“The demand is there”

Over 12,000 spectators attend highlight matches of the Hamburg Veolia Towers to which they temporarily move to the Barclays Arena. (Image: Justus Stegmann)

Up-and-coming clubs like Hamburg’s Veolia Towers require more than just the right talent to compete at the top. “Location, infrastructure, and long-term planning certainty play a decisive role,” the Basketball Bundesliga club said in a recent statement.

Euroleague Basketball for example, as the statement pointed out, does not award licenses based solely on sporting criteria. Therefore, the Veolia Towers are looking for a new venue that offers permanently more space than their current home, the Inselpark Arena with up to 4,000 seats. (For highlight matches they temporarily move to the much bigger Barclays Arena.) “The demand is there. Now we need the infrastructure to meet it in the long term”, the statement said. One option they are considering is the future multi-purpose arena in the Neuer Huckepackbahnhof quarter – centrally located near Hamburg’s city entrance – which has been put out to tender by the municipal Billebogen Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (BBEG).

Click here for the tender: Property offers – Billebogen Hamburg

The same demand is there for other sports and music events in Hamburg. From Europe’s largest club festival on the Reeperbahn, which takes place again in September, to the Elbphilharmonie’s tenth anniversary in January 2027: Hamburg attracts a broad audience across genres and event sizes. This appeal is reflected in tourism as well: in 2025, Hamburg recorded 16.5 million overnight stays, which was 2.1 percent more than the previous year. “This development is the result of a successful synergy between smart urban development, efficient infrastructure, strong businesses, and a collaborative tourism sector,” said Senator for Economic Affairs Dr. Melanie Leonhard.

The multi-purpose arena in the Neuer Huckepackbahnhof quarter, will make Hamburg’s venues even more versatile and attractive. (Image: MOKA Studio, Karres en Brands, blrm)

The multi-purpose arena in the Neuer Huckepackbahnhof quarter will make Hamburg’s venues even more versatile and attractive for performers, audiences and organizers alike. In particular, it will meet the need for an arena for 8,000–10,000 spectators. Located between the city center and the thriving new HafenCity district, it is easily accessible and highly visible. Developers also have the option of acquiring neighboring plots of land, e.g., for hotel use. By the end of June, BBEG had already identified over ten interested parties for the bidding process. However, there is still time for further applications: the tender remains open until August 31.

Click here for the tender: Property offers – Billebogen Hamburg

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• Neuer Huckepackbahnhof
• Veolia Towers

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