Husum Harbour Festival

An Indie Festival Institution Since 2011

The Husum Harbour Festival was founded in 2011 — intentionally as a small, curatorially led indie festival in the historic harbour district of Husum. Even at the first edition, Hannes Wittmer (then under the name Spaceman Spiff) was on stage, and he returns in 2026 for the 14th edition — this time with a new project under his own name. This continuity between its founding and the festival is part of its identity: Husum Harbour is not a mainstream festival, but a family reunion for the indie scene.

The Venue: Speicher Husum

The venue is the Speicher Husum — a historic brick warehouse building at Hafenstraße 17, directly on the Husum Binnenhafen (inner harbour). The building was erected in the 19th century as a warehouse and is now a cultural centre: concerts, readings, small theatre productions, and the Husum Harbour Festival. The acoustics of the brick building and its intimate size (300-400 seats) make the Speicher one of the best indie concert venues in Northern Germany.

14th Edition 2026 — The Lineup

The 2026 edition takes place on Saturday, April 11th, and Sunday, April 12th, 2026. The confirmed lineup showcases the curatorial profile:

• Agassi — Post-punk project by Mark Tavassol (known as the bassist of Wir sind Helden, now with his own solo project featuring elements of Neue Deutsche Welle)
• Hannes Wittmer and The New House — Tim Neuhaus (The New House) performs with Husum Harbour founding artist Wittmer
• Jessie Reid — British indie-folk singer who previously performed at Glastonbury
• Mimi — up-and-coming German artist, known from "The Voice Kids", with her own songwriting identity

Festival Character — Finely Curated

The festival describes itself as a "carefully curated event": not size, but care is the priority. The concerts are intimate — artists at eye level with the audience, breaks between sets for conversations, a festival bar area within the Speicher itself for meeting musicians and booking agents. The festival thus attracts not only music fans but also indie industry insiders — booking agencies, promoters, and record labels come for talent scouting.

Husum and the Harbour

Husum is the district town of Nordfriesland in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and is located directly on the Wadden Sea of the North Sea. The Husum harbour — today a historically characterized Binnenhafen (inner harbour) with crab cutters and sailing boats — was historically the economic heart of the city. The Husum Harbour Festival uses this maritime background — the name, the logo, and its anchoring in the neighbourhood are part of the festival's identity.