01 SAT
HIKARI Japan Festival
FOOD Bringing a taste of Japan to Reinickendorf, the HIKARI Japan Festival will transform the former iron foundry into a temporary explosion of art, design, food and culture. The festival features workshops on traditional crafts like origami and painting Kitsune masks for children, as well as martial arts demonstrations live on stage.
- Wilhelm Studios Berlin. Starts 9:00.
02 SUN
Dina Boswank: Klangspuren
WORKSHOP A rare opportunity to make a racket in an art gallery, in Klangspuren, Dina Boswank invites children and teens aged eight to 15 to explore Galerie Wedding and its surroundings through sound. The workshop involves collecting rustles, echoes, claps and whispers and turning them into drawings, rhythms, homemade instruments and collective performance.
- Galerie Wedding 14:00 AUG 2
Campus Kino
FILM One of the city’s more unusual film experiences returns in August. Set within the grounds of the former Stasi headquarters, Campus Kino presents open-air screenings exploring themes connected to the DDR and German history, often accompanied by discussions with historians, experts and eyewitnesses. Best of all, admission is free.
- Stasi Headquarters Through AUG 27
05 WED
Berlin Circus Festival
CIRCUS Thankfully, circus continues to evolve as technologies advance. Long gone are the images of acrobats pirouetting on the backs of elephants. Berlin’s Circus Festival takes things further and purposely pushes the boundaries of what we perceive as big top circus shows. That’s not to say clowns have been banished entirely, they’ve simply adapted to meet contemporary ideas. This year’s 12th edition of the festival covers the full spectrum of contemporary performance, mixing cabaret, dance, acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and music with works about everything from feminism to fashion to food.
- Tempelhofer Feld. Through Aug 16
06 THU
Alpen Film Festival
FILM With a programme of five short films based on the theme of passion – passion for the movies, passion for the community and passion for the mountains – this festival is overflowing with the good stuff.
- Freiluftkino Friedrichshagen. Starts 21:00.
Jazz Film Series
FILM Bundesplatz Kino’s popular summer Jazz Film Series returns this season, with screenings taking place every Sunday at 8pm throughout the summer. Further screenings will to be announced throughout the summer. The series provides an ideal summer Sunday activity for both jazz enthusiasts and film lovers alike.
- Bundesplatz Kino Through AUG 31
07 FRI
Volksbad Opening
ART If you hadn’t heard the news, the Volksbühne is temporarily installing a swimming pool in front of the building and changing its name to Völksbad to celebrate Matthias Lilienthal’s position as the new theatre director. We’ve heard there will even be a stand serving Pommes. Head on down for a truly unique chance to splash about.
- Volksbühne. Through Oct 01.
08 SAT
Queeres Parkfest 2026
LGBTQIA+ Perhaps the last chance to celebrate CSD and Pride Month in Berlin, this one-day festival on the grounds of Volkspark Friedrichshain attracts a large and diverse crowd. Expect puppies on picnic blankets, dykes on bikes and everything in between. Plus it’s free entry.
- Volkspark Friedrichshain. Starts 15:00.
Britzer Gartennacht
MUSIC The garden will be teaming with music, light shows and performance, as electronic beats and classical compositions add extra colour and vibrancy to the Britzer Garden. Can nature and art become one? Head on down to the garden and you’ll find out.
- Britzer Garten. Starts 17:00.
MAGMA Festival
MUSIC MAGMA Festival has lined up a finely curated selection of bass music, alternative house, hyperpop, alternative R’n’B and dance punk DJs for a two-day event at RSO that promises to be interesting and immensely energetic. Already in its second year, the team behind MAGMA Festival has shown they know how to combine genres and book the freshest talent. With a lineup that’s essentially a who’s who of sought-after acts across genres, this weekend foray of cutting beats, bass and indie, dance dub and punk music promises to deliver.
- RSO. Berlin Through AUG 9
12 WED
Long Night of Astronomy
SCIENCE Do you know the constellations in the night sky? Centred around the planetarium, the Long Night of Astronomy is a hub for star enthusiasts and is celebrated throughout Germany. Officially, it’s a chance to look through different types of telescopes at the vast and varied star formations, but in practice it’s the perfect chance to ponder the existence of the universe and your place within it.
- Zeiss Großplanetarium. Starts 17:00.
13 THU
Tanz im August
DANCE Tanz im August has been running for an unbelievable 38 years. This yearly festival never fails to crank up the heat at a time when many of the big houses are between seasons. Founded in 1989, the festival lineup always includes contemporary dance performances, innovative choreographers and new formats from around the world. It continues to thrive under the direction of Ricardo Carmona for another year.
- Various venues. Through Aug 29
14 FRI
9th Irish Festival Berlin 2026
MUSIC Transforming ufaFabrik’s summer stage into a green oasis, the festival showcases music and dance from the heart of the Emerald Isle. Expect a rousing programme featuring an Irish ceilidh and dancing, courtesy of the Berlin dance schools for Irish dance, or just enjoy the music of Nightlark.
- ufaFabrik. Through Aug 15.
15 SAT
Rave the Planet
MUSIC It’s hard to imagine that Rave the Planet didn’t exist up until 2022. Now it feels like an annual celebration of dance music and culture that’s been around since day dot. Of course, the elders amongst us will remember the OG Love Parade, but if you didn’t get chance to experience that, Rave the Planet is the next best thing!
- Straße des 17. Juni. Starts 14:00.
Berlin Wall Run (100 Meilen)
RUNNING The Berlin Wall Run is exactly what you think it is: a run along where the Berlin Wall once stood. With a route length of over 161km, it puts the Berlin Marathon to shame and is certainly not a walk in the park. But if you seriously consider yourself a runner, it’s the Lauf you have to aim for.
- Start/finish at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn sportspark. Through Aug 16.
19 WED
Off Days / Citadel Music Festival
MUSIC This year, Off Days have snagged Essex homeboy Blood Orange as the headliner, and with more acts yet to be announced we’re sure the curators won’t disappoint.
- Columbiahalle. Starts 18:00.
Joan
STAGE Loosely inspired by Friedrich Schiller’s novel The Maid of Orléans, dancer and choreographer Hannah Schillinger reworks the classic text through a distinctly contemporary lens. Blending storytelling, spectacle and ritual, the piece explores religious and heroic gestures through a queer frame and questions who gets to shape cultural narratives. Audience members are also invited to participate at key moments should they choose to step into the story themselves.
- DOCK11 Through AUG 23
21 FRI
The Village Festival
KINK House of Lunacy and The Extended Luniverse have teamed up for a 24-hour immersive art and music spectacular.
- Club OST and Renate. Starts 16:00.
22 SAT
Radioeins Park Festival
MUSIC One of Berlin’s most popular radio stations, radioeins moves their studio outdoors to offer live broadcasts and concerts in the eastern quarter of the park. Expect classic hits to be booming through the airwaves and enjoy the beers in the garden, boules, interviews and games.
- Park am Gleisdreieck. Through Aug 30.
Summer Festival at silent green
ART Wedding’s favourite converted crematorium celebrates summer with an all-day festival, which includes entry to the exhibition Lost In Finity. More details will be announced soon, so watch this space, and get your taste buds prepared for the culinary delights offered at MARS Küche and Bar.
- silent green. Starts 14:00.
TFELD
MUSIC With five stages and acts exclusively from Berlin, TFELD is an electronic and hip hop festival at the Flughafen Tempelhof. The festival boasts a lineup of 31 heavy hitters, but for those eager to know, top of the bill includes Paul Kalkbrenner, Pashanim and Marlon Hoffstadt. See the music section for more info.
- Flughafen Tempelhof. Starts 13:00
DYKE* FESTIVAL
LGBTQIA+ Open to any gender that identifies as lesbian or queer, this weekend celebrates the diversity and sapphic culture of the dyke* community. There will be workshops, panel talks, drag competitions, exhibitions, films and fashion shows.
- Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik. Through Aug 23
23 SUN
Make Poetry Sexy Again
WORKSHOP This poetry workshop is just one of the many things DNA. HOUSE have going on, many of which revolve around writing. Every Sunday, you’re invited to stoke the flames of your inner poet through prompts, followed by optional feedback sessions. If poetry isn’t for you, there are lots of other workshop and event options, so be sure to check out this great creative community space either way.
- DNA. HOUSE starts at 14:30
24 MON
Pop-Kultur 2026
MUSIC This week-long explosion of live gigs, DJ sets, experimental formats, talks, workshops and networking is back with a bang. With a monumental lineup that includes Bar Italia, Discovery Zone, Engin and contemporary hyper punks GRENZKONTROLLE, they’ve really pulled out all the stops this year.
- Kulturbrauerei and silent green. Through Aug 30.
26 WED
UFA Film Nights
FILM Held against the stunning backdrop of Museum Island, the annual open-air series UFA Film Nights celebrates the pioneering spirit of 1920s cinema with a series of screenings accompanied by live music. Showcasing silent film classics from the Weimar era, the event highlights a period of cinema that brought innovations that continue to shape contemporary filmmaking. More than a tribute to Germany’s cinematic heritage, the programme also reflects Berlin’s enduring role as a city where film culture continues to thrive.
- Museum Island, Through AUG 28
27 THU
Reflexes & Reflexionen
TALK Curated by the political scientist Saba-Nur Cheema and the historian Meron Mendel under the header The Great Disorder, this four-day event allows debate, conversation and discussions to navigate social problems and controversial issues. Sunday’s panel ‘Freedom of Art and Expression Under Pressure’, is a must for anyone interested in the subject of censorship.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Through Aug 30.
MONUMENTO
STAGE Precolonial processes resurface through dance and song. Drawing on his rural upbringing in southern Chile and the displaced ways of thinking during the German colonisation of Latin America, MONUMENTO is dancer and choreographer Felipe Fizkal’s memorial to a precolonial existence.
- DOCK11 Through AUG 30
28 FRI
The World Looks Back Shorts Screenings
FILM The ruins of a medieval abbey are a strange enough sight in the middle of Berlin, and they should make an excellent backdrop to The World Looks Back, a free short-film programme curated by Canan Turan. The featured films explore protest and resistance from black, feminist, Indigenous and diasporic perspectives, with works by Andrés Khamis and Caroline Monnet.
- Klostterruine Berlin 20:00 Aug 28
29 SAT
German Rum Festival
FOOD/DRINK If you enjoy a tipple of rum, you’d be a fool to miss one of the largest trade fairs in the world dedicated to the good stuff. With over 70 vendors, 150 brands and 500 different bottlings, we dare say you’ll be tipsy by lunchtime. And who doesn’t enjoy an excuse to day drink?
- Station Berlin. Through Aug 30.
Long Night of Museums
MUSEUM If you’ve always had dreams of hanging out in museums after dark or get annoyed that venues close at 20:00, then this long night is your chance to enjoy Berlin’s museums on a time frame that suits you. Seventy-five museums will be open until 2:00, which is perfect for any night owl.
- Various venues. Starts 18:00
Berlin Full Moon Marathon
RUN Another event for the nocturnal amongst us. Have you ever wanted to circumnavigate the Tegeler See and Havel River after dark? The marathon gives runners the chance to compete in two distances, a marathon and half marathon, as the sun sets and the Sturgeon Moon appears in the sky.
- Sport Centrum Siemensstadt. Starts 16:00.
Zug der Liebe
PROTEST This annual political demonstration dedicated to social engagement brings in electronic music to raise awareness for social issues and charities. The parade usually features around 15 to 20 music collectives and brings joy to the streets under the motto “Basses connect”.
- Treptower Park. Starts 12:00.
Elle & L’s Festival
CONCERT The first international female festival drops in Berlin. With indoor and outdoor stages that include gigs and DJ sessions from hip hop to pop, afrobeat, electronic and rap artists. Plus, food trucks, chill out areas and plenty of places to party will be available. It’s going to be femme-tastic.
- Columbiahalle. Through Aug 30.
