Take some time off for a trip around the world – that is the motto of the 32nd Maschsee Lake Festival which opened today. From now until 20 August, Lower Saxony’s largest open-air festival will offer international cuisine, free concerts, a children’s program as well as cabaret and party events, creating a stylish and relaxing holiday atmosphere right in the middle of Hannover.
With typical regional dishes from the Tyrol to Yukon and from Cape Town to Japan, there is something to suit even the most discerning foodie. Start your culinary trip on the western shore of Maschsee Lake and get the Mediterranean feeling with paella and Spanish tapas.
Further north, there is a choice of international specialties from Canada, the Tyrol, Miami, South Africa and Greece. Along the Rudolf-von-Bennigsen promenade on the eastern shore, the newly designed food village serves a highly diverse mix of international food to go. The journey continues via San Francisco to the next stop at “Geibel”, where original Hamburg “lobscouse”, fish specialties from the famous Sylt company Gosch, farmhouse platters and a culinary trip around France are all waiting to be discovered. And if you want a break, relax in one of the sun loungers on Pier Island.
From the new Löwenbastion, visitors can enjoy wonderful views of the vibrant northern shore while enjoying healthy food and exclusive wines. The lively Irish atmosphere just a few yards further on makes this the perfect place to hang around. Finally, you can look forward to a selection of classic barbecue food at Maschseequelle.
19 days of fantastic music – open-air and free of charge
The Maschsee Stage on the northern shore, the new Löwenbastion and Maschseequelle will be the venues for a wide range of concert highlights with national and international singers and musicians. All the concerts are free of charge for visitors!
On the three festival weekends, the local radio channels ffn, Antenne Niedersachsen and RADIO 21 will take over the stage on the northern shore of the lake. In line with tradition, ffn will kick off: with Lions Head (4 Aug.) and Mighty Oaks (5 Aug.) on the line-up, they are putting two absolute megastars on the stage the first weekend. On the second festival weekend, Antenne Niedersachsen welcomes the comedian Matze Knop (12 Aug.) to the Maschsee Stage. On the third weekend, RADIO 21 is presenting the Bon Jovi tribute band BOUNCE, Beyond Music and Goldplay, a Coldplay cover band. The resident 89.0 RTL DJs Stevie T. and Marc Radix will take over the Maschsee Stage on the northern shore on Wednesdays.
Centre of attraction: Maschsee Lake
Naturally enough, it is Maschsee Lake itself that is the star of the show. Watch water sports or the Maschsee boats sailing around the lake during the day, then admire the big skies and spectacular sunset in the evening. On 5 August, the mood will be one of romance when more than 100 divers from Lower Saxony perform a torchlight swim. On 13 August, things will become noisier and wilder when contestants in the Bahlsen Crazy Crossing cast off from the northern shore in their home-made boats. The last weekend will feature the great duck race on the lake: this will meanwhile be the 8th time that the NKR Duck-Fun(d)racing takes place, with 100 big ducks and 5000 small rubber ducks competing to raise funds for leukaemia.
