Osthafen Festival (East Harbor Festival)

The Osthafen is not a converted leisure district. It is a working inland harbor, and that is the point. Bulk goods like scrap, grain, coal, chemicals and oil are still handled here, there has been a container terminal since 1984, and the harbor has its own rail line connecting directly to Frankfurt's marshalling yard. For one weekend a year the cranes and terminals become the backdrop for a music festival instead.

The harbor was one of the city's most ambitious projects. Planning began in the 19th century, alongside the west harbor, and required moving the Hanau railway station east, building a bridge and widening the Hanauer Landstraße to at least 30 meters as the main distribution road. The first factory opened on the site in 1910, followed by large mills between 1914 and 1915. The harbor survived World War I largely intact, then became a primary target for Allied bombers, and most of the facilities were destroyed between 1940 and 1945. Reconstruction was urgent, because the east and west harbors kept the city supplied. The conversion of parts of the area toward housing only started in the 1990s.

The festival itself is deliberately broad. Around 40 bands play across four stages in a wide range of styles, DJs run a club area, cultural and art initiatives set up their own spaces, and food stands cover a lot of ground. During the day it works well for families. In the evening the program skews adult. There is stand-up paddling for anyone who wants to get on the water, a beach area for drinks and music, fire boat demonstrations and a large design and vintage market. Admission is free, and past editions have drawn over 220,000 visitors.