October in Berlin enchants us anew every year: as the days slowly get shorter, the Festival of Lights bathes the city and many sights in colourful illuminations. The leaves are also slowly turning colourful and create a particularly beautiful atmosphere in autumn in Berlin. You can also look forward to numerous other event highlights this month.
Don't forget: 3 October is the Day of German Unity, the public holiday offers you the perfect opportunity for a bridge day and a long weekend in Berlin.
Tip 1: Festival of Lights - see the city's most beautiful lights
When Berlin lights up, you are right in the centre of it: The Festival of Lights transforms the capital into a stage for light art, colours and emotions. Under the motto "Let's shine together", you can experience spectacular illuminations at the most famous sights. Use the balmy October evenings for a stroll through the city, enjoy the magic of the projections and be enchanted by the music, light and atmosphere.
A real highlight is this year's new Festival of Lights IN CONCERT, an immersive experience of 3D light art and electronic ambient music in Berlin Cathedral - performed live by artists such as Alle Farben, Monika Kruse and Parra for Cuva.
When: 10 to 14 October
Where: various locations throughout Berlin
Tip 2: Experience world-class jazz at the Jazzfest in Berlin
Do you love jazz and want to experience Berlin from its musical side? Then mark the Jazzfest Berlin in your diary! After all, it has been a fixture in the capital since 1964 and has attracted numerous international stars such as Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis.
You can expect a rousing mixture of traditional sounds, avant-garde experiments and unique encounters. The main venue is the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, supplemented by other locations such as A-Trane, Quasimodo or the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
When: from 30 October
Where: various venues
Tip 3: Experience culinary adventures at the Berlin Food Week
Once a year since 2014, the capital has brought together everyone who is passionate about food: creative chefs, sustainable producers and curious gourmets. The focus is not only on flavour, but also on a conscious approach to food.
- House of Food: innovative start-ups and manufacturers present themselves in the Bikini Berlin concept mall.
- Servus Austria: Austrian cuisine is represented this year with special events throughout Berlin - from wine tastings and workshops to exclusive menus.
- Treat yourself to gastronomy: Workshops inspire young people for careers in the catering industry and give them the opportunity to try things out.
When: 6 to 12 October
Where: various locations in Berlin
Additional tip for foodies: Food Festival at Berlin Central Station
From 10 to 19 October, there will be a variety of street food highlights on Washington-Platz at Berlin Central Station.
Tip 4: Be the first to see the new show highlight at Potsdamer Platz
From October, acrobatics, circus arts and magic will fill the theatre at Potsdamer Platz. Cirque du Soleil ALIZÉ combines masterful acrobatics with modern magic to create a completely new art form: Acromagic. The exclusive Berlin residency at Potsdamer Platz makes the theatre itself part of the production. Floating, disappearing, marvelling, the invisible becomes visible. ALIZÉ fascinates with poetic images and innovative technology and offers an experience that you can only see in Berlin.
When: From 24 October
Where: Theatre at Potdamer Platz, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1, Mitte
Tip 5: Autumn markets and festivals in Berlin
Autumn is harvest time. The last days of sunshine also invite you to celebrate outside once again. These festivals and markets offer some great opportunities to do just that.
- At the Schöneberg Pumpkin Festival in Akazienstraße on 4 and 5 October, there are of course the most beautiful pumpkins. Perfect for autumnal soups and carving pumpkin ghosts.
- You can celebrate a classic harvest festival at the Hahneberg nature conservation station on 5 October, for example - with a colourful programme for young and old alike
- Celebrate like in the old days at the jugglers' festival in Spandau Citadel. Be enchanted by acrobatics, music and stories from 3 to 5 October. Discover medieval crafts and handmade treats.
- You can toast in the capital's festival tent until 25 October at the Berlin Wiesn-Gaudi at Spandau Citadel.
Tip 6: Take part in the Long Night of Families Berlin
Let's get out and about. At the Long Night of Families, you can discover lots of exciting places in Berlin together - most of them free of charge. The event takes place at various venues in Berlin and offers a varied programme.
Highlights include interactive workshops, exciting activities and entertaining live shows. Dance in the moonlight, experience adventures in the forest, take a look behind the scenes and be surprised by the extensive hands-on programme for all ages.
When: 11 October 5 pm - midnight
Where: various locations in Berlin
Tip 7: Go to the Ukrainian Film Festival
The Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin invites you to discover current films from Ukraine under the motto "The time we have left". For five days, the festival shows feature and documentary films that touch, challenge and inspire.
The opening will take place in the Silent Green Kulturquartier, after which the festival will be screened in numerous art house cinemas. In addition to current works, there is a retrospective, a short film competition and an excursion to Armenia and Georgia.
When: 22 to 26 October
Where: Various cinemas in Berlin
Tip 8: Halloween and Fiesta de Día de Muertos in Berlin
At the end of October, Berlin becomes a city of shadows and lights: Halloween costume parties, carved pumpkins and spooky figures. The Fiesta de Día de Muertos celebrates the memory of the deceased - colourful, sensual and full of symbolism.
- Fiesta de Día de Muertos at the Humboldt Forum, from 31 October
- Halloween tour through Fort Hahneberg, from 26 October
- Halloween in the Britzer Garten, 31 October
- Halloween Nightmare at Spindler & Klatt, 31 October
Tip 9: Take a look into the future
At the end of October, the Neue Nationalgalerie is all about artistic experiments and interdisciplinary visions. Around 100 international artists will present performances, sound works, happenings, workshops and interventions in the interior and exterior space of the iconic building by Mies van der Rohe.
Art presents itself here as a living space for thought that addresses current social and ecological issues. The festival invites you to try out new perspectives, think about the future and create spaces of possibility together.
When: From 31 October
Where: Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Straße 50, Mitte
Tip 10: Experience the story of Charlie on the theatre stage
A living room in North Idaho, a man on a couch and a story that gets under your skin: Samuel D. Hunter's acclaimed theatre play "The Whale" is coming to Berlin. Many already know the impressive story from Darren Aronofsky's film of the same name starring Brendan Fraser, which attracted international attention in 2023. But live on stage, this work unfolds a very special emotional impact.
At the centre is Charlie, a reclusive English teacher whose body has become as heavy as his past weighs on him. Surrounded by just a few people - a nurse, a young missionary and his estranged daughter - Charlie fights for connection, forgiveness and ultimate clarity.
When: 9 to 12 October
Where: Renaissance Theatre Berlin, Knesebeckstraße 100, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Tip 11: Don't miss the Scharf Collection
The Alte Nationalgalerie is showing the complete Scharf Collection - one of the most important private art collections in Germany - for the first time in October. Entitled From Monet to Grosse, you can expect an impressive cross-section through two centuries of art history. From Monet, Cézanne and Bonnard to Katharina Grosse and Daniel Richter.
You can marvel at masterpieces that have an impact on art history, touch you emotionally and open up new perspectives. The collection also tells a moving family story: over four generations, it has been built up, cared for and saved through times of war.
When: 3 to 10 October
Where: anywhere in the city
For even more event tips in October, you can click through our calendar of events.
