German Unity Day Ceremony
Private Event
On 2 and 3 October 2023, Hamburg will host the official celebrations for the German Unity Day. In addition to a civic festival in the city centre, an ecumenical service will be held on 3 October 2023 in the morning in the Hauptkirche St. Michaelis and a ceremony will take place at noon at the Elbphilharmonie. Around 1,300 guests, including the heads of the federal and state constitutional bodies as well as representatives from politics, business and society, are invited to Hamburg’s landmark on the River Elbe.
Actress Rhea Harder-Vennewald and moderator Yared Dibaba host the 90-minute programme with the motto »Horizonte öffnen« (Opening Horizons). The programme presents the diversity, modernity and internationality of the country and is intended to provide a confident outlook for the future. The President of the Bundesrat, Dr Peter Tschentscher, and the President of the Federal Constitutional Court, Prof Dr Stephan Harbarth, will give speeches. Furthermore, the programme features the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano and the Hamburg Ballet led by John Neumeier, as well as pianist Joja Wendt and the HipHop Academy Hamburg. The national anthem will be sung by the Alsterspatzen, the children’s and youth choir of the Hamburg State Opera.
Performers
Hamburg Ballett
HipHop Academy Hamburg
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
conductor Kent Nagano
Hamburger Alsterspatzen choir
Joja Wendt piano
Dr. Peter Tschentscher speech
Prof. Dr. Stephan Harbarth speech
Rhea Harder-Vennewald moderation
Yared Dibaba moderation
Live Broadcast
The ceremony will be broadcast live on ZDF and in the Elbphilharmonie Mediatheque, as well as in the ARD Audiotheque and the ARD’s radio channels with additional commentary. Visitors of the civic festival in Hamburg can follow the ceremony on a cinema-sized screen on the street Alter Wall.