Harbour Front Literature Festival

Hamburg's major literature festival

Since 2009, the Harbour Front Literature Festival has been Hamburg's literary calling card. For three weeks around the start of autumn, the festival brings together international authors in the Hanseatic city – with a program ranging from top-class literature to current political non-fiction and crime novels.

Venues between HafenCity and the city center

The festival uses a changing selection of Hamburg venues: in recent years, including the Rathauspassage, halls in HafenCity, the Speicherstadt, as well as established reading venues such as the Bucerius Law School, the Thalia Theater, and cultural centers in Altona and Eimsbüttel. The events are spread across the entire Hamburg city center area.

Harbour Front Debut Prize

A special feature of the festival is the Harbour Front Debut Prize – one of the most important literary awards for debut novels in the German language. The award ceremony is one of the highlights of each festival edition and makes Harbour Front one of the most significant platforms for young authors in the German-speaking world.

International ambition, Hamburg roots

Every year, voices from the English, French, Spanish, and Eastern European language areas read on stage, often with German translation presentations. At the same time, the festival works closely with Hamburg's literary scene – publishers, bookstores, libraries, and schools are involved. In the Hamburg-Mitte district, Harbour Front is a permanent fixture of the cultural calendar.