Festivals in Berlin.
Festivals, commemorations, and city-wide cultural programming.
76 events currently running
INTERNATIONAL
Extreme Tension. Art between Politics and Society
Hardly any other era was so marked by division, rupture and transformation as the time after the Second World War. In light of this, the Neue Nationalgalerie is very deliberately showing its new collection display of post-1945 art under the title Extreme Tension.
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Open study room - a racism-critical learning, exchange and meeting place
The open study space was developed in autumn 2023 as part of the racism-critical festival "Gefahrenzonen" curated by Mehmet Arbag and Anna Sabel by the association together with the gallery of the Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts.
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Life and Work
The ZiLLEMUSEUM is located in the arcades of Propststraße, in the middle of the historic Nikolaiviertel. It commemorates the life and work of the painter, illustrator and photographer Heinrich Zille (1859-1929), the 80th honorary citizen of Berlin.
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Muslim InVisibilities: Creating Relationships
Muslim life has been part of European everyday cultures for centuries. But is this also reflected by the artefacts in MEK's collection? What are these objects? What do they tell us about the people who made and used them?
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The German Surrender in May 1945
A cultural event at Museum Berlin-Karlshorst in Lichtenberg.
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Nora Turato
Language - both spoken and written - serves as a primary material in Nora Turato’s work, explored through typography, wall pieces, video, sound, performance, and artist books (notably her pool series).
INTERNATIONAL
Vincent - Between Madness and Miracle
Experience Vincent van Gogh immersive: An emotional and immersive 360° journey into the world of the exceptional artist.
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The Berlin sculpture discovery
Archaeological excavations in front of the Red Town Hall in 2010 revealed a real surprise. A total of 16 sculptures from the classical modern period were recovered from a cellar filled with bomb debris.
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Slime
Mucus is incredibly versatile, serving as a lubricant, adhesive, or protective barrier inside the body. Its seemingly simple structure makes mucus adaptable and thus indispensable for many bodily functions.
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This improbable scenario cannot be depicted
The Gegenwind counselling centre has been operating in Berlin since 1998. It offers counselling and assistance to people who are still suffering from the consequences of trauma experienced during the SED dictatorship.
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Die 7 Typen Show
You can look forward to a wonderfully funny duo with plenty of fun and a touch of inspiration for more joy in life.
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A call from afar
Lothar Prager was born in Prenzlauer Berg in 1938. His parents, Georg and Margarete (née Romm), grew up in the streets around the water tower-she on Weißenburger Straße (now Kollwitzstraße) and he on Straßburger Straße.
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Berlin Uncensored: A History of Sex & Freedom
This Tour is a multimedia walking tour exploring Berlin’s history of sexuality, sexual freedom, repression, and forgotten stories of liberation.
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Berlin's Queer & Trans History Tour
This Tour is a multimedia walking tour tracing Berlin’s queer and trans history, from early emancipation movements and persecution to resistance and the present day.
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Critical guided tours of the Soviet War Memorial in Treptow
Memorial Deutschland e.V. offers free tours of the Soviet War Memorial in Berlin-Treptow, deliberately breaking with the pompous staging of a triumph that almost makes one forget the people buried here.
INTERNATIONAL
The Hauptmannn from Köpenick - from prisoner to legend
Shortly after its inauguration, the Köpenick Town Hall - built between 1901 and 1904 according to the plans of Hugo Kinzer and Hans Schütte - is world-famous almost overnight.
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Time Travel in the Old Tiergarten District
A freely accessible presentation in the art library commemorates the creative, art-loving residents who lived around Matthäikirchplatz 100 years ago.
INTERNATIONAL
DÖRTE EISSFELDT ꟾ Archipelago
In the images of Dörte Eißfeldt (born 1950), nothing is as it seems, and nothing stays the same. Instead of merely depicting reality, she transforms photography into a medium of constant metamorphosis.
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SHEUNG YIU ꟾ (Inter)faces of Predictions
In his winning project, Sheung Yiu (b. 1991) investigates how faces across different cultures and technological contexts serve to prefigure character traits and foretell the future.
INTERNATIONAL
Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff
Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff (1923 - 2011) is one of a small number of female German artists to have enjoyed an international career between the 1950s and 1970s with her sculpture and drawings.
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A Home/Haunting: 40 Years of the KGM at the Kulturforum
An anniversary, such as the 40th anniversary of the Kunstgewerbemuseum (KGM), which opened in 1985 in the new building designed by Rolf Gutbrod at the Kulturforum in West Berlin, is often an occasion for a celebratory retrospective.
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The Applied Arts of the Brücke Artists
The applied arts of the Brücke have been little studied and exhibited to this date. This is all the more surprising given that Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Emil Nolde spent their lives designing furniture, jewelry and carpets in addition to their paintings…
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Haus Lemke - The Furniture of Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich
With the first complete presentation of the furniture from Haus Lemke in Berlin the Kunstgewerbemuseum is displaying one of the most extensive original interior designs preserved from the work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
INTERNATIONAL
AHOI - The Acrobatic Swing Show
Cast off and full steam ahead! With AHOI - The Acrobatic Swing Show, Wintergarten Varieté Berlin presents show that takes audiences on an incomparable journey across the world’s oceans.
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"... this enemy is on the right!" The fight against National Socialism before 1933
Founded in 1919, the Weimar Republic was under pressure from the beginning. Authoritarian ideas and nationalist thinking were deeply rooted in parts of German society.
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Monumente des Miteinander: Die ersten Bauwerke vor 12.000 Jahren
Monumental T-pillars, delicate sculptures, and artistic artworks showcase the creative power of the first village communities. Planning, transporting, and erecting these structures was only possible through cooperation, skill, and perseverance.
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Wenn Steine sprechen: Das Leben einer neolithischen Gemeinschaft (Englisch)
Discover the art and life of prehistoric times! 12000 years ago, humans formed the first village communities, cultivated fields, kept animals, and lived together permanently.
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Public Guided Tour | Citadel
One of the best preserved Renaissance fortresses in Europe, the Julius Tower - the oldest building in Berlin, museums and exhibitions of modern art - the Citadel is a cultural location and an island of history.
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Cirque Du Soleil ALIZÉ
Cirque du Soleil’s exclusive show in Berlin is an experience not to be missed.
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Spandow anno 1579
There is a lot of life in the commercial metropolis of Spandow. Exotic merchandise and new influences shape everyday life. Especially since the citadel building provides completely new “residents”.
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Public guided tour “Imprisoned at Alexanderplatz”
Between 1951 and 1990, the Berlin-Mitte remand prison (UHA II) was located on Keibelstrasse near Alexanderplatz in East Germany. It was under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior and within the East Berlin headquarters of the People's Police.
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Hep Beraber & Hep Birlikte (Türkisch)
How did people live 12,000 years ago? How were the first monumental structures built? Explore Taştepeler and experience the ritual and social life of early village communities through T-shaped megaliths, faces, and sculptures.
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Missing St. Moritz
The Moritzkirche in Spandau was possibly the oldest church in what is now Berlin. As early as 1180, there was a wooden church with a cemetery, which was replaced by a stone building in the 13th century and later renovated.
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Peter Hujar / Liz Deschenes: Persistence of Vision
Bringing together the works of Peter Hujar and Liz Deschenes, Persistence of Vision opens an intergenerational dialogue on photography. Working in New York City between the Stonewall uprising of 1969 and the onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Peter Hujar captured a pivotal…
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Sculptural, ideal?!
What might a new, ideal form of sculpture look like? What does it stand for? And what does it evoke in the viewer?
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Plastic design!
A variety of different vessels in the collections provide an opportunity to explore their forms, design styles, and functions.
INTERNATIONAL
Public Tour Brancusi (EN)
How can a sculpture open up an entire world with just a few lines? And what makes the radical reduction of form and material so compelling?
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Highlights - Surreal Worlds
Radical, mysterious and full of poetry: what is surrealism all about? And how do artists bring the unconscious to light?
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Ein deutsches Leben
Brunhilde Pomsel, born 1911, Berlin citizen. Works for a Jewish lawyer in the early 1930s and then as secretary to Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. This grandiose solo is based on an interview Brunhilde Pomsel gave at the age of 102 (!) years.
INTERNATIONAL
Public Tour Brancusi (in german)
How does a sculpture manage to open up a whole world with just a few lines? And what makes the radical reduction of form and material so fascinating?
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Berlin Radio Tower
Experience Berlin from above on the observation deck of the Berlin Radio Tower - a panoramic view from a height of 126 meters.
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A country in a container
With the end of the GDR, its symbols also lost their validity. In the weeks and months leading up to October 3, 1990, public spaces had already undergone visible changes.
INTERNATIONAL
The Holocaust - What Did the Germans Know?
For a long time after the end of the Second World War, many Germans claimed that they had known nothing about the mass murder committed under National Socialism. They thereby sought to avoid accusations that they had been jointly responsible for the crimes.
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Queer art in the GDR?
Toni Ebel, Andreas Fux, Harry Hachmeister, Jochen Hass, Dorothea von Philipsborn, Erika Stürmer-Alex, Rita “Tommy” Thomas, Jürgen Wittdorf, Egon Wrobel - curated by Stephan Koal.
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Art in Berlin 1880-1980
The presentation from our collection is a multi-facetted tour through the art of Berlin from 1880 to 1980. It ranges from paintings of the late 19th century, when the Kaiser reigned and tastes were largely determined by the moneyed classes, via Expressionism and the East…
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Wild Herb Walks
A three-hour guided herb walk through Berlin's green spaces. Presentation of at least 20 edible and useful wild plants, focusing on accurate identification, biology, and uses. Small groups, scientifically sound, including digital follow-up.
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Berlin: Black Queer Feminism
Take a guided tour that highlights the neighborhood's connections to significant feminist figures of the 20th century, especially for BPOC women.
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Bärentouren: Blindwalk - Acustic and Feel Tour
1806 Augus Zeune has founded the first school for the blind in Berlin, that is in the same time the first in Germany. - The blindwalk runs along the most famous historical buildings in the center of Berlin, from St.
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Stadtführung in Spandau (Tour in German)
Visit the idyllic old town of Spandau, with its town hall and St Nicholas’ Church. Discover Spandau’s town walls and their beautiful medieval watchtower. Finally, explore the impressive Spandau Citadel with its picturesque moats.
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Bärentouren: Haunted Berlinn Ghost Tour - Berlin on the Ghost Path
‘And yet Tegel is spooky ...’ - From ‘Faust I’ by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe from 1749-1832.
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Bärentouren: Gothic Tour Berlin - Shower-Horror-Catacombs
Night is the time of ghosts, bats, and demons.
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Lebenswelten Bistro at the Humboldt Forum
The stylish and urban bistro is the culinary experience for families, groups and individual guests for the whole day. The Lebenswelten team works in an ecologically sustainable way and stands for diverse and tasty cuisine with a focus on Berlin classics and a vegetarian bowl…
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Sculpture Hall. History of the Site
Up close: explore the historic sculptures of the Berlin Palace: The dimensions of the Sculpture Hall, designed by Italian architect Franco Stella, correspond to those of the Berlin Palace’s large Baroque staircase hall that once stood on this site.
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Videopanorama. History of the Site
Go on a visual time journey from the 12th century to the present day. A collage of still images and films shows not only the history and function of the buildings that once stood on this site, it also highlights the important events that took place here.
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Palace Cellar - History of the Site
Here you will find the first traces of the site’s history. The archaeological cellar, the only surviving part of the original Berlin Palace, takes you on a tour from the middle ages to the present day.
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Bärentouren: Berlin Old Town City Tour
"This is the Berlin air, air, so with its lovley scent, scent, scent". From the song of Paul Lincke and Heinrich Bolten-Baeckers of 1904.
INTERNATIONAL
ColdWarGames - It's all just a game
The Cold War shaped the years from 1945 to 1990 - a time when the world was under the shadow of the nuclear threat, yet people still played games - even with the Cold War itself.
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Bartour Berlin - Partytour with shots & games
Bartour Berlin is one of the few pub crawls in the city that takes place entirely on foot and focuses on social experiences, group dynamics and authentic bars.
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Free public guided tours "Edward W. Godwin and Oscar Wilde. Dandies Decadence Modernity"
Explore two icons of the Aesthetic Movement: Edward W. Godwin and Oscar Wilde. Their fusion of art, design, and lifestyle helped shape modern aesthetics and turned everyday life into art. Discover how dandyism and decadence influenced the 19th century and beyond.
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Silent Disco Tour - Government Quarter
Silent Disco Tours past some of Berlin's most iconic sights. Unique, inclusive, and just really good fun!
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he squirrel story
The young squirrel Nico scurries through the park, but doesn't find any nuts on the walnut tree, instead he finds a lot of rubbish. Why isn't the tree bearing nuts? Waltraud Walnussbaum cannot explain this himself. Does the owl have any advice?
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“Gegenentwürfe” (Alternative concepts)
The Prenzlauer Berg before, during, and after the fall of the wall. Distributed on an area of about 100m2 the continuities and discontinuities in East Germany compared to before and after the reunification are evident in concrete examples in the seven locations in Prenzlauer…
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Nadine Schemmann: When I thought it was air
Air, the invisible volume of a space, plays a special role in church interiors: as a carrier of sound for words and music, as the medium of breath, and not least as a symbol of the spirit, which, as an invisible force, connects heaven and earth, God and humanity.
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Marc Brandenburg ꟾ 20th Century Debris
Berlin-based multimedia artist Marc Brandenburg (born 1965) is one of the most important contemporary artists internationally. He has been a key figure in Berlin's creative scene since the 1980s. His work ranges from drawing and collage to installation, video, and performance.
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Emilio Vedova ꟾ Absurd Berlin Diary ’64
The room installation Absurdes Berliner Tagebuch ’64 (Absurd Berlin Diary ’64) by Italian painter Emilio Vedova (1919-2006) was created in 1964 as part of a scholarship from the American Ford Foundation. It enabled the artist to live and work in West Berlin for a year.
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New Woman, New Vision - Women Photographers of the Bauhaus
The female photographers at the Bauhaus experimented with photographic and design techniques, exploring the boundaries of their medium. They observed their surroundings through the camera lens, capturing numerous subjects from sometimes novel and unusual perspectives.
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Berlin Brutalism
Discover Berlin through with local architects on exclusive tours - architectural insights guaranteed! Book your tickets online or give a gift voucher to a friend!
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Architectural tour Hansa Quarter
Experience Berlin with exciting perspectives on architecture. The walks are led by architects and illuminate the background of current building projects and the social connections between buildings, history and the city.
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Europacity: Ein neues Quartier
Discover exciting developments in Berlin with TICKET B-for example, the new Europacity near the main train station-guided by Berlin architects. Tickets can be booked online.
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Zieh mich neu an! Style-Update für antike Held:innen
Venus, Hermes or Heracles need a style update. How were the goddesses and heroes of antiquity portrayed over a thousand years later? What would they look like today, another 1000 years later? Sew fashionable clothes for the deities and provide them with new props.
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Dancing with tears in your Exes
So if you want to be transported back to a bygone but musically glorious decade for an evening and really party again, the 80s party at SO36 is the place to be!
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Architecture tour Neukölln
Discover Neukölln with TICKET B-for example, sustainable urban development at the Vollgut site or the Schillerkiez neighborhood and new cultural buildings on Hermannstraße.
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Cemetery tour with Uwe Lüdemann
Discover the impressive and the less conspicuous grave monuments on a guided tour of the two listed cemeteries-one of the four Bergmannstraße cemeteries in total.
FOOD
Sunday Flea Market at Mauerpark
Berlin's most tourist-heavy Sunday flea market, running along the western edge of Mauerpark on the former death strip. Vintage clothing, secondhand bikes, East-German ephemera, and food trucks. The afternoon karaoke pit in the park's amphitheatre completes the fixture.
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Sunday Flea Market at Boxhagener Platz
Friedrichshain's neighbourhood Sunday flea market, smaller and cheaper than Mauerpark. Second-hand clothing, vinyl, ceramics, and books from local sellers rather than the tourist-aimed flea stalls across the Spree.