AIDA Cruises has announced plans to fund five new schools in communities connected to its international crew, following a charity concert held to mark the end of the cruise line’s 30th-anniversary celebrations.
The fundraising event took place at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall on 28th October 2026, with performances by German musicians Mark Forster, LEA and Revolverheld.
Two of the schools will be financed through ticket sales, while each of the three musical acts has committed to supporting the construction of another school.
The announcement was made during the concert by AIDA President Felix Eichhorn and Reiner Meutsch, founder of the FLY & HELP Foundation, which works with the cruise line on educational projects.
Concert Raises Funds For Education Projects
The AIDA & Friends concert brought the company’s anniversary programme to a close, following celebrations throughout 2026 aboard its 11 cruise ships and at events ashore.
According to the Elbphilharmonie, €30 from every ticket purchased for the concert was allocated to the charitable initiative.
The proceeds will contribute towards two new schools, with the commitments from Forster, LEA and Revolverheld increasing the total to five.
The projects will be delivered through AIDA Cruise & Help, the company’s charitable education programme, which has been operating since 2019.
Rather than concentrating its fundraising solely on destinations visited by its ships, AIDA also supports communities in countries where its crew members originate.
The approach reflects the international nature of the cruise industry, with crew members often working thousands of miles from their home countries.
The locations and construction schedules for the five newly announced schools have not yet been disclosed.
More Than 100 School Projects Supported Since 2019
The latest commitments will build on an established programme of educational investment supported by AIDA passengers, employees and business partners.
Since AIDA Cruise & Help launched in 2019, contributions have helped finance more than 100 school projects, according to the cruise line.
The company says these developments have provided educational places for more than 16,500 children.
The initiative works alongside the FLY & HELP Foundation, which specialises in supporting school construction projects and helps oversee the delivery of facilities funded through the programme.
Its work focuses on improving educational opportunities in communities where access to suitable school buildings and infrastructure may be limited.
For AIDA, the partnership provides a way to direct contributions from its cruise operations towards projects in countries with connections to its workforce.
The five additional schools represent the latest expansion of that programme, with funding coming from a combination of concert ticket revenue and individual commitments from the performing artists.
Although the anniversary celebrations have now concluded, the construction projects will extend the impact of the fundraising event beyond AIDA’s milestone year.
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