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 2
Premiere: Der nackte Wahnsinn
Directed by BE’s artistic director Oliver Reese himself, this German production is an adaptation of Michael Frayn’s self-referential backstage farce Noises Off – a witty, gleefully chaotic meta-comedy about theatre, failure and the human need for control.
- Berliner Ensemble, Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, Mitte, Großes Haus, starts 19:30, details.
Zapfenstreich
One of the more peculiar German traditions, the ‘Zapfenstreich’ is a slightly unsettling military ceremony in honour of high-ranking officials, involving burning torches and marching soldiers. In this reenactment of Angela Merkel’s farewell procession, performance group Boys* in Sync roots out questions of masculinity and power.
- Ballhaus Ost, Pappelallee 15, Prenzlauer Berg, starts 20:00, details.
Female Filmmakers Festival
With female directors and producers still vastly underrepresented on the red carpets from Cannes to Venice (sexism in the film industry, who would’ve thought?), this five-day indie festival aims to highlight women’s voices in all their diversity.
- Kino Moviemento, Kottbusser Damm 22, Kreuzberg, through Oct 6, details.
Symbiotikka Goddesses
What better way to celebrate Germany’s upcoming national holiday than to go absolutely feral to the sweet sounds of an all-female DJ roster? Expect greatness from this special edition of KitKat’s weekly Symbiotikka party featuring special show acts, free tattoos and a live set by the internet’s undisputed techno queen Stella Bossi.
- KitKat, Köpenicker Str. 76, Brückenstr. 1, Kreuzberg, starts 22:00, details.
Heavy RAWtation
Indecisive clubbers rejoice, tonight your fear of attachment might actually turn out to be an asset to the group! This club festival features six individually themed parties at three venues on RAW-Gelände. From TikTok trash-pop to indie rock – no need to choose this time.
- Various locations, starts 18:00, details.
Thursday 3
20 Jahre Festsaal Kreuzberg
Launched in the early 2000s (originally at Kottbusser Tor), Festsaal Kreuzberg has earned a reputation as one of the city’s most vibrant event locations, hosting a diverse cultural program ranging from rock concerts to rap battles and wrestling shows. Join them at their new location on the Spree for a massive three-day birthday rager.
- Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, Kreuzberg, through Oct 5, details.
Berlin Burlesque Festival
Going into its 12th edition, Berlin Burlesque Festival is a celebration of artistic dance, sensuality and self-expression, featuring a diverse line-up of some of the world’s most renowned performers. Want to get moving yourself? Check out this year’s workshop program, hosted by Berlin Burlesque Academy. Topics include chair dance, stage presence and a special Beyoncé-themed class, teaching participants to pop off on the dance floor like Queen Bey herself.
- Wintergarten Varieté, Potsdamer Str. 96, Schöneberg, and Heimathafen Neukölln, Karl-Marx-Str. 141, Neukölln, through Oct 6, details.
Tag der Clubkultur
Let’s face it: If it wasn’t for its uniquely vibrant club culture, Berlin wouldn’t be half as cool as it is and you wouldn’t be half as broke as you are right now. Honouring some of the city’s most important clubs and collectives for their contribution to the Hauptstadt’s buzzing party scene, the Clubcommission is organising a week-long festival featuring parties, concerts and panel discussions.
- Various locations, through Oct 10, details.
Salvation (Glitter Doesn’t Care I’m a Boy)
Described as a “science fiction drag ritual” this mesmerising solo musical performance by artist Shlomi Moto Wagner is an experimental exploration of what it means to have, experience and be perceived in a gendered body.
Giant Antique Market Karlshorst
Hear ye, hear ye! As Berlin celebrates the 34th anniversary of German Wiedervereinigung, over 500 antique vendors from all over the country will make their way to the old trotting racetrack in Karlshorst for a special holiday edition of their monthly antique market. Merchants will offer a sheer endless variety of vintage furniture, art, books and vinyls. The kid-friendly entertainment program makes this a perfect destination for a blissful family outing on German Unity Day.
- Trabrennbahn Karlshorst, through Oct 6, Treskowallee 159, Oberschöneweide, details.
Open Mosque Day
Once a year on German Unity Day, many Mosques throughout the city open their doors to curious Berliners, offering guided tours, exhibitions, lectures and most importantly, an opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed, neighbourly atmosphere.
- Various locations, details
Friday 4
Designbörse
We hate to break it to you, but the whole bohemian mattress-on-the-floor thing is just not the vibe anymore. So put on your big boy pants and head over to Trabrennbahn Karlshorst for their 12th annual Designbörse – interior design exhibition and vintage furniture sale extraordinaire. Who knows, they might even have a bedframe for you.
- Trabrennbahn Karlshorst, Treskowallee 159, Oberschöneweide, through Oct 6, details.
Human Rights Film Festival
Proving that art can indeed inspire change, this indie film festival showcases movies addressing human rights issues around the world. Alongside the film screenings, the program also includes panels and opportunities for visitors to take action themselves.
- Various locations, through Oct 12, details.
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 13, details.
Saturday 5
Rooftop Night Market
If early Sunday morning flea markets have never really been your thing, this unique late-night rooftop event is a great opportunity for some leisurely second-hand shopping without losing sleep.
- Gesundbrunnen-Center, Badstr. 4, Wedding, starts 17:00, details.
Carnival for the Future
Organised by an alliance of local artists and social workers, this Neukölln arts parade seeks to raise awareness for environmental protection and climate justice. March along this weekend or check out their website for various arts and crafts workshops prior to the big day.
- Artistania Neukölln, Neckarst. 19, Neukölln, starts 12:00, details.
Schöneberger Pumpkin Festival
With autumn in full bloom and a hint of pumpkin spice in the air, get out your comfiest oversized sweater and head over to Schöneberg’s Akazienkiez for their annual harvest celebration. Marvel at local farmers’ biggest, most beautiful squashes or treat yourself to this year’s first steaming bowl of delicious pumpkin soup.
- Akazienstr., Schöneberg and Belziger Str., Schöneberg, through Oct 6, details.
Sunday 6
Museum Sunday
Just a reminder that Museum Sunday is still a thing. Visit many of the city’s most exciting exhibitions completely free of charge today.
- Various locations, details.
Monday 7
Miyazaki Dreams
International chamber music troupe Simple Music Ensemble is bringing to life beloved anime classics by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki such as Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro.
- Theater im Delphi, Gustav-Adolf-Str. 2, Weisensee, starts 19:30, details.
Wednesday 9
Berlin Craft-Expansion Fair
Highlighting traditional Korean crafts and culture, this arts fair is a plattform for artists, galleries, collectors and art lovers to connect through workshops and exhibitions on Korean ceramics, textile art and lacquerware.
- Various locations, through Oct 13, details.
Bark of Millions
Over the course of this bedazzling four-hour queer marathon concert, musical collaborators Taylor Mac and Matt Ray are performing a whopping 55 songs on stage – one for each year since the first queer Pride Parade in 1970.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, starts 19:00, details.
Hain
Up-and-coming Berlin photographer Lukas Städler captures gay cruising in all its (usually overlooked) tenderness and fragility. Staging parks and urban spots as romantic places of human encounter, the exhibition reframes cruising as joyful, intimate and deeply poetic.
- Fotografiska, Oranienburger Str. 54, Mitte, ends today, details.
Thursday 10
Chicago
Produced by artistic director Barrie Kosky himself, Komische Oper is reviving the legendary Broadway musical at Charlottenburg’s historic Schillertheater. Get razzle-dazzled by all that (German) jazz!
- Schillertheater, Komische Oper, Bismarckstr. 110, Chalottenburg, through Jan 2025, details.
Dokumentale Festival
Attention culture lovers, there’s a new festival in town! Dokumentale is not just a film festival, though. It’s a multimedia celebration of documentaries, media projects, books and all things non-fiction.
- Various locations, through Oct 20, details.
Berlin Salsa Festival
Dance the night away at this three-day latin music fiesta, featuring a Friday-night concert by Cuban salsa legend Maykel Blanco. Insecure about your moves? Don’t fret, on-site dance coaches offering pre-party bootcamps are ready to help.
- Atelier Gardens, Oberlandstr. 26-35, Treptow, through Oct 13, details.
Barrio Barrio
A celebration of contemporary Latin American writing, this free literature festival will take place at various bookshops and cultural spaces across the city. Guest authors include accomplished Latinx writers such as Argentinian Lola Arias, winner of this year’s Ibsen Award, and Peruvian Booker Prize finalist Gabriela Wiener.
- Various Locations, through Oct 17, details.
Benita Suchodrev – Le bal infernal
“There’s a certain madness and magic to it all”, Berlin-based artist Benita Suchodrev says about the Hauptstadt’s unique clubbing scene. Having moved to the city in 2008, the photographer spent year’s capturing the escapism and ecstasy of Berlin nightlife. The results of this long-term study are now finally unveiled at Fotografiska.
- Fotografiska, Oranienburger Str. 54, Mitte, through Jan 25, details.
Friday 11
Fisch Sucht Fahrrad
Berlin’s biggest singles night is back! Complete with speed dating (now organised into 3 age groups), a love letter mailing system, dance courses and a team of Date Doctors on call, Fisch Sucht Fahrrad makes romance a blast. Get off the apps and into the party mood!
- Frannz Club, Schönhauser Allee 36, Prenzlauer Berg, starts 21:00, details.
Hive Film Days
Curated by a team of young international artists, this avant-garde short film festival focuses on new approaches to visual storytelling. This year’s program features three main selections, each deconstructing a different angle of human experience.
- Flutgraben, Am Flutgraben 3, Kreuzberg, through Oct 13, details.
Saturday 12
Beachfood Festival
Serving up local craft beer, live music and tons of finger-licking street food, this beach festival on Langer See pretty much covers the average Berliner’s entire hierarchy of needs.
- Strandbad Wendenschloss, Möllhausenufer 30, Köpenick, through Oct 13, details.
Catalan/Basque Street Punk Festival
What better place for a punk rock festival than gloriously shabby SO36, cradle of Berlin’s notoriously rough punk and anarchist scene? Notable Catalan and Basque bands such as Crim and Brigade Loco will provide the banging soundtrack to your Saturday night mosh pit. Oi!
- SO36, Oranienstr. 190, Kreuzberg, start 18:30, details.
Sunday 13
The Great 10K Berlin
As a final hurrah to this year’s running season, this 10K race is community event and sightseeing tour in one. The route passes numerous landmarks such as Schloss Charlottenburg and the Siegessäule and even leads right through the Berlin Zoo.
- Schloss Charlottenburg, Spandauer Damm 10-22, Charlottenburg, starts 12:00, details.
Open Mic L. J. Fox
Every Sunday night, a diverse crowd of regulars and newcomers snuggles up in eclectic basement bar Madame Claude for a wholesome, low-pressure open mic session. Each performer gets a ten-minute slot and a free drink; spontaneous sign-ups are accepted half an hour before kick-off.
- Madame Claude, Lübbener Str. 19, Kreuzberg, starts 20:30, details.
Tuesday 15
Design for Children
While Berlin has no shortage of world-class museums and galleries, there are few options for younger visitors. That’s why the lovely folks at Bröhan Museum have put together this special kids exhibition, focusing on furniture, product and graphic design for children throughout history.
- Bröhan Museum, Schloßstr. 1a, Charlottenburg, through Feb 2025, details.
Wednesday 16
Die Kameliendame ODER: Stirb schöner!
This German adaptation of the 19th-century novel by French writer Alexandre Dumas reevaluates the romanticization of illness and suffering in relationships. Is it possible to die of a broken heart? Can love heal all wounds? Time for a reality check.
Palace of Ash and Rain
Through a series of multidisciplinary artworks – including live performances, film and sound installations – queer performance collective Once We Were Islands imagine a perfect utopia: post capitalist, post trauma, post addiction.
- Ballhaus Ost, Pappelallee 15, 10437, Prenzlauer Berg, starts 20:00 (also on Oct 17), details.
Thursday 17
Premiere: Pick me Girls
Are you a pick me girl? According to German author Sophie Passmann, we all are – and how could we not be, having grown up in a world still governed by patriarchal norms and beauty ideals? Bringing her autobiographical essay to the stage, Passmann’s one-woman-play is a brutally honest look at womanhood in the 21st Century.
- Berliner Ensemble, Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, Mitte, starts 19:30 (also on Oct 18 & Nov 3), details.
Saturday 19
3hd Festival 2024
Creamcake’s annual electronic music and arts festival has never shied away from uncomfortable discussions. Going into its 10th edition under the motto “The Shadows That Linger”, this year’s 3hd will focus on the ongoing wars, disasters and crises shaping contemporary political and cultural discourses.
- Various locations, through Nov 3, details.
Pinky Promise: The Garden of Tarot
Leave this city behind and enter a magical realm of sensuality and desire, a lush, mystical garden of self-expression and exploration. Hosted at Club Ost, Pinky Promise’s themed fantasy parties are known for their wholesome vibes and attention to detail (and they expect the same from you and your outfit).
- Club Ost, Alt-Stralau 1-2, Friedrichshain, starts 22:00, details.
Tuesday 22
Pornfilmfestival
Diving deep into questions of sexual ethics, body politics and morality, there is much more to porn as an art form than meets the eye. This long-running indie festival celebrates sexuality and pornography beyond the heteronormative – because good sex matters!
- Moviemento, Kottbusser Damm 22, Kreuzberg, and Babylon Kreuzberg, Dresdener Str. 126, Kreuzberg, through Oct 27, details
Wednesday 23
Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin
With the ongoing war in Ukraine, highlighting the country’s vibrant filmmaking scene is now more important than ever. In choosing this year’s motto “decolonization”, the organisers also want to remind the world that Ukrainian culture (like all cultures) needs to be freed from imperial influences.
- Colosseum, Schönhauser Allee 123, Prenzlauer Berg, and other locations, through Oct 27, details.
Friday 25
Critical Mass Berlin
The days might be getting colder, but that doesn’t mean we have to surrender the city to big auto altogether. Every last Friday of the month, hundreds of Berlin cyclists take to the streets under the motto “We don’t hinder traffic, we are traffic!”
- Mariannenplatz, Kreuzberg, starts at 20:00, details.
Obscura Filmfest
Tired of the same old soulless Hollywood blockbusters? From bizarre fantasy sci fi shorts to hilariously gory splatter flicks, this B movie festival is a tribute to the obscure, unsettling and amusing.
- Zoo-Palast, Bikini Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 29A, Charlottenburg, through Oct 27, details.
Klub Verboten x Berlin
As a community-oriented space for sexual exploration and BDSM play, Klub Verboten has popped onto the scene as the go-to place for a kinky night out among like-minded perverts. Lube up that gimp suit and join the party!
- Kreuzwerk, Lobeckstr. 30-35, Kreuzberg, starts 23:00, details.
Film Restored – The Film Heritage Festival
Paying tribute to restored classics from bygone eras, this year’s ninth Film Heritage Festival highlights the community aspect of film-making and watching. The program also features expert workshops and panels on film history and restoration.
- Arsenal, Potsdamer Str. 2, Mitte, through Oct 29, details
Saturday 26
Run Berlin 2024
In case you’ve missed last month’s Berlin Marathon, here’s a chance to take on your own final race before the winter. Offering runs at 5K, 10K and half marathon distance, this night-time run on Tempelhofer Feld promises great vibes and spectacular views.
- Tempelhofer Damm, Tempelhof-Schöneberg, races start 18:00, 19:00 and 19:05, details.
6 years Buttcocks
Yes, we do know how convenient Grindr is, but sometimes there’s nothing better than meeting someone on a dimly lit dance floor in Berlin’s oldest queer club. Celebrating the sixth anniversary of their monthly cruising party, SchwuZ is throwing a big old birthday bash.
- SchwuZ, Rollbergstr. 26, Neukölln, starts 22:00, details.
Thursday 31
Jazzfest Berlin
One of the oldest, most prestigious celebrations of jazz music in the world, Jazzfest Berlin is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Join a panel discussion at Haus der Berliner Festspiele or catch one of many live shows featuring both old-timers and rising stars at Charlottenburg’s legendary A-Trane bar. Jazzfest is so back, and goddamn, these cats are cooking!
- Various locations, through Nov 3, details.
House of Lunacy Halloween Special
Kinky creatures of the night unite at this year’s last House of Lunacy event under the motto “Dark Versailles Vampire Ball”. Wander around Renate’s haunted halls and lose yourself among lascivious monsters, vampires, werewolves and jesters.
- Renate, Alt-Stralau 70, Friedrichshain, starts 21:00, details.
