Press release
Press
Hannover’s event highlights 2015
From spectacular fireworks to wild animals, swinging jazz to powerful voices
and gay waltzes, from fresh lakeside breeze to panoramic view: in 2015, the
calendar in Hannover is again full to the brim with fantastic funfairs, gripping
concerts, sporting highlights and unforgettable cultural events. What’s more,
the coming year is packed with anniversaries which will be duly celebrated with
entertaining programmes. The “Little Festival in the Great Garden”, Lake
Maschsee Festival and the TANZtheater INTERNATIONAL Festival are all
celebrating their 30th anniversary. 2015 will be the 25th time that
Herrenhausen International Fireworks Competition captivates audiences with
spectacular pyrotechnic choreographies against a unique backdrop, and
Hannover Adventure Zoo will stage a comprehensive range of events to
celebrate its 150th birthday.
With funfairs, musical events, sporting highlights or festivals, there’s
something to suit every taste. At the world’s biggest Marksmen’s Festival, ageold tradition is paired with modern-day entertainments. Hundreds of thousands
of visitors enjoy themselves on roundabouts, in marquees and at the
traditional Marksmen’s Parade through the city centre. The Maschsee Lake
Festival is one of the most popular attractions in north Germany with its
exceptional maritime atmosphere at the heart of Hannover. Each year, for 19
days it’s a place to linger and party. With Hannover’s own lake as the
backdrop, cocktail bars, live music, activities for kids and a range of culinary
treats attract visitors from near and far.
Hannover sounds good
“enercity swinging hannover” on Ascension day turns the place into a jazz
mecca. Open-air fans also head for the Fährmannsfest, the NDR Plaza Festival
with an all-star cast, or one of the many concerts in the Swiss Life Hall and
HDI Arena. “Make music” is the motto of the global music festival “Fête de la
Musique”. Each year on 21 June, Hannover and other several hundred cities
celebrate the biggest festival worldwide that promotes tolerance and
understanding among nations. Numerous bands fill Hannover’s streets,
squares, galleries or churches with music of all types. The “MASALA World
Beat Festival” and the “A cappella week” also provide plenty of opportunity for
discovering new musical talents, while major rock and pop concerts are staged
in the TUI Arena, EXPO Plaza and HDI Arena. The “Joseph Joachim
International Violin Competition Hannover” also attracts highly talented
musicians from all over the world. With artists from home and abroad, the
“Kultursommer”, or summer of culture, takes its audience on a musical
excursion in castles, churches or monasteries in the Hannover region.
Clear the stage for top-level cultural events
And on stage, guests can expect the superlative in opera and theatre too. For
example, Hannover’s opera ball sets the scene for a magnificent party – each
year under a different motto. New interpretations of traditional classics and
modern premieres captivate audiences. And during the dance programme at
Easter, international companies transform the city into a capital of dance. At
TANZtheater INTERNATIONAL in late summer, it’s all about contemporary
dance, urban dance styles and ground-breaking dance productions. The GOP
Variety Theatre has achieved a first-class reputation across the world and puts
on comedy and magic, accompanied by music and cabaret. The many
museums, such as the internationally renowned Sprengel Museum Hannover,
Press
August Kestner Museum, kestnergesellschaft, the Wilhelm Busch – German
Museum for Caricature and Critical Graphic Arts, or the Lower Saxony State
Museum (Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum), hold a range of top exhibitions.
The famous Herrenhausen Gardens are also a superb setting for prestigious
cultural events. The Herrenhausen Palace was destroyed 70 years ago and has
just been rebuilt, adding a further attraction. The Herrenhausen Palace
Museum is a facility sponsored by the state capital of Hannover and the
Federal State of Lower Saxony. In summer, the Royal Gardens of
Herrenhausen also become the picturesque location for the arts festival
KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen. The world’s leading pyrotechnic experts cause
a stir at the International Fireworks Competition when they fill the evening
skies with explosive works of art made up of light and music. Dancers,
pantomime artists and musicians abound in the Baroque gardens during the
“Little Festival in the Great Garden”. And during the colder season, classical
concerts and winter cabaret take place in the Orangery.
City of diversity
As a trade fair and event city, Hannover stands in the international spotlight
every year. Hannover is the venue for CeBIT, the world’s biggest annual
computer show, as well as other major trade exhibitions. Especially for young
researchers, there is a lot to discover at the IdeenExpo. A mix of workshops,
interactive-exhibits, live experiments and pop concerts in the evening awaits
them. Hannover is also a top venue when it comes to sports. There’s a choice
of thrilling soccer matches by successful Bundesliga team Hannover 96, or the
professional handball team from TSV Hannover Burgdorf (called the “Recken”,
which translates as “The Warriors”). And then there’s the Hannover Marathon
with participants from all over the world, or the Velo Challenge. All of these are
dates sport fans should put in their diaries.
Animal lovers can look forward to breath-taking shows and feeding times at
Hannover’s Adventure Zoo. With its seven marvellous themed worlds and a
unique way of showing the animals in modern enclosures similar to their
natural environments, visitors can expect to see animals up close and personal
on an exciting trip round the Globe.
From the beginning of December to mid-January, the Adventure Zoo also
transforms into a superb winter wonderland with a toboggan run and ice rink,
a winter village and huge snow globe.
Another highlight in winter are the Christmas markets that envelop the city in
a Yuletide atmosphere with sparkling lights, the smell of roasted almonds, pine
needles and punch, cosy log cabins and beautiful art and crafts. From the end
of November, visitors can soak up the joy of Christmas in the Old Town with
its historical and Finnish Christmas villages, the wishing well forest and
Christmas markets in front of the station, on the Lister Meile pedestrian zone
and in many other places in the Hannover region.
A diverse range of events in this holiday region promises relaxation and the
big outdoors at its best. The Deistertag heralds the start of the hiking season,
the midsummer festival at Wisentgehege Bison Reserve in Springe has wolves
howling in all their glory, and a holiday mood is everywhere during Lake
Steinhude’s party weekend.
Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH (HMTG) has put together some
enjoyable packages of highlights including nights in attractive hotels for guests
who wish to discover the different facets Hannover Region has to offer.
For information about a trip to Hannover visit www.visit-hannover.com/en
Press
Press Contact:
Julia Sellner
Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH
Vahrenwalder Strasse 7
30165 Hannover
+49 (0) 511/123490-13
presse@hannover-marketing.de