Maschsee Festival and the 2026 Finals

The Maschseefest kicks off in Hannover on July 22 and transforms the shores of Maschsee into a lively summer setting filled with culinary delights, music, and a maritime atmosphere for 19 days—until August 9.

This year, the popular summer festival coincides with a major sporting event: Running parallel to the first few days of the festival, “the Finals 2026” will take place in Hannover from July 23 to 26, featuring 24 sports and 143 German championships. The competitions will be held at many prominent venues, including the Maschsee.

Opening Ceremony starting at 4 p.m.

To kick things off on July 22, the Maschsee Festival and the 2026 Finals will begin at 4 p.m. with a joint show program lasting just under 90 minutes on the north shore. The backdrop for the event will be a floating stage on the Maschsee.

The hosts—Belit Onay, Mayor of Hannover; Jens Palandt, First Regional Councilor of the Region Hannover; and Daniela Behrens, Lower Saxony’s Minister of Sports—discuss both major events and their significance for Hannover, the surrounding area, and Lower Saxony in interviews. Hagen Boßdorf, Managing Director of the Finals, introduces the sports and venues for the Finals as well as selected athletes. André Lawiszus, Managing Director of the HVG, discusses the significance of the 38th Maschsee Festival for Hannover. The Finals and the Maschsee Festival will be kicked off with musical performances by the Hannover rock stars Fury in the Slaughterhouse, singer and actress Lina Larissa Strahl, and DJ KitCut.

Dining: Familiar Favorites and New Additions

In the second year of the catering contract, guests can once again look forward to the tried-and-true variety of international cuisine and vacation atmosphere around Lake Maschsee. On the north shore, staples such as the KONE Pavilion and the visually striking “Bä(h)renstarke” Leuchtturmeck will remain, as will Tulum, Belmondo, Mykonos, Salento, Madsack SeeSalon, Weinbar gegenüber, and HeimW. The Hamburg-based Veermaster on the east shore, SupperClub 34 at Halfway House I, street food at the Löwenbastion, Irish Folk at the south pier, Aperitivo Bay in the west, as well as Genuss Geibel with Scandinavian specialties and the Adria Lounge will also continue to be integral parts of the Maschsee Festival.

A new development is the partnership between LINDENBLATT and ARESTO on the north shore. In addition, Maloha complements the Hawaiian concept of Ohana Beach with fresh poke bowls.

The Food Mile continues to offer popular snacks to go. New additions include Segafredo, serving Italian panini, and Hülle & Fülle, serving handmade Maultaschen. KUHnstWERK also enriches the selection with freshly prepared burgers.

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Elite Sports on the Lake

From Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, July 26, Maschsee will become a venue for athletic competition. A total of 12 medals will be up for grabs in the canoe racing events, featuring, among others, Olympic medalist Paulina Paszek from Hannover. On Friday and Saturday, rowers will also compete in the German Championships, with both the women’s and men’s eight-man crews taking to the water.

Maschseefest Ferris Wheel by ROSSMANN

The 38-meter-high “White Wheel,” with 24 enclosed gondolas, stands on the plaza in front of the Heinz von Heiden Arena and offers a panoramic view of the festival grounds. A ride costs 7 euros for adults and 5 euros for children under ten.

NDR on the Scene
At Geibel, in the center of the east bank, there will be an NDR area for the first time—not only for broadcasts of the finals, but also featuring a stage program and infotainment.

More than 40 TV, radio, and online programs will be on display along the riverbank—for example, “Das Rote Sofa” with Hinnerk Baumgarten (July 25) or “Talk-Sonntag” (August 9) with Margot Käßmann and the band Marquess.

Program highlights

As usual, the Musik-Park at the Maschsee spring in the southwest will open its doors, offering a wide-ranging musical program as well as food and drinks. The bands on stage will once again be presented by RADIO 21 this year.

The popular RADIO 21 Lounge on the west bank will remain open.

On the Maschsee Stage at the end of the north shore at the Hellebardier, the

Neue Presse (NP) and the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (HAZ) are presenting a mix of pop, electronic, dance, and talk show formats. Until July 26, the stage will also serve as the venue for the award ceremonies for the finalists.

Highlights include the NP Finals Party with Radio Bollerwagen (July 24), the NP Summer Festival featuring a mix of stage acts and live music, bands, up-and-coming artists, DJs, and renowned performers such as Juliano Rossi; the “Musste Hören!” Festival with many regional musicians (July 28); and classics like QueerWednesday (July 29), the NKR Charity Duck Race (Aug. 1), the “Fisch sucht Fahrrad” party (Aug. 3), and the HAZ Family Day (Aug. 8).

On the second weekend (July 31 and August 1), RADIO 21 is hosting a Country Night and Rock ’n’ Roll event on the north shore. Live music will be provided by Anthony Miller & The French Press, HOTSPOT, HELLFIRE, and others.

On the last Friday of the Maschseefest (August 7), bigFM will bring DJ Olde and the band Munique to the stage.

UNESCO City of Music Hannover Heads to the Maschseefest

For the first time, the UNESCO City of Music Hannover is presenting its own stage program at the Maschseefest. Host Marisa Puoti from stage partner Radio Hannover will guide the audience through the program, which features live music and talks—including appearances by the Junges Vokalensemble, Rainer Schumann (Fury in the Slaughterhouse), Emilie Sandin, and Ronja Maltzahn (August 5).

Program for children

After the finals, the üstralala sets sail again. On board the floating pirate ship, imaginative stories, fun games, and hands-on activities await children ages four to ten. The Maschsee Pirates set sail on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2, 3, and 4 p.m. Tickets are available online.

On the Children's meadow Between Seufzerallee and Karl-Thiele-Weg (in front of the Heinz von Heiden Arena), a colorful program featuring crafts, face painting, physical activities, and interactive events takes place on Wednesdays, as well as Fridays through Sundays, from 2 to 7 p.m. each day.

Tatzi-Tatz, the mascot of the Hannover Adventure Zoo, brings great joy to young visitors. With charm and good cheer, he invites them to take souvenir photos

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Table Reservations

Many restaurants around Maschsee are offering exclusive events—such as winemaker evenings, tastings, and Sunday brunches—during the 19-day festival. Reservations can be made at www.maschseefest.de/reservierungen/ or through the respective operators’ websites.

Awareness concept

To ensure a respectful and safe environment for everyone, Hannover Veranstaltungs GmbH (HVG) is once again implementing a comprehensive awareness program this year. This includes the Saferspaces app, a Johanniter hotline, designated safe spaces, and an expanded Psychosocial Emergency Care (PSNV) team.

 Maschseefest Media Partner

The Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (HAZ) and the Neue Presse (NP) are once again on board as media partners for the fourth year in a row. They will be presenting a colorful mix of programming daily on the Maschsee stage on the north shore. RADIO BOLLERWAGEN will round out the stage program on the first Friday (July 24). In the fifth year of their partnership, bigFM and RADIO 21 are also back on board as partners. Radio Hannover is a partner of the UNESCO City of Music program (August 5).

Share Stations on the Festival Grounds 
SHARE, a Hanover-based provider of mobile charging infrastructure, is partnering with enercity to provide power bank stations at the Finals and at the Maschseefest. From July 23 to 26, the stations will be available at all nine venues hosting the Finals. SHARE will have 15 stations at the Maschseefest. Borrowing a power bank is free for the first 60 minutes; after that, it costs 1 euro per hour. The proceeds will be donated to an enercity charity project.

The VGH Finals Mile

A special highlight is the VGH Finals Mile along Culemannstraße, featuring more than 60 sports associations and clubs, as well as partners ARD, ZDF, and NDR. In addition to numerous hands-on activities, visitors can look forward to, among other things, two LED screens showing the live program, the ZDF goal wall, a large selfie backdrop, mascots, and a 50-meter-high observation tower offering an impressive view of the Maschseefest and Hannover.

Arrival and departure

The HVG recommends using public transportation to get to and from the event. Specifically for the Maschseefest, ÜSTRA’s special bus line 267 runs between the Kröpcke stop and the beach. Along the route, there are several stops right on the waterfront promenade. Bus line 800 operates on the section from Altenbekener Damm to Aegidientorplatz.

Light rail lines 1, 2, and 8 run from the main train station and Kröpcke to Aegidientorplatz; lines 3, 7, and 9 take you to the Waterloo station (each is a 10-minute walk to Maschsee). 

Bike Path Along the Lake

During the festival, there will be a permanent bike path on Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Ufer. From July 3 through August 21, the bike path heading toward the city center on the east side of Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Ufer—between Altenbekener Damm and Kurt-Schwitters-Platz—will be relocated to the roadway. The actual bike path directly along the Maschsee will be “closed.” In addition, a temporary bike path will be set up on the south side heading toward the city center along Arthur-Menge-Ufer between Courtyard and Kurt-Schwitters-Platz. Arthur-Menge-Ufer will be closed to car traffic for the entire duration of the Maschsee Festival.

Closure of the western part of Südstadt

To reduce traffic caused by people searching for parking in the metropolitan area around Maschsee, the area between Maschsee and Hildesheimer Straße will once again be temporarily closed to non-residents. The closure is in effect on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., on Fridays from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The manned checkpoints can only be passed with a valid pass. During the finals (July 22–26), the hours will be adjusted: Wednesdays starting at 4:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays starting at 2:00 p.m., and Saturdays starting at 12:00 p.m.

Getting Around the Lake: Bike Rentals and Boat Service 

The bike partnership with Donkey Republic will be expanded this year: Visitors can bike from the west bank to the south pier, for example, to more easily reach the source of Lake Maschsee.

There will be no boat traffic on the lake during the finals. Starting on July 27, the

Extra fleet Once again, as usual, from north to south across the Maschsee and back.

Opening hours

During the final days of the festival, from July 23 to 26, the Maschseefest will open as early as 12:00 p.m.

Hours of operation starting July 27:

Monday through Thursday: 2 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Friday through Saturday: 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Sunday: noon to 1 a.m

Special Opening Hours for the Geibel
To protect residents of the Südstadt from noise, the following special opening hours apply at the Geibel (east bank):
Wednesday, July 22: 11:00 p.m.; Thursday, July 23: 10 p.m.; Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25: 2 a.m.; Sunday, July 26, through Thursday, July 30: 10 p.m.; Friday, July 31: 11:00 p.m.; Saturday, August 1: midnight; Sunday, August 2 through Thursday, August 6: 10:00 p.m.; Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8: 2:00 a.m.; Sunday, August 9: 10:00 p.m.

 For more information and the complete program, please visit www.maschseefest.de

Photos for press download can be found at https://www.maschseefest.de/presse/