It's summer in Berlin. This also marks the start of the season for swimming lakes, beer gardens and many open-air events. Sports fans meet at the Berlin Triathlon or the Special Olympics World Games. Small neighbourhood and city-wide cultural festivals lure Berliners and their guests outdoors. Look forward to warm days and long nights full of events, music and festivities - a colourful cultural summer awaits you all over Berlin. Here are the top 11 highlights for June for you.
Tip 1: Special Olympic World Games - a chance for everyone!
For the first time in Germany, the Special Olympic World Games will take place in Berlin this June. In addition to the competitions, you can look forward to a colourful festival programme. 7,000 athletes from 170 countries will be taking part in this sporting festival, together with over 3,000 coaches and 20,000 helpers, to show that things simply work better together. The Special Olympics are about the joy of being there. Everyone has a chance, no matter how different their abilities and requirements may be.
When: 15 to 25 June
Where: Olympiastadion, Olympischer Platz 3, Charlottenburg and other venues in Berlin
More sporting events:
- bett1 open: At the bett1Open Berlin from 18 to 25 June, the international elite in women's tennis will battle it out on classic Wimbledon grass in the Steffi Graf Stadium for game, set and match!
- DFB Cup Final: For the DFB Cup Final on 3 June in Berlin's Olympiastadion, Frankfurt's Eintracht and RB Leipzig will meet.
- Berlin Triathlon: For the Berlin Triathlon on 4 June, athletes will meet at Bulgarische Straße at Treptower Park to swim around the Isle of Youth for the first discipline.
- European League of Football: American football fans will get their money's worth at the first home game of Berlin Thunder on 11 June at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. In this match in the European League of Football, Berlin Thunder and Vienna Vikings will face each other.
Tip 2: Think about the future at the Greentech Festival & re:publica
Greentech Festival
How can we shape our future greener together? This is the question addressed by the Greentech Festival, which will take place this year on the grounds of the Urban Tech Republic (formerly Tegel Airport). Over 150 speakers and more than 190 exhibitors from 20 different countries will present their ideas, technologies and products for a more sustainable and climate-friendly world. The Green Awards ceremony will kick off the event, followed by a conference and exhibition.
When: 14 to 16 June
Where: Urban Tech Republic, Saatwinkler Damm, access road to Tegel airport, Tegel
Re:publica
This year, the re:publica is themed "CASH". The conference for digital change traditionally brings together authors and creatives, politicians, scientists and entrepreneurs to discuss current issues in our society.
When: 5 to 7 June
Where: Arena, Eichenstraße 4 and Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, Kreuzberg
Tip 3: Just follow your ears at the Fête de la Musique
Music is in the air: at the Fête de la Musique, music is made everywhere in Berlin, in clubs, universities, on observatories, bridges and, of course, on all the neighbourhood corners and in the open air. If you want to hear specific gigs, it's best to check the festival website - and be there in good time. The beauty of the Fête, however, is that you can simply follow your ears and let yourself drift. Join in, listen and enjoy the sound of summer.
When: 21 June
Where: various venues
More music (selection):
- On 24 June, the Berliner Philharmoniker will give their season-ending concert at Berlin's Waldbühne.
- At the Tipi am Kanzleramt you can listen to 12 Tenors: Power of 12 until 4 June
- Helene Fischer will sing at the Mercedes Benz Arena on 2, 3 and 4 June.
- On 3 June you can hear Queen & Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert - Miracle Of Rock at the Verti Music Hall.
- Tickets are still available for Herbert Grönemeyer's additional concert at the Waldbühne on 6 June
- The Wu-Tang Clan will play at the Parkbühne Wuhleheide on 5 June
- The Jazzdor Festival takes place at the Kesselhaus on 6 June
- Kiss play at the Max-Schmeling-Halle on 22 June
- Alphavillecome to the Philharmonie on 12 June
Tip 4: Go explore at the Langer Tag der Stadtnatur & Day of Architecture
- Tag der Architektur: On the Day of Architecture on 24 and 25 June, you can literally look behind the scenes: On the one hand, you can visit exciting buildings that are normally closed to the public, and on the other, architectural offices open their doors.
- Lange Nacht der Unterwelten: On the Long Night on 24 June, Berlin's Underworlds will be opening the doors to many of their sites from 5pm to 1am. Most of them are usually only open to the public on a guided tour. Discover former bunkers, escape tunnels and other underground locations and learn more about their history.
- Langer Tag der StadtNatur: Discover Berlin's biodiversity. On the Long Day of Urban Nature on 10 and 11 June, you can immerse yourself in green Berlin, which also shows itself in unusual places. Explore the city's rooftops, stroll through enchanted cemeteries and learn more about future projects, such as the landscape park on the site of the former Tegel Airport. With over 500 events, there's sure to be something for everyone.
Tip: In our podcast episode on wildlife in Berlin, we take you on a tour of the Tiergarten with Berlin's wildlife expert Derk Ehlert and meet some exciting animal city dwellers.
Tip 6: Get smart at the Long Night of the Sciences
Marvel, learn, try things out: During the Long Night of Science, you can visit lecture halls, laboratories and archives. You'll learn about the latest and most exciting developments in research, science and teaching: about artificial intelligence, quantum computers, but also about such seemingly banal things as lipstick or the human intestine. The range of topics is diverse, the selection huge. Tip: Many hands-on activities are particularly suitable for families and children.
When: 17 June
Where: Various venues in Berlin
Tip 7: Listen to old songs and new compositions by Paola Sabbatani at the ufa-Fabrik
Paola Sabbatani is one of Italy's best-known folk voices. Together with her quartet, she interprets songs and music from Europe and America in the ufa factory, which was often rejected and censored due to anti-fascist or anti-racist content. In addition to much jazz and traditional music from her homeland, the Alabama Song by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill is also included. In the second part, Paola Sabbatani will sing her own songs.
When: 22 June, 8 pm
Where: Viktoriastraße 10-18, Tempelhof
Tip 8: Visit the huge open-air bookstore at the Berlin Book Festival
Berlin Book Festival
For the Berlin Book Festival, Bebelplatz is transformed into a gigantic open-air bookstore. Mainly Berlin-based publishers present their programme. Browse over 100 stalls and listen to classic literary readings and panel discussions with authors every hour. The events also commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Book Burning Day on 17 June. Guided tours of the exhibition of the same name will also take place.
When: 17 and 18 June
Where: Bebelplatz, Unter den Linden, Mitte
Berlin Poetry Festival
And another tip for all those who enjoy reading - and listening to - poetry. The Poetry Festival 2023 presents poems and lyrical formats under the motto "no one is an island" - sometimes in combination with music, sound, art, film, dance, theatre and digital media. Meet poets from all over the world.
When: 17 to 23 June
Where: Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, Mitte (Hansaviertel)
Tip 9: Exchange ideas at the House of World Cultures during Acts of Opening Again
This summer, the programme of the House of World Cultures takes you to the Congo, or rather to places that are connected to it: from the Congo River in the Caribbean to Congo Square in New Orleans. For the opening weekend, you can expect concerts, readings, performances, rituals and of course the new exhibition with the long title "O Quilombismo: Of Resistance and Insistence. Of flight as attack. Of alternative democratic-egalitarian political philosophies." But don't worry, otherwise the opening weekend with its "choreography of conviviality" is all about exchange and conviviality (that's what conviviality means).
When: 2 to 4 June
Where: John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, Tiergarten
Tip 10: Discover new perspectives at XPosed and the Jewish Film Festival Berlin
Xposed - Queer Film Festival
The Xposed Queer Film Festival opens up new points of view on the topics of the LGBTQI+ scene. For the pitch on Friday, 16 June at the aquarium in Skalitzer Straße 6 in Kreuzberg five independent short productions with unusual perspectives on queer topics will be shown.
When: 15-18 June
Where: different locations
Jewish Film Festival
Under the motto Jewcy Movies, the Jewish film festival presents well over 40 films from all genres. From independent flicks to blockbusters, everything is there. Of course, the main focus is on Jewish themes and life stories - sometimes humorous, sometimes rather thoughtful. The special thing about this festival is that after each film there is an invitation to talk to the filmmakers, experts or contemporary witnesses present.
When: 13 to 18 June
Where: various locations in Berlin and Brandenburg
Tip 11: Cycle through Berlin on the autobahn at the ADFC Sternfahrt (ADFC rally)
Once over the motorway by bike, if only that were possible more often. The ADFC's big bicycle ride is about all types of mobility coexisting on an equal footing - and, of course, switching from the car to the bicycle saddle. 18 different routes will lead the cyclists to the big star, where they will all meet. A contribution to the traffic change and a great experience for the whole family! The destination is the Green League's environmental festival at the Brandenburg Gate.
When: 4 June
Where: 18 routes via cleared sections of the A100 and A115 to the big star.
Tip 11: Celebrate summer with art, culture and music in Berlin's neighbourhoods
- 48 Stunden Neukölln For 48 hours, the whole of Neukölln becomes a gigantic experimental laboratory. From 24 to 26 June, the initiators invite you for the 24th time to get to know the diversity of Berlin's creative scene. Embark on a very special discovery tour of the neighbourhood and be surprised by a wide variety of music, art and cultural events.
- Kreuzberg-Festival: Music, street food and lots of good vibes: at the Kreuzberg Festival from 20 June to 2 July you can expect a programme on three stages around Kreuzbergerstraße that is as colourful as the Kreuzberg neighbourhood.
- artspring: Open studios in Pankow: Pankow's artists will open the doors of their studios on 3 and 4 June under the motto Signale! The two days of open studios mark the end of the artspring art festival. Take the opportunity to get to know Pankow's art and culture scene and to talk to the artists themselves.
- "Ich bin ein Berliner" civic festival: 60 years ago, this sentence made John F. Kennedy an honorary Berliner. The historic speech by the US president will be commemorated this year on 24 June at the Schöneberg Civic Festival. As part of the festivities in front of Schöneberg Town Hall, which will of course focus on German-American friendship, Kennedy's speech will be broadcast in its original form on large screens.
- The Movement Research Across PolyeMotion festival on 15 & 16 June at the Rathausvorplatz in Wedding and at Galerie Wedding is all about movement and emotion. For five days you can experience dance, performance and creative spatial research.
- Art Festival Pankow: Over 60 artists will be showing their work at this civic festival on 10 and 11 June from 12 - 10 pm in Schönhausen Palace Park. Look forward to a colourful programme with lots of hands-on activities. There will also be short tours of the palace.
- Köpenick Summer: From 17 to 19 June Köpenick celebrates summer with a festival on the castle island. Music plays on four stages. You can get something to eat at the historic farmer's market - and for the little and big kids there are carousels and rides. Of course, the Captain of Köpenick will also make an appearance. Highlights are the parade and the big fireworks display on Saturday.
- At the Vegan Summer Festival at Alexanderplatz from 16 to 18 June you can not only try delicious vegan snacks and dishes, but also discover many other vegan products, such as clothing or cosmetics. Look forward to cooking shows, a big tombola and a colourful stage programme full of inspiration for vegan livestlyle.
- Steglitzer Woche: Carousels and roller coasters will be spinning at the Steglitzer Woche until 11 June. Admission to the Festpark am Teltowkanal (Bäkestraße) is free.
- The Müggelheimer Angerfest in Köpenick is traditional and hearty. From 2 to 4 June, arts and crafts, street food and brass band music await you at the Müggelheim village green.
- The Berlin Volksfestsommer from 21 June to 16 July at the Kurt-Schumacher-Damm fairground is a picture-perfect fair: colourful stalls, fairground rides, candy floss and fireworks make children's eyes light up. A real Berlin summer tradition.
More Streetfetivals & fairs in Berlin
For even more event tips in June, you can always click through our event calendar.
