Varied land program with many new highlights

“I am very satisfied with how the 87th went. Warnemünder WocheEverything worked out perfectly. I'm particularly pleased that our new highlights in the land-based program were so well received, such as the Glashagen beach concerts with around 5000 visitors, the live podcast with Monchi and Gabriel Kelly, and the readings in the WAL Bar. We have thus achieved our goal of integrating Warnemünde beach more closely as an additional event location. I also think that the combination of land-based and sailing programs was a success. I hope the participants in the regattas had a wonderful time with us in Warnemünde and will be happy to return here in the future," says Matthias Fromm, Tourism Director for Rostock & Warnemünde. 

On land, the 22nd Niege Ümgang with around 2500 participants and the preceding traditional wake-up procession of the marching bands marked the start of the 87th. Warnemünder Woche and the summer festival. Afterwards, Minister President Manuela Schwesig officially opened the 87th Warnemünder Woche with the traditional tapping of the keg by the Hanseatic Brewery Rostock. "Everything was perfect and went really well. There was a harmonious, balanced atmosphere in the parade and among the audience; everyone radiated equal joy," said a delighted Ümgang organizer Ingeborg Regenthal, office manager and deputy chairwoman of the Warnemünde Association. For the Warnemünde resident, it was the last Niege Ümgang for which she was responsible. In the future, she will be stepping back from her active role and plans to watch the next Ümgang in peace from the comfort of her sofa at the Red Arrow. "This woman organized the 47th parade today. That's a tremendous achievement. A big thank you for that. It's nice to see how associations maintain the tradition," praised Schwesig.

During the nine days of the 87th Warnemünder Woche Free concerts, dance performances, and comedy took place daily in the Kurhaus garden. The 21st edition of the cult music festival "Smoke on the Water - The Open-Air by the Sea" was once again a success, and as usual, the audience didn't let the band Bad Penny leave the stage without an encore. The fact that the Glashagen Beach Concerts premiered at the Strand Arena Warnemünde at the same time did not detract from the "Smoke on the Water" festival, which has now achieved cult status. Organizers recorded around 5000 visitors at the Glashagen Beach Concerts, which featured performances by the bands Lappalie, Les Bummms Boys, Hinterlandgang, and Tocotronic. The enthusiastic crowd enjoyed the concert marathon against the backdrop of the Baltic Sea in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere – sunset and Baltic Sea backdrop included.

The other new onshore program items were also well received: the free dance workshops on the lighthouse forecourt, as well as two readings and a live podcast with Monchi and Gabriel Kelly in the WAL Bar. In the middle of the week, Rostock clubs presented their sports at the WIRO Sports Day at the Warnemünde Lighthouse. As part of the event, WIRO also raffled off a sailing Optima to a Rostock sailing club. WIRO also offered a film-of-choice screening again this year as an open-air cinema experience on the central pier.

A new highlight in the Kurhaus garden was the performance by Rostock comedian Roger G., who had the crowd laughing. On the final weekend, fans enjoyed the traditional Shanty Day. The shopping area on the lake promenade, with its numerous stalls, was also well attended.

On the second weekend of the 27th Dragon Boat Festival, paddlers from across Germany brought the southern Alter Strom river to a boil. For two days, visitors to the 87th Dragon Boat Festival were treated to a variety of exciting activities. Warnemünder Woche Watch the exciting races over 100 and 280 meters from the shore, accompanied by rhythmic drumming and cheers.

On both weekends, tournaments for beach sports such as beach handball, beach rugby, and beach lacrosse were held at the Warnemünde Beach Arena. A total of 40 women's and men's teams from across Germany competed on the first weekend of the 29th Beach Handball Days at the Warnemünde Beach Arena. The final weekend saw the competition for beach rugby and beach lacrosse.

“The 87th Warnemünder Woche was well attended. We don't collect exact figures, but our focus is on quality, not quantity. In terms of quality, with the new formats on the beach, the free dance classes at the Teepott, and the comedy performance by Roger G., we've taken another step in the right direction, covering an even broader spectrum of content and reaching additional target groups," concludes Tourism Director Matthias Fromm.

The 88. Warnemünder Woche will take place from July 4th to 12th, 2026.

27th Dragon Boat Festival: Exciting races on the Old River

For two days on the second weekend of the 87th... Warnemünder Woche The fast dragon boats dominated the southern Alter Strom. 44 teams competed in the 280-meter race on Saturday, and 22 competed in the 100-meter sprint on Sunday. After rain and initially strong winds on the first day of racing, the paddlers were pleased with the improved weather conditions on Sunday. "Saturday was a real challenge, but that spurred some teams to significantly better results because everyone wanted to get back to dry land quickly. But in water sports, there's really no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. We still had a lovely awards ceremony and a fantastic party with a live band on Saturday evening," said Anika Klink from the SV Breitling organizing team.

Races were held over the 280-meter distance in the standard boat (20-person crew) and small boat (10-person crew). In the standard boat, there were two cups, consisting of the first two time trials. Thirty-one teams competed. On Sunday, 31 teams competed in the sprint distance.

Results 280-meter distance:

OSPA Cup (with the fastest 15 teams):

1. KfRG Rostock Sea Lions

2. KRG Dragons

3. Prussia Dragon (Potsdam)

LT Cup (16 teams from sports to corporate teams):

1. Wironauts
2. Circle kite LRO
3. Hannodraxx

Smallboat Cup (280 m, crew of 10):

1. WSAP Sports Team Hamburg
2. MSC Müritz Dragons
3. Prussia Dragon (Potsdam)

Sprint distance results:

Sprint Cup – Open (10s:

1. Prussia Dragon (Potsdam)

2. Rocket Draxx

3. WSAP Baltic Bandits

Sprint Cup – Ladies:

1. WSAP Baltic Bandits
2. SVB Ladies
3. Piraya Caipis

Sprint Cup – Mixed:

1. KfRG Rostock Sea Lions
2. KRG Dragons
3. Prussia Dragon (Potsdam)

Beach rugby: Women from Jena win for the third time in a row

At this year's beach rugby tournament in the Strand Arena Warnemünde, 22 teams competed for the crown on the Baltic Sea sand. Ten teams competed in the women's category and twelve in the men's category. For the third time in a row, the women's victory went to the players from Jena, who narrowly beat the team from Dresden, which was participating for the first time, with a score of 4:3. Third place went to the DTV Copenhagen team, which was also competing in Warnemünde for the first time. "With the sometimes heavy rain and wind, it was exhausting, but we would have competed here in any weather because it is always a lot of fun at the tournament as part of the Warnemünder Woche"The wet sand also had its advantages: You didn't get as much sand in your eyes," said the winners from Jena. In the men's competition, the Flying Pirates from Berlin took the win with a 4-1 victory. Trelleborg South Seals finished second, ahead of Halle Rugby Rovers.

Results women:

1. Rugby Jena
2. Team Dresden
3. DTV Copenhagen

Results men:

1. Flying Pirates Berlin
2. Trelleborg South Seals
3. Hall Rugby Rovers

Beach lacrosse with fast moves in the Baltic Sea sand

The beach lacrosse teams competed in their "LAX at the Beach" tournament for two days at the Warnemünde Beach Arena. The players demonstrated fast moves using sticks, a net, and a hard rubber ball. They didn't let the rain dampen their spirits, even though they had to interrupt their play twice. "The weather could have been better, but the teams still had fun, and on Saturday evening we celebrated a 90s-themed party with the beach rugby teams at the WAL Bar," says Joris Thiele from the lacrosse tournament's organizing team.

Results “LAX at the Beach”:

Damen:

1. Silverseals
2. Turbofüchse Jena
3. Blaxettes

Herren:

1. TuS Anranding
2. Turbofüchse Jena
3. Silver laxative