As the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, it can feel pretty tempting to glue yourself to the couch. That’s where we come in. Our guide to the hottest events in Berlin this October is packed with all the stage highlights, film festivals, flea markets, foodie pop-ups, art exhibitions and club tips you need to get you through the month.
Wednesday 1
Female Filmmakers Festival
Back for its seventh edition, this five-day celebration of feminist film takes over Moviemento with a fresh lineup of international features and shorts, challenging the male gaze and reminding us that some men really do belong on the cutting-room floor.
- Moviemento, Kottbusser Damm 22, Kreuzberg, through Oct 5, details.
Closer
When “a quartet of strangers in a sexual square dance” are entangled in “a brutal game of seduction and confession”, it can only mean one of two things: you’ve redownloaded the apps, or you’ve stumbled into this gut-punching restaging of Patrick Marber’s infamous play-Closer. Either way, you’re in for a ride.
ACUD Theater. Starts 20:00. Also on Oct 2, 3 and 4
- ACUD Theater, Veteranenstr. 21, Mitte, starts 20:00, details.
3hd Festival 2025
Creamcake’s fan-favourite, post-digital art festival returns with a full week of interdisciplinary mind-blowery. From hallucinatory breathwork-hypnosis workshops to paranormal queer movie nights, expect to be wildly overstimulated – in the best way imaginable.
- Various locations, through Oct 5, details.
la nef des fols
Yo ho, all aboard the ship of fools! Berlin-based dance company cie. toula limnaios takes you on a surreal cruise through the depths of the human psyche. Get swept along by a dysfunctional crew, drifting between states of violence and tenderness, hope and desperation.
- HALLE Tanzbühne, Eberswalder Str. 10, Prenzlauer Berg, starts 20:30, details.
Thursday 2
Liam Cagney: Berghain Nights
Many a blog entry has been written about the beautiful fever dream that is the Berlin club scene, but none as eloquent as the latest work from Berlin-based writer Liam Cagney. Equal parts academia and memoir, Berghain Nights features interviews with scene heavyweights such as Ellen Allien, Eris Drew and Luke Slater.
- Lettrétage, Veteranenstraße 21, Mitte, starts 19:30, details.
Satisfactionaction
For all the Twitter fascism and incel shitposting, the internet has also blessed us with some truly top-tier short-form content, from weirdly addictive ASMR mukbangs to those soothing hydraulic press videos. This musical-theatre-meets-art-installation builds on this “oddly satisfying” phenomenon, turning it into a unique real-life multisensory experience.
- Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bismarckstraße 35, Charlottenburg, starts 20:00, details.
Yuko Kaseki: zOne
Legendary Butoh dancer Yuko Kaseki joins forces with Japanese experimental DJ and composer Mieko Suzuki, weaving movement and sound into an otherworldly meditation on memory, amnesia and the hidden unconscious.
- Dock 11, Kastanienallee 79, Prenzlauerberg, starts 19:30, details.
Friday 3
Tag der Deutschen Einheit
On this most important of public holidays, Germany celebrates the reunion of East and West and the fall of the Berlin Wall (thanks again, David Hasselhoff). Many museums open their doors for free tours, including the Deutsches Historisches Museum with its speculative history exhibition, Roads not Taken. Happy Wiedervereinigung!
- Various locations
Tag der Clubkultur
Now in its sixth edition, Berlin’s annual love letter to the dancefloor features a week-long programme of raves, concerts, panels and workshops, reminding us that the Hauptstadt’s unique club culture is not just about letting that bunda get to work (though it certainly is about that as well); it’s the very glue that holds this wretched city together.
- Various locations, through Oct 12, details.
Open Mosque Day
With more than 80 mosques scattered across the city, Islam has been an integral part of Berlin’s cultural life for more than a century. Open Mosque Day invites locals to step inside, have a chat and learn more about Islamic faith, history and architecture.
- Participating mosques throughout the city
Design Börse Berlin
So you’ve finally secured the three-bedroom Friedrichshain Altbau of your dreams! Let’s be real, though: it’s what’s on the inside that truly matters. As luck would have it, this sprawling vintage furniture market, offering everything from Art Deco to Bauhaus and mid-century modern, is here to elevate your flat and drain your wallet.
- Trabrennbahn Karlshorst, Treskowallee 159, Oberschöneweide, through Oct 5, details.
Tuesday 7
Uranium Film Festival
As any Gen Xer will remind you (whether you ask them or not), there was a time when the prospect of full nuclear annihilation felt all too real. With the Cold War heating up again – another sequel nobody asked for – this niche international film festival shines a timely light on the renewed nuclear threat and possible solutions.
- Various locations, through Oct 11, details.
Wednesday 8
Berlin Festival of Lights
Yes, Berlin autumns are dark and full of terror but these annual art installations – illuminating iconic landmarks throughout the city – have been a beacon of light, so to speak. The most impressive projections can usually be spotted on Bebelplatz in Mitte.
- Various locations, through Oct 15, details.
Thursday 9
People & Culture Festival
When it comes to surviving the 40-hour grind under late-stage capitalism, we’re all in the same leaky boat. Or, to quote our eternal godqueen Britney Jean Spears: “You want a Maserati? You better work, bitch!” This year’s People & Culture Festival, under the motto ‘resilience’, asks how we can not only endure today’s toxic hustle culture, but actually change it. Expect workshops, panels and keynotes on everything from mental health and work-life-balance to the dangers and possibilities of AI in the workplace.
- Colosseum Cinema, Schönhauser Allee 123, Prenzlauerberg, starts 09:00, details.
Sleepwalking Ballad
Inspired by the surrealist love poem ‘Romance Sonámbulo’ by Federico García Lorca, international dance collective Symbolic Movement Choir puts on an intense four-person ballet drifting between dream and nightmare. Set to a score by Shy Ange and Ben Bondy, the piece traces the scars of war and trauma while searching for fleeting moments of love and connection.
- Pfefferberg Theater, Schönhauser Allee 176, Prenzlauer Berg, starts 20:00, details.
Friday 10
The Erotic Album: Sound Poems from the Body
To all those actively dating in Berlin: ditch that avoidantly-attached situationship, you deserve some romance. This unique multisensory literary event blends poetry, music, sound and scent, creating a truly full-body listening experience. Block them, then get a ticket.
Saturday 11
AL.Berlin Festival
Capping off a whole week of live events across the city, this genre-crossing Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) music festival – powered by Berlin cultural collective AL.Berlin – gathers internationally renowned artists such as Alsarah & the Nubatones, El Morabba3 and Asayel for a glorious final blowout at Festsaal Kreuzberg.
- Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, Kreuzberg, doors at 16:00, details.
Tuesday 14
Sammy Obeid
Having mastered the art of speaking truth to power while also being, well, funny as hell, American-Lebanese stand-up hotshot Sammy Obeid graces our miserable, humourless city with a brief stint at Berlin’s newly opened PUNCH L!NE comedy club.
- PUNCH L!NE Club, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1, Tiergarten, starts 19:30, details.
Thursday 16
Performing Arts Season
From prehistoric migration patterns to today’s online culture wars, this year’s Performing Arts Season is all about questions of identity and belonging. Highlights include William Kentridge’s surrealist play The Great Yes, The Great No and the mesmerising dance piece Post-Orientalist Express by choreographer Eun-Me Ah.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Gropius Bau and Tanzfabrik, Tthrough Jan 2026, details.
Obscura Film Festival
Sure, critically acclaimed French dramas airing at Berlinale are great – but sometimes all you need is a good old queer found-footage vampire slasher. Less dialogue, more corpses. Now in its ninth edition, Obscura Film Festival has just the right amount of camp and carnage to tickle your freak.
- Zoo Palast and Klick Kino, through Oct 18, details.
Friday 17
Tridiculous – Die Show
What do you get when you lock a beatboxer, a breakdancer and an acrobat into a room without supervision? Tridiculous: a one-of-a-kind performance group, and living proof of what happens when three adult men simultaneously lay off their ADHD medication. Having perfected their craft at variety shows and performance festivals around the world, this weekend, the international trio finally gets the big-stage moment they deserve.
- Pfefferberg Theater, Schönhauser Allee 176, Prenzlauer Berg, starts 20:00, details.
Saturday 18
4 Years of Gabber Industries
Since 2021, Berlin-based DJ collective Gabber Industries have been keeping it truly hardcore. No mellow house tunes, no Gen Z trance: just pure, ear-shattering uptempo bangers. Join their big birthday bash at Festsaal Kreuzberg this weekend. Lekker muziek, jongen!
- Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, Kreuzberg, starts 23:00, details.
Sunday 19
Müggelsee Half Marathon
Forget the Berlin Marathon, forget London, Paris, New York – for nestled in the serene landscapes of southeastern Berlin lies the true athletic event of the year. Runners can choose between 5K, 10K and half-marathon distances, all winding along the idyllic waterfront of Köpenick’s picturesque Müggelsee. Run, Forrest, run!
- Hotel Müggelsee, Müggelheimer Damm 145, starts 10:00, details.
Monday 20
Eraserhead Xiu Xiu
While David Lynch’s 1977 masterpiece Eraserhead is already a cinematic fever dream, US experimental rock band Xiu Xiu uses its black-and-white industrial nightmare as the starting point for their own sonic exorcism – including field recordings, DIY instruments, modular synths, distorted vocals and a whole lot of general disturbia. Fun!
- silent green, Gerichtstraße 35, Wedding, doors 19:00, details.
Tuesday 21
Pornfilmfestival
Kicking off this year’s 20th anniversary edition with a director’s screening of Annapurna Sriram’s campy erotic comedy Fucktoys, Pornfilmfestival Berlin is, as the kids say, so fucking back. As always, the programme spans screenings, panels, readings and workshops, showcasing the artistic diversity of everybody’s secret favourite genre – from analytical explorations of gender politics to no-holds-barred depictions of paranormal BDSM. *Raspy demon lord voice* “I want you to bounce on it, crrrrrazy style!”
- Moviemento, Kottbusser Damm 22, Kreuzberg, and Babylon Kreuzberg, Dresdener Str. 126, Kreuzberg, through Oct 26, details
Friday 24
The Scharf Collection
For the first time ever, Germany’s most important private art collection goes on full display at Alte Nationalgalerie. Highlights include rare Toulouse-Lautrec prints and iconic paintings by Monet, Cézanne, Degas, Renoir, Bonnard and Picasso.
- Alte Nationalgalerie, Bodestr. 1-3, through Feb 2026, details.
Ostpro Berlin
With the mullet and 80s porn-stache epidemic in full swing, it’s about time us performative males paid credit where credit is due. We ain’t got shit on you, Wolf Biermann! Head over to Berlin’s biggest DDR trade fair, offering everything from vinyls and literature to vintage furniture and authentic East German snacks.
- Trabrennbahn Karlshorst, Treskowallee 159, Oberschöneweide, through Oct 26, details.
Manga & Entertainment Expo
This weekend, Charlottenburg’s Messe transforms into a sprawling otaku paradise, with cosplay competitions, live performances, book signings, DIY workshops and enough manga merch to make your roommates question your sanity. Yes, Bethany, I did need another 17 Funko Pops.
- Messe Berlin, Messedamm 22, Charlottenburg, through Oct 26, details.
Wednesday 29
Premiere: Call me Paris
Writer-director Yana Eva Thönnes takes us on a journey back into the early aughts, the last shamelessly misogynistic decade, to unpack the story of the internet’s first true feeding frenzy around the first real influencer: Paris Hilton and her infamously leaked sex tape.
- Schaubühne, Kurfürstendamm 153, Wilmersdorf, starts 20:00, details.
Thursday 30
Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst – Starmirror
Introducing their new audio-visual exhibition-slash-machine-learning-experiment, renowned artistic duo Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst invite visitors and algorithms to sing together. Find out more about the AI-powered project in our Art section on page 53.
- KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Auguststr. 69, Mitte, through Jan 2026, details.
Friday 31
Festival of Future Nows
Ten years after its inaugural edition at the Neue Nationalgalerie, this unconventional art festival returns to its original home, bringing together over 100 artists staging performances, workshops, sound pieces and large-scale installations grappling with urgent questions of humanity’s uncertain future.
- Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Str. 50, Tiergarten, through Nov 2, details.
Premiere: Twelfth Night
After a shipwreck, the stranded noblewoman Viola disguises herself as a man to serve the chronically lovesick Duke Orsino, setting off a chain reaction of mistaken identities and comedic confusion. Portuguese-Chilean director Antú Romero Nunes takes on Shakespeare’s classic gender-bending tale of deception and desire.
- Berliner Ensemble, Bertolt-Brecht Platz 1, Mitte, starts 19:30, with Eng Surtitles on Nov 1, details.
Premiere: Wunderkammer
In his latest performance piece, the Staatsballett’s artist-in-residence Marcos Morau transforms the stage into a darkly whimsical cabinet of curiosities: a dreamlike and unsettling tableau, taking inspiration from film, literature and photography.
- Schillertheater, Bismarckstr. 110, Charlottenburg, starts 19:30, details.
Critical Mass
At the risk of sounding like a broken record: we’re here to remind you to saddle up and join the city’s longest-running monthly bike protest – if not to fight for a greener, more liveable city, then at least to stick it to the Bergmannkiez Range Rover moms en route to their late-night breathwork class.
- Mariannenplatz, Kreuzberg, starts 20:00, details.
