Wir wollen Spielen! – International Theatre Festival for Children

Theatre on a Ship

The HoheLuftschiff is one of Hamburg's most distinctive venues: a converted former container ship anchored in the Isebekkanal on the Kaiser-Friedrich-Promenade in Eimsbüttel. Its cargo hold has been transformed into a flexible theatre space specializing in audiences aged 2 to 12. Once a year, this already unusual theatre becomes the festival hub for European children's theatre.

Eight Guest Performances from Europe

The programme curation emphasizes European diversity. Eight invited productions come from various countries (in previous years, including the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, and Scandinavia) and cover the full spectrum of contemporary children's theatre: spoken word, dance, performance, visual arts, music. The exact programme for 2026 will be published on the HoheLuftschiff website at the end of March.

Open Air on the Promenade

The week-long theatre activities on the ship are complemented on the last weekend by a two-day open-air format on the Kaiser-Friedrich-Promenade. The street becomes a stage, and the audience sits on the promenade by the water. This allows the festival to reach families who drop by spontaneously – without ticket purchase, registration, or prior announcement. Motto: "Space for Children!"

Spiel auf Spende (Play for Donation)

A key programming decision: Admission to all performances operates on the "Spiel auf Spende" model. Each family pays what they can afford – making the festival inclusive and accessible, even for Hamburg families with low incomes. The organizers also receive additional funding from the Eimsbüttel district and the SPD parliamentary group.

Eimsbüttel, Eimsbüttel District, State of Hamburg

Eimsbüttel is one of Hamburg's most populous districts and is known for its cultural vibrancy – with the Schanzenviertel, Heußweg quarter, Kaiser-Friedrich-Promenade, and a dense infrastructure of theatres and galleries. The HoheLuftschiff on the Isebekkanal has been a fixture in this network for years, and the "Wir wollen Spielen!" festival is one of the district's most prominent contributions to the children's cultural calendar of the state of Hamburg.