Hamburg’s Streets Turn Yellow for the Vibrant MSC Yellow Festival

Following its recent port partnership, MSC introduced itself to the city of Hamburg over the weekend, painting the town yellow with a fun street festival, an LNG dual fuel vessel naming ceremony and an epic grand finale spectacle.

MSC hosted the MSC Yellow Festival in Hamburg on Saturday 14 June 2025, to celebrate its recent partnership with the Port of Hamburg. Named to reflect MSC’s signature colour, the festival was the largest-ever public event hosted by the company and culminated in the launch of the new MSC GERMANY LNG dual fuel vessel and a spectacular live show.

The perfect occasion to say hello to the local community, the free festival was a chance for visitors to be immersed in the world of MSC. It was also an opportunity for MSC to reinforce our position as a loyal investor in the German city.

A bright start

Known as a ‘Gateway to the World’, Hamburg is Germany’s largest port and Europe’s third largest (after Rotterdam and Antwerp). As such, MSC has a long-established history with the city dating back to our earliest days, with founder Gianluigi Aponte purchasing his first ship in Hamburg over five decades ago.

A home port for many years, MSC recently acquired a stake in the port’s Hamburger Hafen und Logistik Aktiengesellschaft (HHLA) in partnership with the city. The partnership aims to modernize infrastructure, bring more freight to Hamburg and build a new German headquarters in the HafenCity. It reflects MSC’s proud commitment to this global trade hub and the role we will now play in its bright future.

Music, art and entertainment

A day-long, free event, the MSC Yellow Festival, took place right by the water on the port’s landing bridges, Landungsbrücken, and the Jan-Fedder-Promenade. Over 100,000 members of the public attended, enjoying creative acts, prize-winning challenges and hands-on exhibits. There was entertainment at every turn, including flyboarding, sway poles, walking acts, street musicians, the world record holder for slacklining, and a famous graffiti artist, who customized an MSC container during the day. There was also a culinary mile of food trucks and bars designed to bring flavours of the world to Hamburg.

Reflecting the importance of the new partnership, there were many notable attendees, including Dr Peter Tschentscher (Hamburg’s Mayor), Senator Melanie Leonhard (Hamburg Senator for Economy and Innovation), Senator Andreas Dressel (Finance Senator of the city state of Hamburg), MSC CEO Soren Toft and MSC Germany Managing Director Nils Kahn. Plus, the day was hosted by Radio Hamburg morning show anchorman Christian Stübinger "Stübi".

The day also provided an opportunity for the MSC Foundation to announce plans to return to Hamburg, where it was first launched and one of its earliest partnerships began in 2019. A new collaboration with Gesellschaft für ökologische Planung e.V. (GÖP) will start, building on the work of this long-established association at the heart of Hamburg’s environmental stewardship and education efforts.

MSC Harbours interactive visitor experience

At the heart of the festival was the MSC Harbours Experience. This informative and interactive exhibition was designed for all ages, offering a behind-the-scenes look into shipping and providing an opportunity to learn more about MSC. Different 'Harbours', housed in shipping containers, told important MSC stories, from the goods we transport to our sustainability work and seafarers.

There were numerous family-friendly activities, including a Harbour playground, ball pool, and drawing stations for kids. The public could try their hand at various challenges, such as guessing the weight of a propeller, sounding a ship's horn, or using a VR headset to load cargo. There was even a job board with MSC employment offers.

A celebration to remember

As the sun started to set, the MSC Yellow Festival culminated in a naming ceremony for MSC GERMANY held next to the Elbphilharmonie. This epic grand finale saw our newest LNG dual-fuel vessel, one of the world's most modern and sustainable container ships, officially launched by her godmother Dr. Melanie Leonhard, Hamburg's Senator for Economy and Innovation. The event finished with fireworks, a drone show, and a live concert featuring internationally renowned local singer Zoe Wees, held on a spectacular floating stage on the Elbe River.

From start to finish, the MSC Yellow Festival was a remarkable achievement and the perfect way to celebrate the city of Hamburg. Thank you to everyone from the local community who made time to celebrate with us. Here’s to the future!

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