By early evening the area around Kröpcke is busy with people heading to the opera, to dinner or to a bar, and the streets of the Old City fill up later on. Trams run through the centre until late, so you can move between districts without much planning.
Hannover's nightlife is spread across the city centre rather than concentrated in a single party street. It suits visitors who want a civilised evening of beer gardens, cocktail bars and live music, and it also has a livelier side around the main station and the lake in summer. The city is a major trade-fair destination, so midweek evenings can be quiet outside fair weeks, while weekends and festival nights are much busier.
Where to go out in Hannover
1. Kröpcke and the city centre
This is the central crossroads of the city and the natural starting point for an evening. The opera house is here, along with cocktail bars on the surrounding streets, and the main station with its multiplex cinema is a short walk away.
It suits an evening that mixes a performance with drinks afterwards. If you want opera tickets, note that popular productions such as Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Strauss' Die Fledermaus normally sell out, and discounted student tickets are sold 30 minutes before the curtain with ID required.
2. The Old City (Altstadt)
The historic lanes on the east bank of the Leine hold the traditional pub and bar territory, and in winter the Christmas market sets up here. It is the part of town to head for if you want to wander between small venues rather than commit to one place.
In the Christmas market season, the Finnish stands in the Old City are singled out for smoked salmon, herring and reindeer meat, and for the hot wine.
3. Around the main station and Raschplatz
The streets immediately behind the Hauptbahnhof are the city's late-night cinema and bar zone. The Cinemaxx multiplex on Raschplatz shows some films in their original English version, which makes it a practical option if you want a film rather than a bar.
It suits a low-key night out. Tickets are cheaper on Tuesdays, seats are numbered, and there is a small surcharge for the better seats higher up.
4. Beer gardens
Hannover takes its beer gardens seriously, and several are large enough to spend a whole warm evening in. Waterloo Biergarten is a big, tree-shaded garden that gets very busy in summer; Lister Turm Biergarten is one of the largest in the city and is family friendly, with a playground and wifi; Uni-Biergarten is a calm spot in the middle of the city where students and professors meet, and serves food.
These suit long, unhurried summer evenings rather than a late night. Try the local Herrenhäuser Premium Pilsener, and if you want the local ritual, order a Lüttje Lage, beer and korn drunk simultaneously from two separate glasses.
5. Cocktail bars
The centre has a dense cluster of cocktail bars, several with a Mexican or Latin American character. Bolero Bar near the Cinemaxx is large, less smoky than some, and often full even on weeknights, so reservations are recommended; it runs a daily happy hour from 17:00 to 19:00, a caipi hour from 23:00 to 01:00 and a jumbo hour after 19:00. Pepe's on Friesenstraße is a small bar with salsa music where the caipirinha is the drink of choice, and Sausalitos on Osterstraße is usually full during its happy hour.
This is the scene for a sociable, drink-led evening. Escenario near the Cinemaxx has a happy hour from 16:30 to 20:00 and a Tuesday ladies' night.
6. Live music and performance venues
Beyond the opera, the N.D.R. Symphoniker venue on Rudolf Benigsen Ufer hosts poetry readings, jazz and rock and roll concerts and chamber orchestras, and the Theater am Aegi on Aegidientorplatz is another established stage. Hannover is a UNESCO City of Music, and the Masala world-beat festival brings musicians from around the world to several spots across the city.
This suits an evening built around a specific performance. Check what is on before you travel, as programmes change.
7. Maschsee and the lakefront
The lake south of the centre is the summer evening destination, with the Maschsee Festival running around the lake with food and drink stalls and an open-air cinema. Walking or jogging around the Maschsee is a popular summer activity, and in a rare cold winter the surface freezes thick enough for ice skating.
It suits an early, outdoorsy evening that ends with food and drink by the water. Sports fans should note that the football stadium is at the north end of the lake, and the rugby and ice hockey clubs also play in the city.
8. Schützenplatz
This fairground site west of the centre hosts the big seasonal festivals, including the Spring Festival, the Schützenfest and the Oktoberfest. On festival nights it is the busiest place in the city, with fairground rides, food and drink.
It suits a group night out and families earlier in the evening. The Spring Festival runs daily from 14:00.
How a night out unfolds
Evenings in Hannover tend to start early by southern European standards. Beer gardens open from late morning and fill through the afternoon in summer, happy hours in the cocktail bars run from the late afternoon into the early evening, and the opera and concert halls take their audiences before dinner or straight after. Festival grounds open in the afternoon, and the Small Festival in the Great Garden runs from 18:00 to 22:30 with fireworks at the end. Bars keep going into the small hours, and the Christmas market runs from the end of November until a couple of days before Christmas.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Hannover Messe — an industrial trade fair in mid or late April at the fairground; the city is at its busiest for accommodation.
- Spring Festival (Frühlingfest) — at Schützenplatz in spring, daily from 14:00, run as an amusement park.
- Masala World-beat Festival — an annual spring and summer event with musicians from around the world playing in several spots across the city.
- Small Festival in the Great Garden (Kleines Fest im großen Garten) — summer, in the Herrenhäuser Gärten, with around 30 to 40 performers each day from 18:00 to 22:30 and fireworks at the end.
- International Firework Competition — in the Herrenhäuser Gärten between May and September; tickets are sold for inside the garden, though the fireworks can also be watched from outside.
- Schützenfest — at Schützenplatz, the largest festival of its kind.
- Lake Maschsee Festival — summer, around the lake, with food and drink outlets and an open-air cinema.
- Rubber Duck Race (Entenrennen) — a one-day summer event on the Leine, with numbered ducks bought in advance or on the spot, racing from the state parliament building to the Marstallbrücke.
- Oktoberfest — at Schützenplatz in autumn, described as the second biggest Oktoberfest in the world.
- Christmas markets — from the end of November until a couple of days before Christmas, in front of the main station, at Kröpcke, in the Old City and on Lister Meile; the Winter Zoo at Hanover Zoo runs from the end of November until mid-January with ice shows and skating.
Frequently asked questions
What is the local drink to try?
Herrenhäuser Premium Pilsener is the local beer, and Lüttje Lage is the typical local drink, made of beer and korn drunk simultaneously from two separate glasses.
Where can I see a film in English?
The Cinemaxx multiplex behind the main station on Raschplatz shows some films in their original English version. Tickets are cheaper on Tuesdays.
Do I need to book ahead for a night out?
For the opera, popular productions normally sell out, so book in advance. Bolero Bar is often full even on weeknights and reservations are recommended. For the Small Festival, tickets can be bought on the day but expect a long queue, and arriving up to two hours early is recommended.
When do the Christmas markets run?
They run from the end of November until a couple of days before Christmas, at the main station, Kröpcke, the Old City and Lister Meile.
Check what is on for your dates, pick an area to start in, and plan your evening around the season you are visiting.