November is packed with some amazing events this year, so get excited! Check out one of the several international film festivals, or join in for live music or a stage performance.
Saturday 1
Berlin Science Week
Kick off the month with a (big) bang and dive into a 10-day bonanza that’s bringing the latest scientific discoveries to the masses. Spanning across 80 venues and packing a schedule with over 300 free events, there’s bound to be a finding or two for the curiously inclined.
- Various Locations, through Nov 10, details.
Monday 3
Berlin Tea Week
Something’s brewing: it’s Berlin Tea Week! The city welcomes the dynamic world of tea with a local festival, culminating in a weekend of tastings and expert talks at silent green. If you’re of the opinion that nothing beats a cuppa, don’t leaf this one out of your calendar..
- Various locations, through Nov 6, details.
Wednesday 5
Respect Cyclists Fahrraddemo
PROTEST Calling all city cyclists! Before you stow your bike in the basement to collect dust over the winter, climb onto your trusty steed for one last hurrah and a worthy cause. Join the Respect Cyclists peloton and demonstrate for a safer network of cycle paths throughout Berlin.
- Falkplatz in Mauerpark, starts 17:30, details.
Bazaar Berlin
Still going strong after 63 editions, this global gathering of artisans, manufacturers and traders gives you a beautiful glimpse of crafts from around the world. With Christmas coming, it’s the perfect opportunity to snaffle something a little different for your nearest and dearest.
- Messe Berlin, Messedamm 22, Charlottenburg, through Nov 9, details.
Thursday 6
Mànran
In Scottish Gaelic, the name of this award-winning folk band literally means ‘melodic sound’. If you’ve ever listened to their feel-good tunes, it’s hard to quibble with that moniker. Stick on their latest release To The Wind before coming down and getting cosy.
- Kesselhaus in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, Prenzlauer Berg, starts at 20.00, details.
36th Annual Berlin Fairy Tale Days
The world’s largest fairy tale festival marks its 36th anniversary this month. Each year has a unique theme, with this instalment highlighting resilience and triumph in the face of adversity. A fitting message for our times – and who couldn’t use a few more happily-ever-afters?
- Various locations, through Nov 23, details.
Friday 7
Gieza’s Pokehouse: A Do-ItYourself Drag Show
Everybody needs a Scottish auntie – and Gieza Poke’s the one you wish you had. Loud, lairy and larger than life, she’s back at Tipsy Bear with her chaotic DIY drag show. Expect fresh faces, wild performances and zero chance of an early night.
- Tipsy Bear, Eberswalder Str. 21, Prenzlauer Berg, doors at 17:00, details.
Saturday 8
Berlin Freedom Week
Celebrating 36 years since the fall of the Wall, freedom, diversity and democracy are central themes at this inaugural event. The focal point will be a conference featuring keynote speeches from journalists to human rights lawyers. Expect a busy schedule of workshops and talks covering a range of pressing socio-political issues.
- Various locations, through Nov 15, details.
German Beatbox Championship Vorrunde 2025
If you’ve never seen next-level beatboxing before, now is your chance. Flying in from across the world, the competitors partaking in this annual showdown are the cream of the crop. Expect plenty of mic drop moments.
- Jugendfunkhaus Berlin, Sewanstr. 43, Rummelsburg, starts at 17:00, details.
Sunday 9
Cheese Berlin
Witness Kreuzberg’s foodie mecca Markethalle Neun as it transforms into a temple of lactose-laden delights. Whether you’re in the market for unctuous French classics or for some seriously pongy numbers, there’s something for every cheese aficionado to savour.
- Markthalle Neun, Eisenbahnstr. 42/43, Kreuzberg, 11:00-18:00, details.
NFL Berlin Game 2025
American football fans rejoice: the NFL is touching down in Berlin for the very first time! Don your favourite jersey, fuel up on beer and head over to the Olympiastadion to catch the Indiana Colts play the Atlanta Falcons. It’s going to be totally rad, dude!
- Olympiastadion Berlin, Olympischer Platz 3, Westend, starts at 15.30, details.
Berlin Wall Memorial International Storytelling Salon
On the anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall, this poignant event witnesses and visitors to share their experiences of that fateful moment and ponder how it relates to the here and now. At a time when division grows and freedom of speech feels increasingly fragile, remembering such moments remains vital for the city – and for us all.
- Visitor Center of the Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauerstr. 119, Gesundbrunnen, starts at 15:00, details.
Tuesday 11
Italian Film Festival
The 12th edition of the Italian Film Festival returns to Berlin, hosted in the atmospheric surroundings of Kulturbrauerei. Bringing the best of Italian cinema to the capital, this six-day event features numerous screenings and the chance to meet some of the filmmakers behind the flicks. Get ready to soak up that dolce vita lifestyle right in the heart of PBerg.
- Kino in der Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36, Prenzlauer Berg, through Nov 16, details.
AFRIKAMERA – Contemporary Cinema from Africa
Change is the theme underscoring AFRIKAMERA this year, a forward 
thinking film festival spotlighting contemporary movies from the African continent. Titles by female and female-identifying directors from Senegal, Cape Verde and Togo boldly tackle gender norms, inviting the audience to consider how cinema can be a tool for meaningful social change.
- Various locations, through Nov 16, details.
Wednesday 12
Liquidrom OH WOW SHOW
WELLNESS With murkier months looming, there are definitely worse ideas than whiling away a few hours at a spa. The OH WOW SHOW takes relaxation to an otherworldly dimension: combining mood lights with enchanting performers, a full sensory experience awaits in Liquidrom’s warm saltwater pool.
- Liquidrom, Möckernstr. 10, Kreuzberg, starts at 19:30, 20:30 and 21:30, details.
Thursday 13
Days of Jewish Culture 2025
Days of Jewish Culture returns, this year boasting a schedule brimming with cultural events, live music and lectures. Hosted across multiple venues, including the Rykestraße Synagogue and the Renaissance Theater – it’s a true celebration of Jewish life in Berlin.
- Various locations, through Nov 23, details.
Herkunft Premiere and Showings
Looking for a great excuse to see something on the big stage? Look no further! Based on Bosnian-German writer Saša Stanišić’s novel by the same title, this theatrical adaptation draws heavily from the book’s musings on home, identity and exile. Staged by Stas Zhyrkov, a Ukrainian director displaced by Russia’s invasion of his homeland, his adaptation offers a powerful meditation on belonging and loss…
- Berliner Ensemble, Bertolt-Brecht Platz 1, Mitte, also on Nov 13, 22 and 23, details.
Friday 14
Dancing Water Drops
DANCE No, this isn’t a poetic description of the impending November rain, it’s a contemporary performance that explores water shortages and the wider climate crisis through the medium of acrobatics, movement and music. Staged by the Swiss dance company EllementArts, the performance is not only artistic, it’s utterly breathtaking.
- Pfefferberg Theater, Schönhauser Allee 176, Prenzlauer Berg, through Nov 15, details.
Ophelia’s Got Talent
Water takes centre stage again in this jaw-dropping show. Grizzly yet mesmerising, Florentina Holzinger’s multi-disciplinary creation revolves around performers acting out the subjugation of femininity in a manner of surreal, almost Dalí-esque scenes.
- Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Linienstr. 227, through 16, details.
Saturday 15
Hip-Hop Ball
This unique event blends ballroom class with urban culture. Hosted in the stately surroundings of the Rotes Rathaus, the night promises an eight-hour programme of hiphop-meets-classical performances, breakdance and a graffiti vernissage. Don’t miss the after party at BRICKS for some extra beats.
- Rotes Rathaus and BRICKS Berlin, details.
Playfight
Adulting is far too serious: thankfully, spaces like this can help you ditch that for a while. As the name suggests, the idea here is to literally (and non-violently) playfight with willing partners. It’s all about celebrating the joy of play and revisiting some of childhood’s silliness.
- Neukölln Martial Arts School, Hobrechtstr. 31, Neukölln, starts at 18.00, details.
Monday 17
25-Year Anniversary of the Berlin-Windhoek Town Twinning
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the twinning of Berlin and the Namibian capital Windhoek. To celebrate, Kulturprojekte Berlin is curating a rich programme of public events to showcase culture from Namibia and cement an enduring partnership between the two cities.
- Kulturprojekte Berlin, Klosterstr. 68, Mitte, through Nov 23, details.
Thursday 20
Other Nature Queer Speed Dating
DATING With a growing number of Berliners falling out of love with ‘the apps’ and wanting to prioritise IRL romance, what better than a little speed dating? Hosted at Kreuzberg’s favourite queer-feminist sex shop, there are no surprises here – just interesting people and good chat in cosy surroundings.
- Other Nature, Yorckstr. 75, Kreuzberg, 19:00-21:00, details.
French Film Week
FILM French Film Week is back, celebrating a quarter of a century showcasing the crème de la crème of cinema from the French-speaking world. With 31 films on the menu, it’s going to be a veritable feast of film.
- Various locations, through Nov 26, details.
Friday 21
Barbaren Barbies – A Wild Women Circus
Roll up, roll up! It’s all fun and games at this all-female circus performance. Sit stageside as a fabulous quintet of superheroines serve up big top artistry with a side order of humour, playfully challenging stereotypes and normativity along the way.
- Pfefferberg Theater, Schönhauser Allee 176, Prenzlauer Berg, through Nov 23, details.
Saturday 22
Anime Dreamlight Concert
Anime fans will agree, the musical score breathes life into the vivid pictures we know and love. Combining piano, violin and vocals, this concert covers the classics, from your fave Ghiblis to Sailor Moon, and beyond. Take a nostalgia trip and get lost in goosebump-inducing soundtracks and stage sets.
- Pauls Festsaal, Schönwalder Allee 26, Spandau, starts at 18:00 and 20:45, details.
BSR Zero Waste Future Festival
To bin or not to bin? Sadly, we all too often end up choosing the former. This festival, fronted by Berlin’s waste disposal company, champions the latter. Come along for workshops on upcycling zu verschenken finds and how to really know if your toaster is knackered. Plus, if you haven’t yet visited the BSR’s secondhand superstore, now is the perfect opportunity!
- NochMall, Auguste-Viktoria-Allee 99, Reinickendorf, 11:00-18:00, details.
Monday 24
Berlin Christmas Markets Opening Day
Has Chrimbo come early? Not quite, but, most of the city’s major Christmas markets open today, bringing in yuletide and making it gay, alongside some proper German cheer! All that’s left to do is grab yourself a Glühwein, locate the nearest raclette stall and get festive.
- Various locations, through Jan, details.
Tuesday 25
International Day of the Elimination of Violence against Women*
In 2024, there were over a quarter of a million registered cases of violence towards women in Germany – an unacceptable trend growing year-over-year. Come stand together beside Brandenburger Tor and march for a world where women and girls can feel safe, both at home and in public.
- Pariser Platz and others, starts 10:30, details.
Friday 28
Around the World in 14 Films
FILM Dark evenings biting hard? Need a little escapism but can’t foot the plane ticket? Set off on a cinematic odyssey and take your pick of 14 award-winning films from around the globe, each presented by personalities from within the industry.
- Various locations, through Dec 6, details.
Saturday 29
Lord of the Rings Trilogy Marathon
Back-to-back-to-backs aren’t just reserved for steamy Berlin dancefloors, and chances are, you’re probably overdue for a LOTR revisit. So why not scratch that itch with this proper mega-binge? Stock up on popcorn, stash the Haribo and get locked in for the long haul, my precious. Now that’s what we’re Tolkien about!
- Babylon Berlin, Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, Mitte, starts at 10:00, details.
Sunday 30
Raw Wine Berlin
Sure, we might be entering the season of unbridled boozing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep it classy. If natty wines are your thing, this is just the tipple. Head to Markthalle Neun to mingle with producers and learn something about viticulture over a glass or two.
- Markthalle Neun, Eisenbahnstr. 42/43, Kreuzberg, starts at 12.00, details.
Autumn Forest Run
SPORT Hold it! Don’t retire your running shoes for the year just yet. Instead, join 1100 fellow participants for an 11k run along the sun-dappled paths that weave through Tegeler Forst. Your reward? Copious amounts of tea and Stollen at the finish line, naturally.
- Sports Field at Heidenheimer Straße, Friedrichsthaler Weg 3, Reinickendorf, starts at 10:00, details.
