Whitsun in Berlin gives us a long weekend, and the long-awaited summer is clearly drawing nearer. This is evident all over the city this weekend: at the Carnival of Cultures, the streets are transformed into a colourful, surging sea of revellers, brass bands play dance tunes, the DFB Cup final flickers across the screens – and Berlin’s racecourses are also bustling with activity.
What’s more, this weekend (and on four more weekends) Berlin is hosting the BerlinPay promotional weeks. There’ll be free paddle tours on the Spree, free drinks and plenty of discounts around Berlin’s waterways – and, as an added bonus, you’ll be supporting a good cause too.
Tip 1: Celebrate multicultural togetherness at the Carnival of Cultures
The Carnival of Cultures has been one of Berlin’s most popular street festivals for thirty years now. Every year at Whitsun, over 60 groups and 5,000 Berliners take to the streets in a huge parade, celebrating the city’s multicultural spirit. As well as the parade, the programme includes the street festival at Blücherplatz – this year as a special anniversary edition. You can look forward to workshops and discussion sessions, and you’ll have the chance to exchange views on topics such as sustainability, community and activism. The parade starts on Whit Sunday on Frankfurter Allee in Friedrichshain.
For the little ones, there’s plenty to discover at the Children’s Carnival of Cultures in Görlitzer Park and at the children’s march followed by a fancy-dress parade at Mariannenplatz. This year’s motto is ‘Viva el Axolotl – forever young!’, and whilst there’s plenty of fun to be had, the event also tackles serious issues: underfunding and cuts in youth work, as well as the precarious situation of the axolotl, which is threatened with extinction.
When:
Carnival of Cultures: Parade on Sunday from 1.30 pm / Street festival on Friday from 4 pm to 11 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 11 pm and Monday from 12 noon to 6 pm
Children’s Carnival of Cultures: Rally & children’s march on Saturday from 12:00 / Big children’s festival on Saturday from 14:00 to 19:30
Where:
Carnival of Cultures: Parade starting from Frankfurter Allee, Karl-Marx-Allee / Street festival at Blücherplatz, Kreuzberg
Children’s Carnival of Cultures: Mariannenplatz / Görlitzer Park, Kreuzberg
Carnival ofCulturesChildren’s Carnival of Cultures
Tip 2: Listen to classical music in the open air at Staatsoper für alle
Well-established yet refreshingly new every year – that’s how you could describe the idea behind Staatsoper für alle. Since 2007, the Staatskapelle Berlin has been coming to Bebelplatz once a year to play a free concert between the Staatsoper, Humboldt University and the Hotel de Rome. The programme is well worth seeing and hearing: on Saturday, a live broadcast of Nabucco awaits you. On Sunday, the orchestra will be performing live on Bebelplatz. With the Egmont Overture and the Pastoral Symphony, two of Beethoven’s most distinguished orchestral works will be performed. Why not bring a picnic blanket and some snacks and enjoy top-class music in a special atmosphere? And if you can’t make it to Bebelplatz, you can also watch the concerts via the live broadcast on Arte.
When: Saturday at 6 pm and Sunday at 1 pm
Where: Bebelplatz, Mitte, and via livestream on Arte
Tip 3: Enjoy a three-day Brass Odyssey
As well as the Carnival of Cultures, the Brass Odyssey over the Whitsun weekend also offers plenty of reasons and opportunities to dance. The focus is on the Berlin brass band Fanfare Gertrude, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the Brass Odyssey. And for this occasion – as is only fitting – plenty of guests have been invited: a total of ten bands from Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig and France are coming together, comprising more than 100 musicians.
Over the three days of the festival, at the NHU Neighbourhood Centre and the Holzmarkt, experimental choreography, rock-pop-brass and the French fanfare tradition will blend with Berlin’s club energy.
When: Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm, Saturday from 2 pm to 10 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 6 pm
Where: NHU Nachbarschaftshaus, Urbanstraße 21, Kreuzberg and Holzmarkt 25, Holzmarktstraße 25, Friedrichshain
Sibelius’s Violin Concerto captivates with virtuosity and expressive depth. Augustin Hadelich brings the solo part to life at the Philharmonie, allowing it to shine amid shimmering tonal colours, explosive cadenzas, and lyrical yearning, creating a sound world of remarkable depth and precision.
Tip 4: Travel back to the fifties at Rock Around The Clock
Bill Haley’s song ‘Rock Around the Clock’ sparked a musical revolution in the 1950s that made rock ’n’ roll popular worldwide and continues to shape the modern music scene to this day. Under this hit title, the Estrel Showtheater is now bringing this special era back to life in Berlin.
In the stage show Rock Around The Clock, musicians and performers bring legends such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and, of course, Bill Haley back to the stage. The petticoats rustle, the quiffs bounce. You’ll experience classics like Peggy Sue and Ring of Fire and embark on a thrilling journey back in time to the golden fifties, full of nostalgia, energy and a desire to dance.
When: Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 4 pm
Where: Estrel Showtheater, Sonnenallee 225, Neukölln
Tickets for Rock Around The Clock
Tip 5: Join in the excitement at the DFB Cup Final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium
Two teams have made it through and will be heading to Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on Saturday: this time, FC Bayern Munich will face VfB Stuttgart for the DFB Cup – with massive support from the fans. Since the 1980s, the most important final in German football has been held at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
Millions of football fans look forward to this sporting highlight every year, and tens of thousands bring football fever to the streets of Berlin just in time for the final. Don’t be afraid to get caught up in the excitement, because even those who don’t want to buy a ticket for the stadium can watch the match at numerous public viewing events, in beer gardens and local pubs – who knows, perhaps a Whitsun miracle awaits you!
When: Saturday at 8 pm
Where: Olympiastadion Berlin, Olympischer Platz 3, Westend
Tip 6: Spend an afternoon with the whole family at Bunte Tüte
The ufaFabrik in Tempelhof is a true urban oasis. Since 1979, a close-knit community has lived here, dedicated to sustainable and cultural coexistence – and has enriched the city ever since with numerous events and cultural offerings.
Set amongst green roofs, hidden courtyards and summer stages, the Bunte Tüte family festival for children aged 4 and over takes place here at the weekend. Artists such as Siegfried & Joy, Raketen Erna and Bummelkasten present magic shows, concerts and circus acts on several stages. The spacious grounds, featuring a café, children’s farm and circus school, invite you to enjoy a perfect day for explorers of all ages.
When: Saturday from 12 noon to 5 pm
Where: ufaFabrik, Viktoriastraße 10–18, Tempelhof
Bunte Tüte Family Festival
Tip 7: Stroll through the zoo and discover adorable new arrivals
The May sunshine in central Berlin is also cheering up the residents of the zoo . There’s plenty going on here throughout the day: almost every hour, you can join in the guided feeding sessions for polar bears, giraffes, gibbons and red pandas. But there’s a special reason to celebrate: the newest resident of the African savannah landscape. About a month ago, Katharina the giraffe gave birth to a little bull here.
The new arrival doesn’t have a name yet, but he’s already busy exploring the outdoor enclosure. And there’s also great progress to be seen with the spectacled bears: baby bear Enzo spent the first few months of his life mostly sleeping. Now the spring sunshine is beckoning, and you can spot Enzo outside his den more and more often.
When: Friday to Monday from 9 am to 6.30 pm
Where: Berlin Zoo, Am Tierpark 125, Lichtenberg
Tickets for the zoo
Tip 8: Stroll through the Whitsun Special: Giant flea market at the trotting track
This weekend, the popular flea market at the Karlshorst trotting track is going one better and inviting you to the Whitsun Special: Giant Flea Market. With around 500 traders at the stalls, a veritable antiques festival awaits you over three days. Across an area of over 25,000 m², you’ll find furniture, jewellery, rare art, quirky second-hand items, stamps, records, photographs and many more treasures.
Of course, there will also be plenty of street food stalls. It’s not just the goods on offer, but the venue itself that adds to the special charm: the sprawling racecourse and the historic grandstand hall provide the perfect backdrop for antiques enthusiasts, Whitsun day-trippers and anyone in the mood for a rummage through the past century.
When: Saturday to Monday from 9 am to 5 pm
Where: Karlshorst Equestrian Park, Treskowallee 159, Karlshorst
Huge flea market at the trotting track
Tip 9: Explore Berlin’s wild east by boat
Berlin’s waterways have long been more than just a backdrop for pleasure cruises and summer evenings. During the division of Germany, the Spree and Landwehr Canal were the scene of numerous dramatic escape attempts – whether in diving gear or on a pleasure steamer. Today, you can cruise through the city’s former eastern districts in a much more relaxed manner, yet the stories of that time still resonate.
On the ‘Wilder Osten’ boat tour, you can listen to many anecdotes from this turbulent history via an audio guide. Aboard the historic Kaiser Friedrich, Berlin’s oldest passenger ship, you’ll glide past the East Side Gallery, Holzmarkt, Insel der Jugend and clubs such as KitKat or Kater Blau for 1.5 hours. Don’t miss out on these unique insights into the city’s historic and modern East.
When: Friday to Monday at 1 pm
Where: East Side Gallery jetty, Mühlenstraße 70-71, Friedrichshain
Tickets for a 1.5-hour boat tour
Tip 10: Tip your hat to the best outfit at Fashion Raceday 2026
Anyone who has ever been to a horse race knows that an elegant outfit is de rigueur here. But whilst hats, canes and trains are usually a secondary matter, fashion takes centre stage on this special race day. Fashion Raceday 2026 at Hoppegarten Racecourse on Whit Sunday promises to be Germany’s most stylish racecourse party.
We’re looking for the best looks in the categories Best Outfit and Best Dressed Gang. Whilst the horses gallop for victory in the Diana Trial, guests will be vying for the jury’s verdict. Take it from us: a great hat is a definite plus in this fashion contest.
When: Sunday from 12 noon
Where: Hoppegarten Racecourse, Goetheallee 1, Hoppegarten
Fashion Raceday 2026
Tip 11: Enjoy a sundowner at the Rosé Sunset Festival
The Club Lavender Rosé Sunset Festival has found the perfect venue in the sun deck of the Pirates Berlin. Situated right above the River Spree and overlooking the Oberbaum Bridge, it has an Ibiza vibe even on a normal day – but on Whit Sunday, Club Lavender will be creating a particularly Mediterranean atmosphere.
The Rosé Sunset Festival presents a curated selection of premium rosés from Provence, Spain and Germany. The wines are included in the ticket price, as are culinary creations and the popular Lavender Frosé. As the sun slowly sets over Friedrichshain, house DJs and live music create a real holiday vibe right in the heart of Berlin
When: Sunday from 3 pm to 9 pm
Where: Pirates Berlin, Mühlenstraße 78-80, Friedrichshain
Rosé Sunset Festival
Here you’ll find even more great tips for events in Berlin – whatever the weather.
