Laternenfest & Lichtermeer Bremerhaven

When the Seaport Lights Up

In November, when the days grow short and the evenings dark, the Laternenfest & Lichtermeer Bremerhaven brings warmth and light to the Seaport. Already in the afternoon, the city center transforms into a colorful world of experience: lantern crafting, face painting, creative hands-on activities, and a Sunday shopping event attract families to the city. A dedicated crafting mile is set up in front of the Klimahaus, where lanterns, paper, pens, and decorative materials are provided for children to create their own lanterns. In the evening, it becomes festive—the Havenwelten by the water become the stage for one of the city's largest lantern parades.

The Grand Lantern Parade

The stage program starts in the early evening around 5:30 PM with a host, a marching band, a luminous samba band, and musical guests who lead the singing of the most beautiful lantern songs. Precisely at 6:00 PM, the parade begins: it leads from the shopping center past the Atlantic Hotel towards the Zoo am Meer, to the lighthouse at Willy-Brandt-Platz, and back along the dike. Hundreds of self-made lanterns thus parade through the Havenwelten—past the lighthouse, the Zoo am Meer, and the distinctive harbor scenery—making Bremerhaven's maritime character tangible in a particularly atmospheric way.

A Family Festival by the Water

The festival is organized by Erlebnis Bremerhaven together with the city center retailers; the lantern parade in the Havenwelten, as part of the Bremen Vier Lichtermeer, is part of a nationwide initiative that simultaneously brings thousands of lights to the streets in Bremen. The combination of children's activities, a communal parade, and the unique location directly on the water makes it one of the most beautiful autumn events in the Seaport and a firm fixture in the event calendar of the state of Bremen. Admission is free.