We will be launching the 16th edition of the Reeperbahn Festival in our usual glamorous style at the Stage Operettenhaus with our Reeperbahn Festival Opening. On Wednesday, 22 September 2021, starting at 6pm, Hadnet Tesfai will assume hosting duties for the Opening Show and will be welcoming top-class live acts onto the stage as well as high-profile guests from the worlds of culture and politics. And the best thing about it all is: if you really can’t make it to Hamburg in person this year, you can use our Reeperbahn Festival streaming platform giving you a virtual box seat to follow the event in full at 10 pm.  

We’re truly excited to be welcoming music legend, style pioneer and globetrotter Sting in the flesh to the Operettenhaus, where he’ll sing two songs from his glittering career play list, now spanning almost four decades! He’ll actually be performing, for the very first time live, “Rushing Water”, a new title from his forthcoming album “The Bridge”. Whichever of his global hits he’ll be singing second is still under wraps. But one thing’s clear: everyone’s got a memorable experience ahead of them.

And that’s not all we’ve got to tell you: British pop artist Griff and soul singer Joy Denalane, who recently became the first German artist to release her new album “Let Yourself Be Loved” on Motown Records, are also on the Opening Show’s line-up. K-Pop sensations DRIPPIN are appearing this year on behalf of our partner country South Korea with a part-live, part-virtual performance. And last year’s ANCHOR winners ÄTNA are back again, performing the latest incarnation of their futuristic art pop featuring some more unexpected experiments. Emeli Sandé, Tom Odell and Jacob Banks, Tayla Parx, Yvonne Catterfeld plus Tony Visconti, will also all be present and correct in person as the ANCHOR Jury, presenting all the details on this year’s ANCHOR Award.  

With the keynote speech delivered by transformation expert Prof. Maja Göpel, we’re adding another focal issue to the festival programme. The main question here is what influences gender-balanced products in our business will have on purchasing decisions and user behaviour for consumers in the future. Welcoming addresses on key topics from Prof. Monika Grütters, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, and Dr. Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, will round off the Opening Show’s schedule.

Anyone attending with a valid ticket on Wednesday can also see the Opening Concert by Joy Denalane live. And everyone else can catch this musical highlight from 9 pm live via our streaming service. Our verdict is: You can’t afford to miss it.

(c) Reeperbahn Festval