On the second weekend in December, Christmas is already one foot in the door - and the whole city will be buzzing with anticipation. You can expect theatre plays, philosophical choreographies, the hottest (chilli) peppers in town and much more. The time until the festival will fly by!
Tip 1: Enjoy Charles Dickens' Christmas story at the Bluemax Theatre
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for many - but not everyone sees it that way. One of the most famous Christmas grouches in literature is Ebenezer Scrooge. As the main character of Charles Dickens' famous Christmas story, he dislikes everything that makes other people happy at Christmas time: community, generosity and charity. At the Bluemax Theatre, the story of the old sourpuss is now being performed as a musical at Christmas time. With fairytale melodies by Michael Schanze and Christian Berg, you can be there live when the three spirits of Christmas melt even the coldest heart!
When: Friday at 7.30 pm, Saturday at 3 pm and 7.30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm and 6.30 pm
Where: Stage Bluemax Theatre, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 4, Tiergarten
Tip 2: Take a look at the Arctic and Antarctic at Polar Experience
How cold is it at the North Pole? What animals live at the South Pole? How can polar habitats be protected as the ice continues to recede? You don't have to go on an expedition to find the answers to these questions: The interactive exhibition ClimateXtremes - Polar Experience is celebrating its world premiere at Arena Berlin this weekend. Based on the scientific findings of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), a virtual journey through the Arctic and Antarctic awaits you here. The scientific facts are interactive and designed for the whole family.
When: Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Arena Berlin, Eichenstraße 4, Alt-Treptow
Tip 3: Take a Christmas lights tour by bus
With all the twinkling lights and opulent Christmas decorations all over the city, you might not know where to look first. On the Christmas lights tour by bus , this problem solves itself: You simply look out of the window. With a tour guide on board, you can make yourself comfortable in the armchairs and be chauffeured through the whole city, past the most beautiful light decorations. Refreshments and extra Christmas flair are of course also provided: you stop off at one of Berlin' s numerous Christmas markets, where bratwurst and mulled wine await you!
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5 pm
Where: City Circle Haltestelle, Kurfürstendamm 216, Charlottenburg
Tip 4: Experience the magic of the collective in the remake of Dragana Bulut
Bosnian choreographer Dragana Bul ut dedicates her work to a wide variety of themes. She often combines the emotional side of art with socio-political aspects. You can experience this approach at Remake in the Sophiensæle this weekend. However, there are no spectators here: Those who come join in and, together with the artist, bring the memory of the collective voluntary youth brigades in Yugoslavia (ORA) to life. As extras, your bodies, your voices and your artistic daring are in demand. The result is a film that tells the story of collective work.
When: Saturday and Sunday at 6 pm
Where: Sophiensæle - Festsaal, Sophienstraße 18, Mitte
Tip 5: Dare to try the hottest peppers at the Chili Fest
Who can eat the most chilli peppers? And who dares to try the hottest hot wings in Berlin? Of course, a Chilli Fest is the perfect place to test your courage. Eating hellishly hot varieties turns pain into pleasure. But connoisseurs who like it milder are also cordially invited to discover the colourful world of hot peppers in Neukölln's Kalle Halle this weekend. You can expect market stalls with all kinds of chilli delicacies, a chilli art competition for children, DJs and live music as well as two bars with coolers - just in case things get a little too spicy.
When: Saturday and Sunday from 11am
Where: Kalle Halle, Karl-Marx-Straße 101, Neukölln
Tip 6: Dedicate yourselves to Raoul Hausmann's life's work for the Berlinische Galerie's 50th birthday
Raoul Hausmann was a visionary of classical modernism, a Dadaist and a staunch opponent of National Socialism. He is one of the people who changed the art world forever: In his interdisciplinary projects , he broke down the boundaries of art that were valid at the time: he always understood body, sound, space and life itself as belonging together. This weekend, you can visit a major retrospective of this fascinating artist at the Berlinische Galerie. At Raoul Hausmann. Vision. Provocation. Dada. 200 of his works are on display - from various creative periods and against the backdrop of current discourses!
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Berlinische Galerie, Alte Jakobstraße 124, Mitte
Tip 7: Watch dance interpretations of Camus' work
Even 65 years after his death , the French philosopher and writer Albert Camus is still influencing art. His explorations of the motifs of light and shadow form the basis of the dance performance if I was real . With this piece about the perpetual struggle between reason and emotion , the contemporary dance ensemble cie. toula limnaios pays tribute to the great thinker. Human alienation, isolation, dream and reality interweave in a dense choreography to express the things for which words alone are not enough.
When: Friday at 8.30pm and Saturday at 6pm
Where: HALLE Tanzbühne Berlin, Eberswalder Straße 10, Prenzlauer Berg
Tip 8: Explore FOREST WINTERLIGHTS in Dark Matter
If you're in the mood for a Christmas art experience on the second weekend of Advent, DARK MATTER is the place for you: more than 250,000 twinkling lights and 600 fir trees floating from the ceiling await you at Berlin's location for spectacular light shows - a wintry fairytale forest is turned upside down and you glide along on the ice rink below. Accompanied by the atmospheric sounds of composer Chris Kuijten , the lights dance to a soundtrack that sometimes invites you to dream, sometimes to sway along.
When: Friday from 12 to 11 pm, Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm
Where: DARK MATTER, Köpenicker Chaussee 46, Lichtenberg
Tip 9: Experience cinema and concert in Berlin Cathedral with the snowman
Christmas atmosphere, star improviser Jakub Sawicki on the large Sauer organ and three heart-warming silent films: The Berlin Cat hedral presents you with the concert afternoon The Snowman - Silent Film Concert for Families. The programme begins with two lovely silent insect films by Ladislaw Starewicz. This is followed by The Snowman from 1983, the Christmas highlight of the event. In this British animated film , a little boy builds a snowman - who soon becomes his best friend and leads him straight to Father Christmas. Treat yourselves and your loved ones to a magical afternoon!
When: Sunday at 15:30
Where: Berlin Cathedral, Am Lustgarten, Mitte
Tip 10: Learn exciting facts about nature and German history
Who actually defines what is considered "natural"? And who says that nature and culture are not one and the same? There have always been countless different views on the subject of "nature" in social discourse. To get to the bottom of this reciprocal relationship, in November the German Historical Museum organised the exhibition"Nature and German History. Faith - Biology - Power" opened in November. On 1,000 square metres, the changing meanings of the"natural" over the course of 900 years of German history are explored. The exhibition is complemented by the digital format More Story.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: German Historical Museum - Pei-Bau, Unter den Linden 2, Mitte
Tip 11: Take a winter boat tour through the city
Even in the winter months, a boat trip on the Spree remains tempting, especially when you can listen to exciting Berlin anecdotes and enjoy delicious hot drinks. The boat tour through Christmassy Berlin takes you past the Nikolai Quarter, Berlin Cathedral, Museum Island and the Reichstag. For two hours, you can marvel at a multitude of famous sights from the river, all decorated and illuminated for Christmas.
When: Friday and Saturday at 16:15 and 17:00; Sunday at 13:30 and 16:15
Where: Stern & Kreis landing stage Friedrichstraße / Reichstagsufer, Mitte
