Hundreds of thousands parade through Berlin every year on Christopher Street Day. It's about more rights and equality for all people, especially of course for the LGBTQ+-community. Be there and let yourself be infected by the joyful hustle and bustle. In our blog we have compiled for you where the party continues after the parade and where you can learn even more about the LGBTQ+ scene in Berlin.
During Pride Month, the queer community organises a mix of cultural events, concerts, readings and parties almost every day. The main aim is to create space for exchange and encounters and to set long-term impulses for a change of perspective and real development: "Be their voice - and ours! ... for more empathy and solidarity Here are our 11 tips.
Tip: In the hotels of the pink pillow Berlin Collection you can enjoy relaxed and professional service. These hotels are committed to the queer community. Here you can be whoever you want to be!
Tip 1: 45. Celebrate Christopher Street Day | Berlin Pride
"Be their voice - and ours! ... for more empathy and solidarity" is the motto of this year's Christopher Street Day (CSD). The march will start at 12 noon from the corner of Leipziger Straße and Spittelmarkt through Mitte and past Potsdamer Platz towards Nollendorfplatz and the Victory Column. The route continues along Straße des 17. Juni to the Brandenburg Gate, where the grand finale will be celebrated with a colourful programme and lots of music until midnight. The official CSD party House of Pride starts at 9 pm at Ritter Butzke..
When: 22 July from 11.30 a.m., the parade starts at 12 p.m.
Start zone: Leipziger Straße | Axel-Springer-Straße, End: Straße des 17. Juni | Brandenburger Tor
Christopher Street Day | Berlin Pride
Tip 2: Get out & have fun! Second "Pride Month Berlin"
The aim of Pride Month is to give more space to the current issues of the queer community. For a whole month you can exchange ideas and network in different event and party formats. This year, the focus is on HIV/AIDS, rainbow families, kink & fetish, safe space for trans, intersex and non-binary people, as well as Eastern Europe and especially the story of queer refugees from Ukraine. You can find an overview of the entire programme in our event calendar:
When: from 28 June - for four weeks
Where: different venues
Tip 3: Discover where it all begann: guided tour about Berlin's queer and trans history
The LGBTQ+ emancipation movement started in Berlin more than 100 years ago! On this tour you get to know Karl Heinrich Ulrich, Berlin's first gay man, who campaigned against the criminalisation of homosexuality as early as 1850. You find out about the theories of sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld and delve into the Roaring Twenties. Learn about the tragedy of the Third Reich era, the trauma of the AIDS crisis and find out how all this shaped today's LGBTQ+ movement. Via augmented reality you can enter places like the infamous El Dorado Club and pose for a photo with the queer heroes of yesteryear. An entertaining but also critical tour that is thought-provoking and gives a well-founded insight into the topic of the LGBTQ+ identity movement in Berlin.
When: 23 July from 11 a.m.
Where: Bellevue Palace, Spreeweg 1, Tiergarten (end at Nollendorfplatz)
Berlin's Queer & Trans* History - in Augmented Reality!
Tip 4: Wave your pink "Puschels" at "CSD on the Spree"
With more than a dozen boats, the scene cruises the Spree shortly before the CSD weekend. Good vibes are guaranteed during the sightseeing with moderation and music. Happy boarding will start from different departure points between 3.30 pm and 5.30 pm, depending on the boat. With lots of music and the best entertainment, you will then sail along the Spree for a good two to three hours. Included in the ticket price for the boat party are your Puschel for the Puschelalarm - and of course free entry to the harbour party!
The official afterparty for the CSD on the Spree starts at 9 pm in Osthafen, within walking distance of the Mercedes Benz Platz pier. In addition to two floors, you can expect a food court and plenty of outdoor bars in the garden. Party tickets for landlubbers are available online at Canalpride - for the first time also as a combination ticket for the big harbour party plus Chantal's House of Shame.
When: 20 July
Where: different launching points on the Spree
Tip 5: Make yourself seen at "Dyke* March Berlin"
Traditionally, the scene meets the night before Christopher Street Day for the Dyke* March. In 2023 it will be the tenth time! The aim is more lesbian visibility; but the community also speaks out against hate and more support for trans* people. Everyone who is part of the lesbian community or wants to support it is welcome. After the circular march through the city, we will return to the official closing party "Dykes* Do It Better" at Festsaal Kreuzberg.
When: 21 July, 6 pm
Where: Start in front of the Festsaal Kreuzberg
Tip 6: Head for the park and have a picnic at "LesBiSchwules Parkfest"
Pack your dog, friends and picnic blankets and enjoy a day in the park. Since 1998, the organisers of the LesBiSchwule Parkfest have been inviting the community to celebrate and chill out together in Volkspark Friedrichshain. Here you can get information about lesbian-gay life in Berlin at numerous stands, exchange ideas with others or simply enjoy the colourful programme.
When: 12 August
Where: Volkspark Friedrichshain (grounds of the open-air cinema), Friedrichshain
Tip 7: Have gender-bender fun at "Boylesque Festival"
The first performances in this style took place in Berlin as early as the 18th century, and burlesque drag shows reached their peak in the 1920s. At the Boylesque Drag Festival, the barriers are thrown overboard. Be there when Sheila Wolf presents this Berlin extravaganza at the third Boylesque Drag Festival. Get up close to the stars of the festival at the free Meet & Greet after the shows in the foyer of the Wintergarten.
When: 20 July from 8 pm, 21 July from 9 pm
Where: Wintergarten Variety, Potsdamer Straße 96, Mitte
Tip 8: Brush up your German and listen to the Pride Month Podcast Special "SchwuZ & Queer"
In the Pride Month special podcast episode, Florian Winkler-Schwarz, long-time SchwuZ managing director, takes you behind the scenes of the oldest queer club in Germany. Up to 1,400 guests come here almost every night to celebrate queer Berlin. Join us and discover the history and some lesser known facts about SchwuZ. We even head down to the old ice cellar vaults deep below the club. This episode also introduces you to Pepsi Boston and other amazing people from the LGBTQ+ scene in Berlin.
Berlin Unboxed: SchwuZ & Queer
Tip 9: Dance all night at "Girls Town - The official Flinta* Pride Party"
Traditionally, the FLINTA community invites you with Girl's Town to a warm-up party the night before the CSD. On the main floor, Lockereasy, Lennox and Joana will heat up the turntables. On the club floor, Susan Vegas invites you to a tight dance and spreads a lot of love together with DJane Doris Day. Happy Pride Berlin and FLINTA*s united!
When: 22 July from 6 pm
Where: Spindler & Klatt Berlin
Tip 10: Enjoy "The NOname Pride Edition" - dinner and bondage performance
For Berlin Pride, the team around the gourmet restaurant NOname presents a captivating evening. Rope artist Dan Apus Monoceros will show you an artistic-aesthetic bondage performance to accompany the star menu by chef Tim Tanneberg and his team. Indulge in 6 courses, aperitifs and petit fours, accompanied by a coordinated wine pairing or non-alcoholic beverage accompaniment.
When: 18 July from 6.30pm (please book in advance via the venue's website).
Where: Oranienburger Straße 32, Mitte
Berlin Pride - Dinner & Bondage at NOname
Tip 11: Come to the big CSD closing party - The Hollywood Tramp
The CSD 2023 ends with a big bang after party at Ritter Butzke. Hollywood Tramp invite you to a ball wiht music, fun and plenty of pride. You can dance to pop and house on two floors. Hollywood Tramp will be at the turntables with support from Strify. In addition to the big Pride Pop Extravaganza, an international lineup awaits you on the house floor, including the DJ duo Banana Laser from Barcelona and Kim Swim from Berlin.
When: 23 July, 10 pm
Where: Ritterstraße 24 - 27, Kreuzberg
