It’s cold and grey – but things aren’t all bad. In fact, February is one of the hottest months on Berlin’s cultural calendar. There are exhibition openings, clubnights and film festivals galore. Check out our guide to everything February has to offer.
Saturday 1
IN DIALOGUE
![Wolfgang Mattheuer, Das graue Fenster [The Gray Window], 1969. Hasso Plattner Collection © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024.](https://www.the-berliner.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IN-DIALOGUE-edited.jpg)
This art history exhibition – held at the iconic, formerly East German Das MINSK in Potsdam – showcases 50 paintings by important DDR artists such as Gudrun Brüne, Hartwig Ebersbach, Ulrich Hachulla and Rolf Händler. At the heart of the exhibition is the dialogue between the painters’ distinct approaches and individual perspectives on the social and cultural politics of the former socialist state.
- DAS MINSK, Max-Planck-Str. 17, Potsdam. Through Aug 10, details.
Fantasy Filmfest White Nights Berlin
For more than three decades, Fantasy Filmfest has given Berliners a space to celebrate well-made genre cinema – from bloodthirsty splatterpunk to campy low-budget sci-fi. With Berlin’s biggest festival in town in late February, the crafty B movie aficionados couldn’t help but organise a mini edition of their beloved festival (typically in autumn) this weekend.
- Zoo Palast, Hardenbergstr. 29A, Charlottenburg. Through Feb 2, details.
A World In Common
With representations of African culture in the art world still largely shaped by oversimplifications and stereotypes, this new photography exhibition at C/O aims to change the narrative. Showcasing works by more than 20 African photographers and filmmakers, the exhibition’s goal is to challenge discriminatory perceptions and encourage a new view of Africa at the heart of a shared global future.
- C/O Berlin, Amerika Haus, Hardenbergstr. 22-24, Charlottenburg. Through May 7, details.
Polyamor
There are few better ways to kick off the gloomy month of February than with a clubnight courtesy of Polyamor. Expect a journey from trance to groove, spiked with Y2K edits, as the DJs spin hot tracks for a night of “tastelessness with attitude.” Come early, stay late, and dance the night away.
- Club OST, Alt-Stralau 1-2, Friedrichshain. Starts 23:00, details.
Thursday 6
Green Border film screening and discussion
The Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung presents a screening of Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a 2023 film exploring the refugee crisis at the Belarus-Poland border. The multi-perspective drama follows a Syrian family trapped in the no-man’s-land between borders, highlighting the harsh realities of Lukashenka’s promises. A discussion in English about the European border regime will follow the film.
- Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, Str. der Pariser Kommune 8A, Friedrichshain. Starts 19:30, details.
Friday 7
Schall & Rausch Festival
Going into its third edition this year, the one-week festival by Komische Oper offers an important platform for contemporary musical theater by both established and up-and-coming playwrights. This year’s highlights include Consistent Fantasy is Reality, a psychedelic space opera by Turkish singer and activist Gaye Su Akyol, Pferd frisst Hut, a whimsical musical comedy scored by legendary German singer Herbert Grönemeyer, and Birth Factory, a genre-bending electronic baroque concert hosted at Berlin’s oldest queer club, SchwuZ.
- Various locations. Through Feb 16, details.
WEINmesse Berlin 2025
Wine lovers, rejoice! The WEINmesse returns to Station Berlin, promising an unmissable experience in the world of wine. Attracting over 25,000 visitors annually, Germany’s largest public wine fair offers a platform for winegrowers (and drinkers) to enjoy some of the finest vintages around.
- STATION Berlin, Luckenwalder Str. 4-6, Kreuzberg, details.
Saturday 8
Berlin Rumble Festival
After five painfully ska-less years, Huxley’s esteemed Ska City festival has finally found a successor. Adding some punk rock bands to the lineup, the new genre-bending ska and punk celebration promises a wild, unholy matrimony of offbeat and oi!.
- Huxleys Neue Welt, Hasenheide 107/113, Kreuberg. Doors open 18:00, details.
Sunday 9
Japanmarkt Berlin
From origami and calligraphy workshops to sake tastings and a kimono fashion show, this design, arts and food fair offers endless opportunities to learn more about Japanese culture.
- Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, Kreuzberg. Starts 12:00, details.
Wednesday 12
Berlin Critics’ Week
Being a critic is a pretty thankless task, but it’s also a vital one. This event is an opportunity for critics to come together and discuss the medium from all possible angles. Alongside the festival’s screenings, the programme also features numerous panels and debates, delving deeper into the politics and aesthetics of contemporary filmmaking.
- Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, Mitte & Hackesche Höfe Kino, Rosenthaler Str. 40 -41, Berlin. Through Feb 20, details.
Thursday 13
Berlinale
After a politically charged edition last year, Germany’s oldest and biggest film festival returns for its 75th anniversary, with celebrated American director Todd Haynes as the jury president.
- Various locations. Through Feb 23, details.
Berlin Independent Film Festival
Traditionally held at the same time as the Berlinale, the Berlin Independent Film Festival has long grown into an institution of its own. With a focus on up-and-coming filmmakers who achieve “great things with tiny budgets”, the 10-day festival also includes professional filmmaking workshops and networking events.
- Babylon Kino, Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, Mitte. Through Feb 23, details.
Berliner Philharmoniker’s Biennale
Highlighting the role of music and culture as powerful instruments of change, this year’s third-ever Berliner Philharmoniker’s Biennale will tackle the issues of climate change and environmental protection. Under the motto “Paradise lost? – On the threat to nature”, the programme features both nature-themed classics such as Debussy’s La Mer and Beethoven’s Pastorale as well as more recent works, like Brett Dean’s Fire Music.
- Berliner Philharmonie, Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1, Tiergarten. Through Mar 1, details.
Saturday 15
Kinktastisch 5th Anniversary
Berlin’s go-to event for thoughtful kinky partying turns five this year! As always, it offers the perfect mix of play and party, with special performances, toy tryout areas and DJs. The safety team of ‘unicorns’ will also be on hand to help keep things safe and consensual and give guidance where needed. All fetishes and genders are welcome, so gather your closest kinksters and join the Saturday night fervour.
- Insomnia, Alt-Tempelhof 17-19, Templehof. Starts 22:00, details.
Sunday 16
Berlin Valentine’s Run
Love is in the air, and on the track! The Valentine’s Day Run returns to Gärten der Welt for its fifth year. Couples, best friends, and parent-child teams can choose their distance: 3, 5, or 10 kilometers of flat asphalt paths. All finishers receive a commemorative medal and certificate, and, to warm hearts and hands, mulled wine awaits at the finish line.
- Gärten der Welt, Blumberger Damm 44, Marzahn. First run starts 10:30, details.
Monday 17
Smut Slam
This monthly open mic dirty storytelling event is everything we aspire to be – kinda cute, kinda hot, kinda sexy and just the right amount of funny. Hosted with power and panache by its founder, Cameryn Moore, drop by to share your own sex-themed story on stage, or just sit back and enjoy the show.
- Crack Bellmer, Revaler Str. 99, Friedrichshain. Starts 19:00, details.
Saturday 22
ONYX x R500
Lokschuppen Berlin hosts ONYX x RaveOut500’s ‘Best of Bounce’. Expect a main floor pulsating with bounce, while the second floor offers up trance and makina. The night’s diverse lineup includes HiTMiLØ, HUMAN ERROR b2b TMR, CARGO b2b DiscoDaisy, and many more.
- Lokschuppen Berlin, Warschauer Brücke, Revaler Str. 99, Friedrichshain. Starts 23:00, details.
Wednesday 26
Poetry Meets presents Tank & The Bangas
On tour with their latest studio record The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, NPR Tiny Desk winners Tank & The Bangas are bringing their unique mix of spoken word, R‘n’B and hip hop to the Hauptstadt.
- Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, Kreuzberg. Starts 19:00, details.
Friday 28
Ayoung Kim – Many Worlds Over
Ayoung Kim’s ‘Many Worlds Over’, her first solo exhibition in a German museum, lands at Hamburger Bahnhof. Spanning five years of her work, the exhibition employs AI, VR, video, game simulations, sculpture, and sonic fiction to create expansive fictional universes. Kim’s speculative narratives explore themes of migration, xenophobia, queerness, and geopolitics, examining the interplay between data, humans, and the planet.
- Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstr. 50, Mitte. Through July 20, details.
Critical Mass
Berlin may still be among the bike-friendlier cities in the world, but politicians and Big Auto(bahn) are sure trying to change that. Put on your long johns and saddle up – the fight’s not over yet!
- Mariannenplatz, Kreuzberg. Starts 20:00, details.
