Maritime Festival: A weekend on the Jade with an ‘Open Ship’ event and plenty of music

​The 49th ‘Weekend on the Jade’, taking place from 2 to 5 July 2026, offers maritime highlights for boat enthusiasts and water sports fans. At the Bontekai in the Großer Hafen, modern naval vessels, historic traditional sailing ships, light vessels and fishing cutters will be lined up side by side for visitors to view. On the South Beach, the Waterways and Shipping Authority will, for the first time, be offering a glimpse into its maintenance depot and its specialised vessels. There will also be harbour tours, a dragon boat race and over 60 concerts across six stages.

Traditional sailing ships steeped in history

Along the Bontekai in the Grand Harbour, there is no ‘exhibition space’, but rather a slice of living coastal history spanning several eras.

With the growth of maritime trade, a new type of vessel began to appear along the coasts of Europe in the early 18th century: the Schmack – designed to be more seaworthy than many of her predecessors. The ‘Gesine von Papenburg’ is one such vessel. And that is precisely what makes her so fascinating: she isn’t just moored at the quay; she can (and may) be experienced. A trip aboard is less of a ‘tour’ and more of a rare opportunity to gain a tangible understanding of traditional seamanship – what a historically authentic ship feels like, how it operates, how it ‘catches’ the wind.

Added to these are further vessels from the traditional fleet: the ketch ‘Nordwind’ with its characteristic two-mast rig and the tjalk “‘Coat of arms of Ihlow’, built in Groningen in the early 20th century: interesting not only for its cargo ship design, but also as an indicator of a change in materials – from wood to an iron hullf, as the craft trades, industry and coastal shipping were undergoing a reorganisation.

The ‘Wilmke’, a Dutch flat-bottomed sailing boat of the Westerdijk Zeeschouw 900 type, was built in 1981 (by the shipyard B Westerdijk & Zonen, Eernewoude, Friesland). Her flat hull is a testament to a sailing area where deep water is not always available – and where ‘running aground’ is not an emergency, but simply part of the system.

Amidst all the sailing boats, the fishing cutters ‘Trotz’ and ‘Hein Godenwind’ are also moored at Bontekai. The ‘Hein Godenwind’ was built in 1974 at the Bültjer shipyard in Ditzum. This is less about nostalgia than about continuity: fishing as a cultural practice, the rhythm of work, the smell of salt and diesel – and those small, authentic moments that define harbour towns. When fresh North Sea shrimps are available straight from the boat, it doesn’t feel like an ‘event’, but rather like a brief glimpse into a world that otherwise often disappears behind harbour fences and early working hours.

Lightships, steam icebreakers and workboats

In the Main Harbour, there are other ships moored whose past is plain to see – relics of a time when seafaring and harbour operations were, above all, about hard work: in wind, cold and poor visibility, and often with little room for error.

The light vessel ‘Elbe 1’ is a good place to start. Built in 1943 at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg as the ‘Bürgermeister O’Swald’, it remained at its station, ELBE 1, until 1988. It was a fixed point in the fairway that could not move out of the way – and that is precisely why it tells us so much about responsibility and risks: more than 50 collisions form part of its history.

Not far from there, you can visit the lightship ‘Norderney’, which brings daily life on board to life, and the steam icebreaker ‘Wal’, which epitomises the gruelling routine of keeping shipping channels open in winter. Together with the “Argus”, a multi-purpose vessel operated by the port authority, and other ships such as the “MWB Föhr”, the “Gebrüder AZ:5” and the “MS Greundiek”, they form an authentic backdrop to the maritime world of work – tangible, rugged and steeped in history.

The Navy was represented by the frigate “Sachsen-Anhalt”

​The frigate “Sachsen-Anhalt”, one of the navy’s most modern ships, is also due to call at the Großer Hafen. This 149-metre-long and 18-metre-wide ship of the Baden-Württemberg class has a displacement of around 7,000 tonnes and is equipped with APAR radar and modern weapon systems. Anyone wishing to visit the naval vessel should be prepared for bag checks – only bags and rucksacks up to A4 size are permitted on board.

After the tour, visitors can take a shuttle service comprising pinasses – small naval transport vessels – and motor cutters to the naval arsenal. There, they can view further ships, boats and armoured vehicles.

WSA Shipyard: Special-purpose vessels and workshops

A maritime first awaits visitors at the maintenance depot of the Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA). For the first time, the WSA is opening the gates of its maintenance depot for the ‘Weekend on the Jade’. On Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm on both days, visitors will be given a behind-the-scenes look and can see for themselves how the authority maintains the waterways.

​The authority’s specialised vessels, the “Osteriff” and the “Mellum”, are also open to visitors. On both vessels, there are guided tours from the bridge to the engine room, as well as the opportunity to chat with the crew and learn more about the demanding tasks carried out on Germany’s federal waterways. The new suction dredger “Osteriff”, measuring 133 metres in length, is a striking work vessel responsible for maintaining the navigation channels in the Jade and ensuring safe navigation for large container ships using state-of-the-art technology.

At the building yard itself, the smithy, electrical workshop, joinery and metalwork shop open their doors and demonstrate their work through small hands-on stations. At the knot-tying school, visitors can learn typical sailors’ knots, whilst a model exhibition displays numerous detailed models of locks, groynes and ships. Anyone who wishes to can also get creative and leave their mark on a navigation buoy. For children, there’s a bouncy castle, painting and craft stations, as well as games such as giant Jenga and cornhole.

Rowing, dragon boat racing and harbour tours

Things are set to get sporty on Saturday 4 July 2026 from 11 am to 3 pm, when the dragon boat race returns to the Naval Arsenal for the first time after a break of several years. Separately, the Wilhelmshaven Rowing Club will be competing with an eight on Saturday and Sunday.

If you’d like to do more than just watch – and actually go for a ride – there are various options available: the barge “Große Freiheit” offers harbour tours every day. The “Gesine von Papenburg” sets sail on Saturdays for a day trip under sail.

A varied programme of events leading up to the fireworks display

As well as all sorts of maritime attractions, the festival features over 60 concerts across six stages, covering a wide musical spectrum ranging from Irish folk, shanties and sea shanties through to rock, pop and singer-songwriters, right up to hip-hop, soul and reggae. The headliners are the Söhne Mannheims, who will be performing on Saturday evening on the Südstrand stage with their full 10-piece band.

There will also be a pirate village at the Pumpwerk Cultural Centre, featuring a medieval market, blacksmiths’ workshops and archery, as well as the Südstrand funfair with fairground rides and a classic car exhibition on the Fliegerdeich. Visitors with a head for heights can take in the view over the festival grounds and the Jadebusen from a ‘balloon on a crane’ – free of charge! On Sunday 5 July, from 11 pm, the festival will draw to a close with a fireworks display set off from a floating crane in the Großer Hafen.

Further information and programme: www.wochenendeanderjade.de