination in the heart of Europe.” In the spring of 2023, an international, country-specific campaign will follow in the participating countries. Custom poster designs and special offers will then invite residents of each country to support their national team at Hannover’s Herrenhausen Gardens.

Supporting program

The Great Garden, with its grotto designed by Niki de Saint Phalle, the Golden Gate, and the large fountain with its 70-meter-high water column, offers a unique setting for strolling and picnicking. Street performers, live music in the Garden Theater and on the rehearsal stage, a colorful children’s program, and themed food and drink options offer a variety of ways to enjoy the wait until the fireworks.

Tip for fireworks fans

A special gift idea for St. Nicholas Day and Christmas: the limited-edition collector’s tickets (2,000 per event), available exclusively at the Tourist Info office at Ernst-August-Platz 8. The season pass for all five events (€105) or the family ticket for €66 (valid for one event) for two adults and two children are also great gift ideas.

For anyone who would like to combine a visit to the International Fireworks Competition with an overnight stay in Hannover, Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH has put together the “Hannover Explosive” experience package. The package includes one night’s stay at a 3- or 4-star hotel with breakfast, as well as a ticket to the 31st International Fireworks Competition, bookable online starting at €89 per person.

All information about the teams, the supporting program, and ticket sales can be found here:

Tickets, teams, info

2027 International Fireworks Competition

Dates, tickets, and information about the International Fireworks Competition at the Herrenhausen Gardens.

read