Circle of Life — Water Wall Performance Planten un Blomen

Planten un Blomen — Hamburg's Most Beautiful City Park

Right in the heart of Hamburg, between Dammtor station and the exhibition center, lies Planten un Blomen — the park with the Low German name ("Plants and Flowers"). With its Botanical Garden, water light concerts, Japanese garden, and tropical house, Planten un Blomen is one of Germany's most diverse parks. As part of the annual Kirschblütenfest (Cherry Blossom Festival), a special performance will be presented here in 2026.

Circle of Life — The Water Wall Performance

The centerpiece is the water wall by the park lake: a 15-meter-wide water curtain serving as a projection surface. During the Circle of Life performance, calligraphy is projected in real-time onto this water wall — written by Japanese master Koho Kurihara, visually processed by the Hamburg artist duo cc2.

Tradition Meets Media Art

The combination is extraordinary. Koho Kurihara works in the centuries-old tradition of Japanese calligraphy (Shodō) — characters created with brush and ink on paper or silk. The duo cc2 brings this tradition into the digital world: Kurihara's brushstrokes are filmed, processed in real-time, and projected onto the water curtain. The water moves the characters, deforms them, makes them appear and disappear again — hence the title Circle of Life.

As Part of the Kirschblütenfest

The performance is a supporting event of the Japanese Kirschblütenfest, celebrated in Hamburg since 1968 to commemorate German-Japanese friendship. The festival itself culminates on May 29, 2026, with a fireworks display over the Outer Alster — the water wall performance the following evening, May 30 at 9:30 PM, adds a quieter, artistically focused accent.

District Mitte / Neustadt Neighborhood

Planten un Blomen administratively belongs to the Neustadt neighborhood in the Hamburg-Mitte district. The water wall and the park lake are located in the southern part of the park, between the tropical house and Stephansplatz. On warm spring evenings, audiences regularly gather here for the water light concerts — the natural setting for a performance like Circle of Life.

Admission and Background

Like many events in Planten un Blomen, this performance is free to attend. The City of Hamburg consciously promotes public art — parks and bodies of water become stages without the need for tickets.