Name: hella Hamburg Half Marathon 2026
Start: 2026-06-28T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-06-28T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Reeperbahn / Messegelände

hella Hamburg Half Marathon

About hella Hamburg Half Marathon

The hella Hamburg Half Marathon, with 24,000 runners, is one of the three largest half marathons in Germany. Start on the Reeperbahn (with a communal singing of "Auf der Reeperbahn morgens um halb neun"), finish at the Hamburg Messe (exhibition center), 21.1 kilometers of live music, DJs, and samba groups along the route. Northern Germany's running highlight.

Dates 28 Jun — 28 Jun 2026

Venue Hamburg (02000)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

hella Hamburg Half Marathon — edition 2026

Tickets →

The 32nd edition of the hella Hamburg Half Marathon takes place on Sunday, June 28, 2026. Start at 8:30 AM on the Reeperbahn — after a communal singing of the Hans Albers classic. 21.1 kilometers through Hamburg's landmarks, finish at the Messegelände. 24,000 spots, usually sold out before spring.

The 32nd edition follows the established concept: start on the Reeperbahn at 8:30 AM, the route leads through the harbor, past the Speicherstadt, through the Wallring Tunnel, over the Kennedy Bridge around the Außenalster, and ends at the Messegelände. Approximately fifty DJ stations, live bands, samba groups, and cheering zones line the route.

With 24,000 pure half marathon starters, the hella Hamburg Half Marathon is one of the three largest half marathons in Germany. Registration via hamburg-halbmarathon.de is, as experience shows, fully booked long before the race; a waiting list is usually set up.

Highlights hella Hamburg Half Marathon 2026

Reeperbahn start with communal Albers song, 24,000 participants, 50 live stations along the route, finish at Messegelände/Planten un Blomen.

Programme hella Hamburg Half Marathon 2026

Sunday, June 28, 2026

From 7:00 AM — Arrival and assembly on the Reeperbahn
8:25 AM — Communal singing of "Auf der Reeperbahn morgens um halb neun"
8:30 AM — Starting gun
21.1 km route: Reeperbahn → Landungsbrücken → Speicherstadt → Wallring Tunnel → Kennedy Bridge → Außenalster → Messegelände
Morning — Finishers; Award ceremonies and festival atmosphere at the Messegelände

Supporting program: DJs, live music, samba groups, and cheering zones along the entire route. Details and route map at hamburg-halbmarathon.de.

Prices hella Hamburg Half Marathon 2026

Entry fee and registration details via hamburg-halbmarathon.de — typically sold out long before the race.

Practical information

Practical information — hella Hamburg Half Marathon

Getting There

Take S-Bahn line S1 or S3 to Reeperbahn (start) or S11/S21/S31 to Dammtor (finish/Messe). Ideal by public transport, difficult by car due to road closures.

Start

8:30 AM on the Reeperbahn, communal singing before the starting gun.

Registration

Via hamburg-halbmarathon.de — typically sold out months in advance.

32nd Edition of a Hamburg Tradition

Since 1994, the hella Hamburg Half Marathon has been running through the Hanseatic city at the end of June. The 32nd edition in 2026 will once again bring together 24,000 runners — making the race one of the three largest half marathons in Germany, alongside Berlin and Cologne. The organizer is BMS Die Laufgesellschaft mbH, in cooperation with the main sponsor hella, a Hamburg-based specialty beverage manufacturer.

Reeperbahn Start and Albers Song

What makes the race a Hamburg institution begins even before the starting gun: At 8:30 AM, the 24,000 participants gather on the Reeperbahn — and sing "Auf der Reeperbahn morgens um halb neun" together, the Hans Albers song. It's the moment when a sporting event transforms into a neighborhood festival with a sporting component. The Reeperbahn is crowded at this hour, hostels look out of their windows, the atmosphere is extraordinary.

A Route Through Postcard Hamburg

The 21.1 kilometers lead through the showcase of Hamburg:

Start Reeperbahn
Down to the Harbor, past the Landungsbrücken
Along the historic Speicherstadt (warehouse district)
Through the Wallring Tunnel
Over the Kennedy Bridge
Around the Außenalster (Outer Alster Lake)
Finish at the Messegelände (exhibition center, Planten un Blomen)

About fifty tourist attractions line the route — no other German city offers a comparable density of postcard motifs on a half marathon course.

The Party on 21.1 km

What sets the race apart from other half marathons is the stage production along the route. DJs, live music, samba groups, cheering zones, and acrobats accompany the runners over the entire 21.1 kilometers. The organizers aptly describe it as "a party on 21.1 km." Those who are exhausted in the final kilometers around the Alster will literally be carried along by the atmosphere.

Sold Out, Year After Year

As has been the case for the past few years, the hella Hamburg Half Marathon 2026, with its 24,000 spots, is already sold out before spring. Those who don't start on the day spectate along the route — the atmosphere around the Außenalster is incomparable even without a starting number.