Culture on the Halligen

Concerts in the Sheepfold on a Hallig

Hallig Langeneß, with around 100 inhabitants, is the largest of the ten North Frisian halligen — small, undiked marsh islands in the Wadden Sea that are regularly flooded by "Landunter" (high tide). The Nordsee Hotel Hilligenley is located in Hilligenley on the hallig, and right next to it is a historic sheepfold that becomes a concert hall in the summer. The concert series "Culture on the Halligen" — curated by IN|concert (Malte Jochimsen) and operated jointly with the hotel — brings artists from all over Germany and abroad to this unusual venue from May to September.

Boat Travel and Barbecue Buffet Included

The special feature of this concert series is the travel: Most concert tickets include the boat trip with MS Seeadler or MS Rungholt from the mainland harbor Schlüttsiel to Hallig Langeneß and back. Before the concert, the Nordsee Hotel Hilligenley serves a typical Frisian, hearty barbecue and salad buffet. Only then is the sheepfold opened, the audience takes their seats on simple benches, and the concert begins. The entire evening lasts about eight hours, from departure from Schlüttsiel in the afternoon to the return arrival late in the evening — a journey and a concert in one.

Program Between Classical, Folk, and Cabaret

The program of the series is deliberately broad: classical recitals, folk and singer-songwriter evenings, jazz quartets, cabaret programs, and readings alternate. The sheepfold seats only around 100 listeners — the atmosphere is approachable, and the contact between artists and audience is direct. Many artists return every year because the format and the audience are special.

Hallig Langeneß and Hilligenley

Hallig Langeneß is located about 14 kilometers west of the mainland harbor Schlüttsiel in the North Frisian Wadden Sea. With a length of about nine kilometers, it is the second-largest hallig after Nordstrandischmoor. The inhabitants live spread across 18 warften — artificial mounds that protect the land from storm surges. Hilligenley is one of these warften and houses the Nordsee Hotel as well as the cemetery warft and a small hallig museum. Administratively, Langeneß belongs to the district of Nordfriesland and is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea.