Festival of the 1000 Dwarves — Hamburg Children's Athletics

The Jahnkampfbahn — the heart of Hamburg's Stadtpark

Located in the Winterhude district (Hamburg-Nord borough), Hamburg's Stadtpark is one of Germany's largest urban parks, covering 148 hectares. At its center lies the Jahnkampfbahn, a traditional athletics facility with a 400-meter tartan track, jumping pits, and throwing areas. This is where the Festival of the 1000 Dwarves takes place every September.

Germany's largest children's athletics festival

With nearly 1,000 participants per event, the Festival of the 1000 Dwarves is the largest school athletics festival in Germany. The organizer is HSV-Leichtathletik — the athletics department of Hamburger Sport-Verein, one of the Hanseatic city's most traditional sports clubs.

Season finale for the youngest

The competition weekend is designed as the season finale: after a season full of federal, state, and club competitions, the young athletes gather on the Jahnkampfbahn for one last big summer festival. The atmosphere is familial — parents, grandparents, and siblings line the track.

Disciplines and age groups

The program includes the classic athletics disciplines, differentiated by age group:

• Sprints: 30 m to 100 m (depending on age group)
• Middle and long-distance: 800 m to 3,000 m
• Hurdle races
• Jumps: High jump, long jump, pole vault, triple jump
• Throws: Shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, hammer throw
• Relay races
• U10 Triathlon: a three-part competition for the youngest

Age groups U10 to U16, as well as a few adult starters (14–15-year-olds in the highest school category).

Colorful supporting program

In addition to the competitions, there is a supporting program: warm-up exercises, mascot activities, small participation stations for siblings, snacks, and a café. This makes the weekend attractive for entire families — even those not competing have something to do.

Registration and entry fees

Registration is handled through the ladv.de platform, the official competition registration platform of German Athletics. Entry fees range from 5 Euros per individual event to 8 Euros for late registrations. Those competing in multiple disciplines pay accordingly.

Hamburg as an athletics city

Hamburg has a strong athletics tradition — in addition to HSV, there are clubs like LG Wedel-Pinneberg or TSV Stellingen. The Festival of the 1000 Dwarves is the annual showcase for this youth development work and a place where the Hamburg athletics family meets.