Readings, Stand-Up & Discussions in Hamburg

Book readings, literature, poetry slam, lectures, stand-up comedy, talks and reports in Hamburg

There are evenings when all you need is a person, a microphone and a room full of listeners to really get you. No elaborate stage design, no light show, no special effects, just words that work. Hamburg is a city that understands this, which is why it has one of the liveliest spoken word and literature scenes in the German-speaking world. Anyone who thinks that readings are for people who voluntarily read newspapers in standing cafés is quite wrong. Let's start with what Hamburg is particularly good at: Poetry Slam. The Kampf der Künste series is a permanent institution in the city and brings slammers to stages that are actually known for something completely different, from the Elbphilharmonie to the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, because good spoken word works everywhere if the lyrics are right. At the Queer Poetry Slam at Kampnagel in Winterhude, the format is given its own special touch: here the stage is explicitly a place for LGBTQIA+ voices, and the result is usually as touching as it is funny, sometimes both at the same time. If you'd rather watch than take to the stage yourself, but would still like to try it out, the Hamburg is Slamburg format at Nochtspeicher in St. Pauli, which takes place regularly on the last Tuesday of the month, is open to anyone who brings their own texts. The Nochtspeicher itself is one of the most beautiful locations in the city anyway, including its historic wooden beams, and lends the spoken word an atmosphere that would have to be laboriously created elsewhere. The Literaturhaus Hamburg in Schwanenwik is the first port of call for anyone who prefers to get their reading straight from the source: Authors read from their latest works here, discuss, explain and show that literature is not a dusty affair, but something very much alive. The program ranges from international bestselling authors to newcomers to the German-language literary scene, and the Saal am Alsterufer is the ideal setting for this. For all those who appreciate cabaret and political wit and enjoy being entertained with a sharp tongue, Hamburg cabaret is a permanent fixture in the city's calendar of events with venues such as the Alma Hoppe Lustspielhaus in Winterhude. Here, social criticism is packaged with humor, and audiences rarely go home without new ideas. Incidentally, readings in Hamburg also take place in smaller, unexpected contexts: in bookshops, bars and cultural centers across the city districts, so you often end up at a literary evening by chance that you talk about for weeks afterwards. That's the beauty of Hamburg's spoken word scene: it doesn't need a big setting to impress. Take a look at our calendar of events, choose an evening and be surprised by words that stay with you longer than you thought.