Night Shifts
Hamburg, February–December 2026

Night Shifts is a year-long artistic program unfolding across Hamburg’s public spaces, structured into eight chapters dedicated to the theme of darkness. From dusk until dawn, exhibitions, performances, sound installations, and readings animate the city, probing the tensions between light and shadow, visibility and concealment. Throughout the year, diverse locations, such as the harbor, Harburg, City Nord, and St. Pauli, are transformed into stages for artistic exploration.


These interventions examine Hamburg’s nocturnal darkness as an ambivalent condition. While the night may foster uncertainty and restrict movement, it also creates spaces for protection and play, enabling self-expression, vision, and exuberance. The artistic contributions illuminate the social, scientific, and pop-cultural facets of darkness from multiple perspectives. At each event, three Nachtwächterinnen (night watchwomen) accompany and guide audiences through the night.

A project by Rosanna Graf, Lisa Klosterkötter and Gesa Troch.

Contact: info@night-shifts.com

With the kind support of