Hanse Sail 2025: Seafaring festival without Gorch Fock – a call for more sailors!

Hanse Sail 2025: Seafaring festival without Gorch Fock – a call for more sailors!

The 34th Hanse Sail in Rostock was a top-class event that captivated visitors over four days from August 8th to 11th, 2025. With more than 100 ships, including impressive sailing boats and historic steamships, the city harbor was transformed into a maritime promenade that made every sailor's heart beat faster. The event was not only very popular, but also has significant economic significance for the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region Baltic Sea newspaper reported.

The variety of attractions went far beyond the ships. Entertainment included rides, live shows and cultural and culinary experiences. A highlight was the band Marquess' performance on the main stage on Friday evening, and in the evenings there were fireworks displays that lit up the night. Visitors had the opportunity to mark their favorites in order to put together a personal program of experiences. All of this and much more made the Hanse Sail an event that was particularly varied this year, they said Hanse Sail website.

Ships and maritime history

Like every year, the Hanse Sail attracts large sailing boats and steamships that cruise between the docks of Rostock's ports. An impressive contingent of over 250 vessels were at the start, including traditional ships such as the icebreaker “Stettin” and the tug “Woltman”. With a total length of over 6 km, the fleet made an impressive statement for the maritime history that is kept alive here. The combined age of the ships is also impressive, which is more than 12,000 years. At the “strolling miles”, visitors were able to experience direct contact with the ships and their crews, which underlined the maritime flair of the event - a real treat for all sea fans, like the website Maritime festivals in Germany highlights.

This year the flagship of the Hanse Sail was the 58 meter long French sailing ship “Belem”. In contrast to the previous year, when the “Gorch Fock” shone as the largest ship and a crowd puller, 2025 saw a low point. The German Navy did not take part with its sailing ship, but had the warship “North Rhine-Westphalia” docked at the passenger quay. Many are hoping for the “Gorch Fock” to return to the next Hanse Sail in order to experience a piece of maritime history in Rostock again.

The event attracts not only sailing and shipping enthusiasts, but also families and culture lovers. Whether at the sailing stadium or immersing yourself in the life of the Hanseatic era on the Silo Peninsula - there is something for everyone here. Around 30,000 sailors actively contribute to preserving this tradition and show that the Hanse Sail is more than just a shipping fair - it is a festival of encounters and experiences on and around the water.