At the heart of the festival is the desire for a city in which nature and people are given more space again. Numerous Hamburg environmental organisations presented themselves at almost 50 stands, providing information about their projects and inviting people to get involved. Here you could not only learn how each individual can contribute to environmental protection, but also become directly active: Whether it was developing digital microscopes to analyse the water from the flood basin, building insect hotels or taking part in the bee trail - a thirst for research and action were expressly encouraged.

Children take centre stage

The Asphaltsprenger Festival is a paradise for children. The site was quickly transformed into an adventure playground: the MIMEKRY theatre took the little ones into the fascinating world of soil creatures, while Inga Marie Ramcke read from the ‘Travel Guide for Animals’ with her folding mouth puppet Dihan. Discover wild corners, experience bumblebees and bees up close or take part in the giant puzzle - environmental education became an experience here.

A highlight: the Kidical Mass bike demo

The colourful Kidical Mass bike demo was a very special highlight. Children, young people and adults set off from Tucholskyplatz and rode together to the festival site under the motto ‘Children ride bikes - a city worth living in’. The arrival of the cyclists was celebrated with a festively decorated gate and a real ‘Tour de France feeling’. The message was clear: roads are for everyone and safe cycle paths are a must for a liveable city.

Workshops, science and visions

Anyone who wanted even more input could take part in workshops and talks. The audio tours by Andreas Dorau are a classic. The tours lead through the grounds and stop off at many of the initiatives' and associations' stands. The art project ‘Wild Throats’ combined music and literature, while ‘Organism Democracy’ looked at democratic structures through the eyes of an aphid. The ‘12 m²’ project invited visitors to dream up a utopian, people-friendly city. And discussion panels debated the future of the PARKS site and the challenges of sustainable urban development.

Obenstadt down to earth

This was our first time at the festival with an information stand, because last year we said to ourselves... we belong there too. In addition to our information material, we also had a virtual presentation with us. The RISA project ‘am Weissenberge’ in Hamburg Ohlsdorf could be viewed using VR glasses. RISA stands for Rain Infrastructure Adaptation Project and was initiated by SAGA, HCU Hamburg Wasser. Various retention roofs are being tested here on the Weissenberge to see how they cope with rain events. We had a lot of conversations with interested parties and our information material quickly ran out... But we were able to draw attention to the upcoming Roof Days in 2026.

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There was also a large music programme to ensure that the festival was lively in every respect. Live bands provided the right groove and sound on several stages. The musical variety ranged from indie, jazz and chansons to post-punk and 80s sounds. The Feigen Flittchen, known for their irreverent songs, got the audience moving, as did the duo John Winston Berta & Oliver Wissing with their danceable 80s interpretations. Mona & Alex Florin combined Ukrainian and German musical traditions, while Mariam Kiria gave the audience goosebumps with her Georgian folk songs. Local stars such as Übersee and Wosto also got the party started - boredom? Not a chance.

A nature festival that deserves its name.

The Asphaltsprenger Festival impressively demonstrated how colourful, committed and lively Hamburg is. People came together here to celebrate, learn, exchange ideas and work together for a better city. Whether young or old, music fan or environmentalist: everyone found their place here. And so the festival is a special opener for the Long Day of CityNature - and a strong signal for a sustainable, liveable future in the centre of Hamburg. We at obenstadt will certainly be back.