SEITENSPRÜNGE Openair

Literature under the open sky

What happens when Hamburg booksellers get the stage for a summer evening? That's exactly what SEITENSPRÜNGE Openair is: a mix of literary recommendations, author readings, and live music in the Music Pavilion of Planten un Blomen park. The evening is organized by KURT HEYMANN Buchzentrum, one of Hamburg's traditional bookstore chains – which has helped shape Hamburg's literary scene for decades through its multiple branches.

Booksellers become hosts

The concept is as simple as it is convincing: Marie, Jarste, Ronja, and Leon – employees from the Heymann branches – present their personal recommendations of current German-language literature. It's a format that builds on trust: anyone who regularly shops at a good bookstore knows their favorite advisor and trusts their recommendations more than any publisher's advertising.

A debut author and literary acting reading

Program item for 2026 is the appearance of Lukas Mi-Sa Nguyen Egger, who presents his debut novel "Vielleicht im Sommer" – a road trip story about two outsiders who break out of a children's home in the summer of 2007 and discover freedom and belonging on their journey. Egger combines the reading with his own music – a singer-songwriter reading hybrid that gives the format depth.

Additionally, actress Julia Nachtmann reads from selected works – this professional voice transforms the evening from a bookstore event into a serious literary reading.

Music Pavilion Planten un Blomen

The venue is the Music Pavilion in Planten un Blomen – a historic, open wooden stage in the park with seating on the meadow in front. Anyone looking for a Hamburg literary evening under the open sky in the summer will find the postcard charm that other reading formats rarely offer.

A literary format with a low entry barrier

With tickets starting at €12, SEITENSPRÜNGE Openair has a low entry barrier for Hamburg literary events – the Heymann bookstore deliberately aims to reach a broader audience than the traditional reading-going public with this format.