Whether street food, starry skies or great art at a low price: this weekend will be a feast for all the senses. In Treptow, cosmic discoveries await alongside Italian dolce vita, and with the 13th Biennale and Affordable Art Fair. Biennale and the Affordable Art Fair, Berlin is almost drowning in world-class art - here are our tips for a weekend full of culture!
Tip 1: Get great art at low prices at the Affordable Art Fair
The Affordable Art Fair is back and will sweeten your weekend with affordable art from 60 international galleries. The selection ranges from paintings, graphics, sculptures and photographs, which you can purchase at prices between 100 and 10,000 euros.
Look forward to great art for the small (to medium-sized) purse and celebrate your newly acquired bargains on Friday evening at the Late View Party with live DJ on the Badeschiff!
When: Friday from 12 to 10 pm, Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm
Where: Arena Berlin, Eichenstraße 4, Alt-Treptow
Tip 2: Enjoy the dolce vita at the OST harbour at the Italian Street Food Festival
If the summer holidays and that long-awaited trip to Italy are still a long way off, you can still order a holiday aperitif at the Italian Street Food Festival in Friedrichshain's OST Hafen this weekend.
And that's not all: there's pizza fresh from the oven, creamy gelato, savoury arancini, gnocchi, tiramisu and crispy cannoli. Authentic specialities from north to south await you here. And once you've satisfied your taste buds, you can also treat your ears.
After all, live Italian music is still the best way to enjoy a feast. Look forward to real Italian flair in East Berlin - buon appetito!
When: Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm
Where: OST Hafen Berlin, Alt Stralau 1-2, Friedrichshain
Tip 3: Visit the 13. Biennale für zeitgenössische Kunst
When is a work of art a work of art? What does repression mean in politically turbulent times and what does "minority" actually mean? This year, the curator of the 13th Biennale for Contemporary Art, Zasha Colah, leaves these questions unanswered and connects the opacity of our world with the art world in the festival programme.
Under the title Passing on the ephemeral, over 60 international artists will be showing more than 170 of their works this weekend and inviting visitors to the city's most exciting exhibition spaces: from the KW Institute for Contemporary Art to the Sophiensæle and the Hamburger Bahnhof to the former courthouse in Moabit.
Performances, tribunals, spoken word and joint memorial walks make the Biennale one of the most intense experiences in Berlin's art calendar.
When: Saturday and Sunday at various times
Where: Various venues throughout Berlin
Tip 4: Celebrate love with Queer & Friends
In the heart of Neukölln love will be celebrated on Sunday at the first ever Queer & Friends - Festival of Lovee. In front of the restaurant Das Hoven and Kleine Freiheit, Pflügerstraße will be transformed into a street festival full of music, exchange and community.
You can expect turbulent acts such as Leopold, Harpy Fatale and Nikita Vegaz and plenty of Berlin party vibes - but there will also be information stands from local initiatives on site. After all, the LGBTQIA scene in Berlin is repeatedly the victim of queer-hostile attacks.
For this reason, the colourful street festival on Sunday will send a strong signal for visibility and solidarity - initiated by the newly founded Queer & Friends association.
Look forward to an event that makes love visible in the middle of the neighbourhood and welcomes you with open arms.
When: Sunday from 12 noon
Where: Das Hoven, Pflügerstraße 19, Neukölln
Tip 5: Stroll through the Crafty Market - City Summer Edition
The Manifesto Market at Potsdamer Platz regularly treats Berliners to carefully curated music, shopping and lifestyle events. This weekend, the Crafty Market - City Summer Edition is on the programme: with a cool cocktail in hand, it's great to stroll among a large selection of handmade accessories, ceramic items, jewellery and clothing as well as handicrafts from all over the world.
And because shopping is known to make you hungry, the Manifesto Market also provides a remedy in this respect: 22 restaurants are represented and provide you with everything your heart desires. West African specialities, Venezuelan cuisine, an entire floor with Asian delicacies and an Aperol Spritz bar - all under one roof!
When: Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 8pm
Where: Manifesto Market Potsdamer Platz, Alte Potsdamer Straße 7, Mitte
Tip 6: Travelling through light, sound, space and time with SKALAR
Christoph Bauder, Kangding Ray and DARK MATTER are no longer unknown names in Berlin. The light artist duo are currently illuminating the pitch-black TRANSFORMATOR halls of the former factory building in Treptow with their installation SKALAR.
Once again creating a particularly immersive art highlight: SKALAR - Reflections on Light & Sound transports you into a monumental world of light and sound consisting of 65 motorised mirrors, 90 light sources and a sophisticated sound system.
The room-filling installation shatters the boundaries of space and time and takes you on a hypnotic journey through your own sensory world.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various times
Where: DARK MATTER, Köpenicker Chaussee 46, Treptow
Tickets for Dark Matter - Skalar
Tip 7: Spend an open day at Hamburger Bahnhof
At the Open House at Hamburger Bahnhof, the famous Museum of Contemporary Art and the art exhibited here can be experienced by everyone for a weekend.
Enjoy free admission to exhibitions, dance to the music of popular DJs, take part in free guided tours or get to know your own creative side at art workshops. The exhibition by Toyin Ojih Odutola and new works by Susan Philipsz currently await you in the former railway station building. Street food, soft ice cream and a relaxed open-air feeling make the summer kick-off at the museum perfect!
Friday from 10am to 10pm, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm
Where: Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstraße 50, Mitte
Open House Day at Hamburger Bahnhof
Tip 8: Trace the secrets of the Gendarmenmarkt
What secrets are hidden behind the city's gleaming facades? On the Hidden Tour around Gendarmenmarkt with Secret Tours Berlin you can find out exactly that. For two hours off the beaten track, immerse yourself in the hidden stories, personalities and architectural highlights around one of Berlin's most beautiful squares.
With a maximum of 15 participants, the atmosphere remains personal while your guide takes you on a historical journey of discovery - from the newly renovated Gendarmenmarkt to traces of Berlin's fashion, financial and cultural world.
When: Friday at 14.30, Saturday and Sunday at 11.30
Where: Gendarmenmarkt, Französische Straße 44, Mitte
Tickets for hidden gems at Gendarmenmarkt
Tip 9: Listen to the birth of Oktoberfest at the Renaissance Theatre
The Renaissance Theatre likes to shake up historical facts during the main season. Especially when a Bavarian thirst for beer meets an international musical cast.
To honour the world's most popular folk festival, Grammy award-winner and Munich native Harold Faltermeyer has come up with a very special story together with his US theatre colleague Philip LaZebnik. The Musical Oktoberfest - An Almost True Story. Almost true... brings the birth of the Oktoberfest to the stage with plenty of humour and even more catchy tunes.
Between historical facts and cheeky fiction, Ludwig I and Princess Therese celebrate their love on stage - naturally in dirndls and lederhosen and with a huge wink.
When: Friday and Saturday at 7.30 pm, Sunday at 6 pm
Where: Renaissance Theatre, Knesebeckstraße 100, Charlottenburg
Tip 10: Take a look at the stars with Einstein
110 years ago, on 2 June 1915, Albert Einstein changed the course of science in the large lecture theatre of the Archenhold Observatory in Treptow. On this day, he presented his theory of relativity to a large audience for the first time, turning conventional ideas of space and time on their head.
To celebrate this milestone in the history of science, this historic location invites you to the Cosmic Summer Festival: Einstein Edition on Saturday. From sky observations at the Cassegrain telescope and fascinating lectures in the legendary Einstein Hall to water rockets and interactive installations, there is plenty on offer here.
The highlight is probably still the longest movable telescope in the world. And to ensure that your synapses remain receptive during all these scientific highlights, there is an entertaining supporting programme with street food and live music.
When: Saturday from 14.3 pm to 1 am
Where: Archenhold Observatory, Alt-Treptow 1, Treptow
Tip 11: Make music at the Symphonic Mob with the Symphony Orchestra
The Symphonic Mob of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin will once again bring together hundreds of music enthusiasts at the Piazza of the Mall of Berlin this weekend to make music together with professionals.
Under the direction of British conductor Catherine Larsen-Maguire and with the support of the National Youth Choir, works by Beethoven, Elgar, Mahler, Puccini and Florence Price will be performed. Whether you play the violin, sing or just want to listen - this is a unique moment of sound that shows that music unites all generations: Music unites all generations.
Musicians of all ages and musical backgrounds are invited to join this inclusive ensemble. The sheet music to play along to will be sent to you after registration. Good luck and have fun!
When: Saturday at 3.30pm / rehearsals start at 2pm
Where: Piazza of the Mall of Berlin, Leipziger Platz 12, Mitte
