Binnenalster, St. Pauli and Udo Lindenberg and "Moin"

The Binnenalster with the Jungfernstieg, the Ballindamm, the Alster arcades and the colonnades are considered Hamburg's promenade. The city view is dominated by the towers of the five main churches of St. Petri, St. Jacobi, St. Katharinen and St. Michaelis ("Michel", 1648–1673), the city's landmark.

Some film festivals (Filmfest Hamburg, cinefest – International Festival of German Film Heritage, Lesbian Gay Film Days Hamburg, Fantasy Filmfest); Christopher Street Day (CSD) and the Hamburg Harley Days, one of the largest German motorcycle meetings, take place here every year with up to 40,000 participants.

Stage Entertainment maintains four larger musical theatres: the Operettenhaus, the “Neue Flora”, the Theater im Hafen and the Theater an der Elbe, as well as the “Theater Kehrwieder” in the Speicherstadt.

With the bands Blumfeld, Die Sternen and Tocotronic, the concept of the Hamburg School entered pop culture as an independent genre of German-language music from around 1990, then expanded to include alternative music by Kettcar and Tomte. The German-speaking hip-hop band Absolute Beginner also describes their attitude to life in their hometown in “City Blues”; Samy Deluxe in “Hamburg Anthem”.
The hip-hoppers from Fettes Brot are now considered veterans, and Udo Lindenberg, whose roots lie in the Hamburg scene, is also well known.

According to legend, the Hamburg greeting “Hummel, Hummel”, answered with “Mors, Mors”, comes from the water carrier Johann Wilhelm Bentz, who was nicknamed “Hummel” and lived in Hamburg until his death in 1854. When he passed by, the children mockingly called him “Bumblebee, Bumblebee.” He responded angrily with “Mors, Mors.”
A more common greeting, for example, is “Moin,” which is common in parts of northern Germany and applies at any time of day.