It's Pride Month in Berlin – and the city is ready to celebrate. Throughout the month, you'll have countless opportunities to experience Berlin's vibrant queer community through networking events, guided tours and a packed programme of cultural highlights.
Kick off the celebrations at the CSD Warm-Up at the Neue Nationalgalerie, paddle along the River Spree with rainbow flags, or enjoy spectacular performances by international drag artists at the Boylesque Drag Festival. In between, discover Berlin's queer history on fascinating tours, explore iconic art exhibitions, and get to know the city's legendary LGBTQ+ bars.
Here are our 11 tips for an unforgettable Pride summer in the German capital.
Tip 1: Get into the spirit at the CSD Warm-Up at the Neue Nationalgalerie
Before the CSD Berlin parades through the capital’s streets, you can get in the mood for the big day alongside Berlin’s queer scene at the official CSD Warm-Up at the Neue Nationalgalerie. Right next to the Kulturforum, you can enjoy DJ sets by Roi Perez and a truly special atmosphere. Why not take the opportunity to cool off whilst visiting Fujiko Nakaya’s fog sculpture in the sculpture garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie?
Entry is free or by donation.
When: 25 July, from 12 noon
Where: Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Straße 50, Tiergarten
Tip 2: Join the queer SUP tour on the River Spree
Things are sure to get colourful at ‘Stand-up and Stand UP!’ – the queer SUP tour on the Spree. Rainbow flags, colourful outfits and creative posters are very much welcome. And what could be better than paddling through Berlin with a cheerful group on a hot summer’s day? So, make a statement for Pride Month and paddle together for greater visibility.
When: 16 July, 6.30–8.30 pm
Where: StandUpClub Berlin, Nalepastraße 18 (access via the Funkhaus grounds), Oberschöneweide
Tip 3: Experience glittering diversity at the Boylesque Drag Festival
For the sixth time, the Boylesque Drag Festival is taking over the Wintergarten. International drag artists, Boylesque stars, cabaret icons and acrobats will bring a sizzling mix of burlesque, drag and variety to the stage. This time, around 30 artists from all over the world will be taking part, showcasing their spectacular runway looks. Make sure you book your tickets in good time – previous festivals have regularly sold out.
When: 5 July, 6 pm – 10 pm
Where: Wintergarten Varieté, Potsdamer Straße 96, Tiergarten
Tip 4: Raise a glass to Pride Month in Berlin’s LGBTQ+ bars
Whether they’re legendary institutions or new hotspots, Berlin’s LGBTQ+ bars are as diverse as the city itself. Around Nollendorfplatz, but also in Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Prenzlauer Berg, you’ll find cosy pubs, stylish cocktail bars, drag venues and lively meeting places for the queer community. Many bars regularly host karaoke, quiz nights or drag shows and are well worth a visit, not just during Pride Month. Be inspired and discover the best gay bars for your next night out on the visitBerlin blog.
The best gay bars in Berlin
Tip 5: Dive into the world of drag at ugly duckling
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale with a completely different twist: in Bastian Kraft’s production ‘ugly duckling’ , the famous author’s stories merge with the life stories of Berlin drag queens. The result is a moving yet glamorous theatrical experience exploring identity, self-discovery and the power of transformation. Amidst dazzling performances, personal stories and striking imagery, it becomes clear just how liberating it can be to be completely yourself.
When: 30 June, 8.30 pm
Where: Deutsches Theater Berlin – Kammerspiele, Schumannstraße 13A, Mitte
Tip 6: Discover Berlin’s queer history with Homolulu
Fancy learning about Berlin’s queer history? Then hop on a bike for the queer cycle tour ‘Berlin Invents Homosexuality’. Together with Homolulu, you’ll follow in the footsteps of pioneers such as Magnus Hirschfeld, Dora Richter and Marlene Dietrich, and discover why Berlin was already a hub of queer life over 100 years ago. The tour takes you past Gendarmenmarkt, the Brandenburg Gate and Tiergarten, via the Federal Chancellery and along the banks of the Spree to Nollendorfplatz in Schöneberg.
Please bring your own bike. If you don’t have one, you can easily hire one via an app on almost any street corner.
Tip: Homululu regularly offers guided tours of queer Berlin, for example on 27 July, 21 August and 11 September. The meeting point is at the Mann-O-Meter.
When: 4 July, 2 pm
Where: In front of the Neue Wache, Unter den Linden 4, Mitte
Tip 7: Discover Berlin from a FLINTA* perspective
Berlin was already a place of longing for the queer community back in the 1920s . And to this day, the city is shaped by people, initiatives and movements that campaign for greater visibility and social openness. This includes the FLINTA* community. The acronym stands for women, lesbians, as well as intersex, non-binary, trans* and agender (i.e. genderless) people, and anyone who identifies with these terms. We’ve put together a list of places where you can find out more about the scene on our blog. From feminist bookshops and queer cultural venues to clubs and safe spaces: this is where the FLINTA* community comes together:
Tip 8: Discover Berlin’s scandalous history
Berlin has been renowned for decades for its open and extraordinary club and fetish culture. On the English-language guided tour‘Kinky Taboos: Berlin’s Forbidden Desires’, you’ll delve into the city’s scandalous history. It exploreshidden desires, sexual liberation, legendary nightclubs and places where conventions were challenged from an early stage. This is how Berlin became one of the world’s best-known cities for queer and sex-positive culture.
When: every Friday from 4.30 pm
Where: outside Insomnia, Alt-Tempelhof 17–19, Tempelhof
Tip 9: Discover Erwin Olaf’s iconic photographs
The Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf was known for his striking and, at times, highly provocative images. His early works from the 1980s in particular established Erwin Olaf as a key artistic pioneer of the LGBTQI+ movement. Together with curator Nadine Barth, you’ll take a closer look at how his photographs challenge social norms.
When: Exhibition runs until 6 September 2026; guided tour on 5 July, 11.00–12.30
Where: f3 – freiraum für fotografie, Prinzessinnenstraße 30, Kreuzberg
Tip 10: Commemorate the victims of National Socialism
Take a moment to pause and reflect: the wreath-laying ceremony and silent commemoration organised by LSVD Berlin-Brandenburg honours the memory of those who were persecuted and murdered during the Nazi era because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The commemorative event at the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under National Socialism in the Tiergarten highlights just how important the fight for human rights and equality remains to this day.
Even if you are not in Berlin on 25 July, a visit to the memorial in the Tiergarten is an enriching experience. Through small windows, you can peer inside the concrete block. There, a film loop is playing, showing a couple kissing tenderly.
When: 25 July, 11 am
Where: Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under National Socialism, Ebertstraße, Tiergarten
Tip 11: Stay at a Pink Pillow Hotel
To ensure you feel completely welcome in Berlin, why not book your stay at a Pink Pillow Hotel? The award-winning hotels in the Pink Pillow Berlin Collection stand for openness, diversity and treating all guests with respect – regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Many of the hotels are also located near the queer scene in Schöneberg, Kreuzberg or Mitte, making them an ideal base from which to discover Pride Month and Berlin’s LGBTQ+ culture. Find the hotel that’s right for you and enjoy Berlin in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
When: All year round
Where: Various hotels throughout Berlin
