The Harbour Front Literature Festival dedicates a day on board to wind, weather, waves and water. The ocean connects 8 billion people, in short: all of us. It not only absorbs excess climate heat, CO2 and human waste, it has also generated an incredible number of stories over the past millennia. Stories of horror and comfort. Stories of sea goddesses, of life in balance with nature, stories of Odysseus, the Flood, whaling and utopias of freedom on the horizon. Stories of the promising departure to a better world in the distance of other continents, stories of brutal oppression and of our own completely unheroic failure. All of this is ocean, and all of it needs to be told.

The event of the year for all those who have always wanted to sail faster, dive deeper and follow the course of the water. For extreme sailors and landlubbers. For environmentalists and adventure-seekers who would have loved to become pirates. For everyone who loves time travel. Few things are more fascinating than seafaring and its history - especially in Hamburg.

Antje Boetius is Germany's best-known marine biologist. She has discovered new creatures during dives at a depth of 5000 meters, but also the legacy of our civilization. She was Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) for many years. She recently accepted a call to California and is now President of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. We are delighted that she has accepted the invitation of the Harbour Front Literature Festival!

Antje Boetius has invited guests for two unique events with a maritime flair, including the circumnavigator Boris Herrmann and his team for the evening performance, the "Polarstern" captain Moritz Langhinrichs for the matinee, as well as Tanja Bogusz, marine sociologist at the University of Hamburg, the author and whale expert Fabian Ritter and Ursula Richenberger, cultural scientist and director of the Hafenmuseum Hamburg for both performances. The Altländer Shanty-Chor will be on board as the musical crew.

Explore the German Port Museum (Schuppen 50 A) in Australiastrasse in the Hansa Harbour and experience debates, music, literature and oceanic imagery, in short: an entertaining and, above all, family-friendly and inspiring maritime crossover with authors, sailors and storytellers in the expert hospitality of Antje Boetius, surprises included.

After the events, we invite you to get to know hand-picked publishers, initiatives and institutions on the ships Peking and Scharhörn.

From two hours before the start of the event, you also have the unique opportunity to take part in free guided tours on the four-master Peking with your ticket.

Start your harbor expedition directly at the Überseebrücke and travel free of charge by barge in cooperation with our official mobility partner BARKASSEN MEYER - advance registration is required when booking! Of course, the Hafenmuseum can also be reached by public transport, and parking spaces are also available for those arriving by car.

12 - 2 p.m. and 6 - 8 p.m. Performances at the Hafendepot (German Port Museum)

Followed by guided tours of selected initiatives with stands and short presentations on the ships Peking and Scharhörn, directly in front of the museum.

The Viermeister Peking is open for free guided tours from two hours before the start of each performance.

Food and drinks available on site.