Once a year, the Hamburg district of St. Pauli becomes the epicenter of hits in Germany. Hundreds of thousands of fans of folk and party music have been parading through Hamburg every year since 1997 at the Schlagermove on a weekend in July. Actually, because the two moves in summer 2020 and 2021 had to be canceled due to the corona pandemic. On Saturday, fans finally got to enjoy the party again – and they came in droves. According to the organizer, around 400,000 Schlager fans traveled to the Hanseatic city, around 50,000 more than at the last Schlagermove in 2019.
“People were really starving, there was a lot going on right from the start,” said a spokesman. 47 colorfully decorated trucks drove over the Heiligengeistfeld, the Reeperbahn and the Landungsbrücken and filled the district with songs like “He has a bright red rubber boat” or “Cowboy and Indians”.
Tickets for the Aftermove limited for the first time
The party was far from over when the parade ended. Traditionally, the aftermove continues with live music. Bata Illic, among others, performed at the Heiligengeistfeld. Around 4,500 fans were expected to attend the celebration, and for the first time the tickets for the celebration after the celebration on the Heiligengeistfeld were limited.
However, the cult event is not popular with everyone. Residents in St. Pauli in particular have complained about the “Ballermannisation” of the district in recent years. Since then, the requirements have been tightened to keep the burden on local residents as low as possible.