From electrifying club nights and exhibitions to boundary-pushing performances and festivals, there’s something for just about everyone this January. Start your 2025 off strong by making the most of Berlin, so whether you’re a music lover, art enthusiast, or looking to explore the city’s vibrant food scene, we’ve got you covered.
Thursday 2
Still Awake?!
With Berlin’s club scene seriously in danger, we wholeheartedly encourage you to keep the party alive with Tresor’s traditional January 2 shindig, introducing new resident DJ UFO95.
- Tresor, Köpenicker Str. 70, Friedrichshain, details.
Friday 3
Paradise Garage New Year’s Edition
If you’re among the handful of Berliners who aren’t too keen on techno, this old-school house-and-disco party at KitKat might just be what tickles your pickle. Get down and dirty, 1970s NYC style. Who said hedonism can’t be groovy?
- KitKatClub, Köpenicker Str. 76, Brückenstr. 1, Mitte. Starts 20:00, details.
Saturday 4
Showstoppers: Ballroom Explosion
Put on that leftover glitter from New Year’s and head over to beloved Prenzlauer Berg queer bar Tipsy Bear for a jaw-dropping, knee-popping ballroom and burlesque show, put together by the glorious Mother Mandhla Laveaux.
- Tipsy Bear, Eberswalder Str. 21, Prenzlauer Berg. Doors at 18:00, details.
Thursday 9
Tanztage Berlin Festival
Known for its broad interdisciplinary outlook, Sophiensaele’s annual celebration of contemporary dance has been an important platform for emerging Berlin choreographers since its first edition in 1996.Berlin’s 33rd Tanztage at Sophiensaele kicks off with a special double bill of the athletic ballroom performance, bodyride, followed by Deva Schubert’s exploration of the significance of dissonance in Glitch Choir. An annual festival that produces and presents the work of Berlin’s best young dance talent, this edition focuses on the concept of ‘disorders’; exploring, among other things, the body in relation to pain in all its forms.
- Sophiensaele, Sophienstr. 18, Mitte. Through Jan 25. details.
UnNatural Encounters
What will our cities, forests and oceans look like in the age of robots and AI? Can technological progress and environmental protection go hand in hand? This special group exhibition showcases 11 multimedia projects exploring the complex relationship of nature and technology. The art styles range from data visualisation and documentary film to sound sculpture, performance, video and interactive VR installations.
- silent green, Gerichtstr. 35, Wedding. Through Jan 19, details.
Friday 10
Diskoteka Balkanska
DJ, author and co-founder of the legendary Berlin party series Russendisko, Yuriy Gurzhy has been an ambassador for the Hauptstadt’s Eastern European music scene for over two decades. Trust us: the guy knows how to throw a proper rager. For this special balkan bash at SO36, Gurzhy will be joined by Roma and Balkan beats expert DJ Karacho Rabaukin. Opa!
- SO36, Oranienstr. 190, Kreuzberg. Starts 23:00, details.
Saturday 11
La Bohème
Giacomo Puccini’s iconic opera about life in 19th-century Paris tells the story of the impoverished artists Rodolfo and Marcello, who, despite constant money problems and no career prospects, refuse to give up the pleasures of life, love and partying. RIP Puccini, you would have loved Berlin-Friedrichshain.
- Schillertheater @ Komische Oper, Bismarckstr. 110, Charlottenburg. Starts 19:30. Also on Jan 17, 19, 24 and 31, details.
Premiere: Future Macbeth
Turning Shakespeare’s seminal play about a power-hungry general-turned-king on its head, Ukrainian director Stas Zhyrkov – who has lived and worked in Germany since the Russian invasion of his home country – explores how power and greed can drive people to violence.
- Berliner Ensemble, Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, Mitte. Starts 20:00. Also on Jan 12, 25 and 26 details.
Tuesday 14
Mark Reeder’s Mystery Movie Night
Beyond his iconic role in B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin 1979-1989, Mark Reeder is a true film buff. This series gives you a peek into his personal movie collection, featuring rare and offbeat films. It’s a cinematic surprise, with the title revealed only as the lights go down.
- Backhaus Projects, Weserstr. 168, Neukölln, details.
Ultraschall Berlin Festival
Need a break from your regular old Beethoven and Bach? Held at various venues across the city, this annual concert series focuses on new developments in contemporary music – from stunning neoclassical pieces to offbeat experimental soundscapes and multimedia artworks.
- Haus des Rundfunks, Radialsystem & Heimathafen Neukölln. Through Jan 19, details.
Thursday 16
Premiere: MOMO
The latest work by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin and his Batsheva Dance Company is an intense look at the conflict between modern individualism and the human need for community. It’s also one of the last pieces to hit the stage as part of this year’s season at Haus der Berliner Festspiele.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg. Starts 19:30, also on Jan 17 and 18. details.
Friday 17
International Green Week Berlin
One of the world’s oldest and largest annual consumer fairs, International Green Week has been putting the “cult” in “agricultural convention” since 1926. Over 1,400 vendors from 60 countries offer traditional food, farming and gardening products, but it’s worth a visit for the Spreewälder pickle beer alone (you read that right).
- Messe Berlin, Messedamm 22, Chalottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Through Jan 26. details.
Solid AM x The Berliner Eis Disko
We’re teaming up with the Solid AM booking agency for a night on the ice. DJs from their stable and from The Berliner will be bringing the disco party vibes to the Zenner Biergarten ice rink. Admission is free, you just have to pay for the skates and a slot in the rink. If you’re not feeling brave enough to put on some skates, there will be cute stalls outside selling glühwein and snacks, so you can just come and hang out. DJs on the night will be VOLPAT, Jonny Tiernan, Tobi Neumann and Valis.
- Zenner Biergarten, Alt Treptow 15, Treptow. Starts 18:00, details.
Chorgasmus Soundclash!
Two of Berlin’s best choirs – Berliner Kneipenchor and Projekt Kiezchor – are facing off against each other in a good natured battle where everyone’s a winner. Across various rounds you can expect acapella versions of timeless classics, current chart smashers and mash-ups.
- Kesselhaus in der Kulturbraurei, Knaackstr. 97, Prenzlauer Berg. Doors open at 20:00, details.
Saturday 18
Swiftie Dance Night
Shake, shake, shake off the Swifties-are-a-cult allegations and prepare for a night out you’ll remember all too well. In the unlikely event that you’ll want to dance to anything else throughout the night, there will also be an indie and a hip hop floor to cool off before dragging your besties over to the Taylor karaoke. All hail T-Swizzle!
- Metropol, Nollendorfpl. 5, Schöneberg. Starts 22:00, details.
Sunday 19
FLINTA* March 2025
Ditch Sunday brunch and take the in-laws to a protest instead. With Trump’s inauguration coming up, it’s an especially fitting day to stand up for justice and solidarity with women.
- Pariser Platz, Mitte. Starts 12:00, details.
Thursday 23
British Shorts Film Festival
As the name suggests, this one-week festival is all about British film with sub-feature run times. This year’s highlights include a midnight screening of horror shorts and the retrospective ‘Weekender – Memories of Acid House & 90s Rave Scenes’, tracing the origins of British rave and counterculture through a collection of music films, documentaries and video clips.
- Various Locations. Through Jan 29, details.
Friday 24
CTM Festival
An annual highlight for art-hungry Berliners, this year’s CTM Festival will take place without an overarching theme for a change. Instead, the diverse lineup of electronic musicians, designers and multimedia artists joining the avant-garde spectacle are given free reign to explore and express their own ideas.
- Various Locations. Through Feb 2, details.
From Odesa to Berlin
This special German-Ukrainian exhibition features 60 paintings that were evacuated from the Museum of Western and Eastern Art in Odesa in the wake of the Russian invasion. The rescued exhibition pieces include artworks by important European painters such as Andreas Achenbach, Frans Hals and Frits Thaulow, ranging from 16th century portraits to 19th century Impressionist landscapes.
- Gemäldegalerie, Matthäikirchplatz, Tiergarten. Through Jun 22, details.
Gegen Gegen – 14 Years Celebration
You know the drill: throw on your snazziest kinkwear and immerse yourself in a magical world full of throbbing techno and liberating lasciviousness, presented by the lovely birthday squad of Gegen Berlin.
- KitKatClub, Köpenicker Straße 76, Brückenstr. 1, Mitte. Starts 20:00, details.
Saturday 25
Veggienale
How exactly does one go about creating a healthier, less wasteful lifestyle? Find out at this two-day sustainability fair offering organic food, green lifestyle products and the opportunity to get in touch with organisations like Greenpeace or PETA.
- Loewe Saal, Wiebestr. 42-45/Entrance 1 Nord. Through Jan 26, details.
Sunday 26
Berlin by Foot: Rosa Luxemburg
Right after she arrived in the city in 1898, Rosa Luxemburg declared: “Berlin has made the most unfavourable impression on me.” She found it “cold, tasteless, massive – a real barracks.” Yet she stayed here for the rest of her life, before she was murdered in 1919 in the throes of a revolution. Our two-hour walking tour with The Berliner’s history writer Nathaniel Flakin takes you to the places where Luxemburg lived, worked and fought.
- Meet at Mehringplatz, U-Bahn station Hallesches Tor. Starts 14:00, details.
Premiere: Die Frau ohne Schatten
Richard Strauss’ edgy emo fairytale about an empress without a shadow dives into timeless themes such as love, death and spiritual redemption. Pop in an hour early for a glass of bubbly and a brief introduction to the complex narrative.
- Deutsche Oper, Schumannstr. 13A, Mitte. Starts 17:00. Also on Jan 30, Feb 2, 5, 8 and 11, details.
Wednesday 29
transmediale
Ever been tempted to buy a jar of bathwater from your favourite OnlyFans model or got sucked into a heated political debate with a 12-year-old on Reddit? This year’s 38th transmediale, under the motto “(near) near but – far”, aims to explore how algorithms and social media reshape human relationships, placing us in weird new proximities with each other..
- Haus der Kulturen der Welt & silent green. Through Feb 2, details.
Night Flea Market
One of the worst aspects of Berlin winters (piercing cold and all-consuming, life-sucking darkness aside) is the lack of good flea markets. This late-night indoor fair at SO36 provides a very welcome opportunity to enjoy the wonders of a flea market combined with the glory of heated rooms.
- SO36, Oranienstr. 190, Kreuzberg. Starts 20:00, details.
Thursday 30
A Guide To Self-Synthesis
Developed by independent art collective Opera Lab Berlin and performed by trans singer-songwriter Marlene Bellissimo, this unique performance is all about transcending boundaries, be it musically, spiritually or sexually. Because ultimately, the only real limit is your own imagination.
- English Theatre Berlin, Fidicinstr. 40, Kreuzberg. Starts 20:00, also on Jan 31 and Feb 1. details.
Frank Ockenfels 3: Introspection
Frank Ockenfels’ Introspection pushes the boundaries of photography. The American photographer is known for his playful approach – and sometimes brutal way of distorting photographs – that turns his portraits of famous actors and musicians, like Bowie and Clooney, into a reflection of Ockenfels’ own inner world.
- Fotografiska, Oranienburger Str. 54, Mitte. Opening on Jan 31, through May 4, details TBA.
Friday 31
Six Day Weekend track cycling
©Arne Mill/Frontalvision
All we’re saying is you don’t have to be a cycling fanatic to enjoy watching a stacked roster of world-famous athletes go head to head in exciting competitions while sipping on some cold ones.
- Velodrom, Paul-Heyse-Str. 26, Prenzlauer Berg. Through Feb 1. details.
Brigidsfest
The Irish Embassy’s annual festival celebrating Irish literature and female creativity in the written word kicks off with a literature panel featuring authors Elaine Feeney, Sheila Armstrong and Mary Costello. In February, the festival continues with talks and readings from playwrights Nancy Harris and Deirdre Kinahan.
- Embassy of Ireland, Jägerstr. 51, Mitte. Also on Feb 20 & 21 detail.
Späth’sche Weinstraße
These skilful winemakers are growers and showers – and they’re ready to unpack it all for you. Coming from some of the best winegrowing regions in Germany, the vendors at this cosy outdoor fair will offer some of their finest bottles to taste and take home. Tickets are just €15 and include all tastings.
- Späth’sche Baumschulen, Späthstr. 80-81, Späthsfelde. Through Feb 2. details.
