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Weekend tips 24 - 26 / 10 / 2025

Curtain up for circus, unicorns and pasta dreams

Unter den Linden, Berliner Dom
© visitBerlin, Foto: Clara Kiau

This weekend in Berlin is particularly imaginative and fairytale-like. While visitors to the Tiergarten and the Zeiss-Großplanetarium can get in the mood for Halloween, acrobats will be whirling through the air at the theatre on Potsdamer Platz. And the art world also seems to be enchanted by October: At the Museum Barberini, everything revolves around the mythical unicorn and silent green plays with reality. These events invite you to dream!

 

Tip 1: Leave reality behind you at ALIZÉ by Cirque Du Soleil

ALIZÉ, Cirque Du Soleil
© visitBerlin, Foto: Cirque du Soleil, ALIZÈ

This weekend marks a milestone in the history of Cirque Du Soleil. ALIZÉ, the very first resident show of the Canadian circus company on European soil, starts on Friday. It was specially designed for the theatre at Potsdamer Platz and will now regularly enchant audiences with acrobatic strokes of genius.

ALIZÉ invites you to take a closer look: The spotlight is on those moments that make life so special - and yet are so easily overlooked. In a surreal stage set, international acrobats and holographic projections give form to the invisible.

When: Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 5 pm
Where: Theatre at Potsdamer Platz, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1, Tiergarten

ALIZÉ of the Cirque Du Soleil

 

Tip 2: Try linguine, tagliatelle and orecchiette

Pasta
© visitBerlin, Foto: GettyImages, SimpleImages

What could be better than Italian pasta in the autumn sunshine? That's right: inexpensive Italian pasta in the autumn sunshine! And during True Italian Pasta Week 2025, that's exactly what you get - for a whole week. Forty-five Italian restaurants have joined forces to offer you a fantastic pasta deal across Berlin.

For just €18, you can enjoy a great pasta dish, a glass of wine and the Crema Alpina al Pistacchio digestif. From Mitte to Halensee, almost every neighbourhood is represented and the pasta selection is of course also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various opening times
Where: Various locations throughout Berlin

True Italian Pasta Week 2025

 

Tip 3: Take a look at time at the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin

Filmrolle
© Getty Images, Foto: Fabio Pagani / EyeEm

The Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin (UFFB) enters its next round this weekend under the motto The Time We Have Left. Despite the ongoing war of aggression against the country, the motto is not an apocalyptic message. The organisers are concerned with clarity and an honest examination of how valuable our time on earth is. Who do we share it with? What topics do we dedicate ourselves to?

In addition to Ukrainian feature and documentary films, the five days of the UFFB festival will, for example, focus on post-colonial perspectives in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition to the film screenings, you can expect Q&A sessions, workshops, readings and, of course, parties where you can talk to filmmakers.

When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various times
Where: Various locations throughout Berlin

Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin

 

Tip 4: Experience the Scharf Collection in the Alte Nationalgalerie

Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg
Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Foto: Maximilian Meisse

The Scharf Collection is one of the most extensive private art collections in Europe. It began in the early 20th century with the art collector Otto Gerstenberg, who had a penchant for graphic works and paintings from the 19th century. Over four generations, his descendants looked after the treasures he had collected and expanded them considerably over the decades.

From this weekend, you can get a comprehensive insight into the collection for the first time at the Alte Nationalgalerie. From Monet to Grosse - the Scharf Collection shows great works from Impressionism to modern classics such as Picasso. Even the entire graphic oeuvre of Toulouse-Lautrec awaits you here!

When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Alte Nationalgalerie, Bodestraße 1-3, Mitte

Scharf Collection

 

Tip 5: Let yourself be chauffeured across the Spree

© Stern und Kreisschiffahrt GmbH

Even in golden October, a boat trip across the Spree is a wonderful idea for landlubbers and experienced captains alike. Because for over an hour, you really are offered everything on deck of the popular passenger ships: There are sunbathing areas, hot or cold drinks, snacks, sailor's yarns and there are many of Berlin's most famous buildings to see.

You can sit back and relax on or below deck, whatever the weather, while the sightseeing highlights pass you by. And you don't have to queue or walk through the streets of Berlin. So, cast off and all aboard - the Spreebrise is waiting!

When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various departure times
Where: Reederei Winkler, jetty at Friedrichstraße station, Reichstagufer 18, Mitte

Tickets for the boat trip across the Spree

Tip 6: Explore the invisible world of quantum physics at Sensing Quantum

silent green Kulturquartier
© visitBerlin, Foto: Hannes Wiedemann

How can we sense the invisible? This question is at the centre of the Sensing Quantum Symposium, which takes place on Saturday in the concrete hall of silent green . For one day, leading minds from quantum research, art and philosophy will come together to explore how the world of particles and probabilities can be experienced through the senses.

The symposium is part of the large-scale LAS Art Foundation project Sensing Quantum, which brings the sometimes paradoxical assumptions of quantum physics into dialogue with art. In lectures, talks and performances from international perspectives, address the question of what it means to rethink our reality.

When: Saturday from 9.30 am to 6 pm
Where: silent green - Betonhalle, Gerichtstraße 35, Wedding

Amazongraphy

 

Tip 7: Discover the world of contemporary photography at Fotografiska

Fotografiska berlin
© Pion Studio

The former Kunsthaus Tacheles on Oranienburger Straße is now home to Fotografiska Berlin, one of Berlin's most exciting cultural venues. The contemporary museum concept was launched in Stockholm in 2010 and has since been represented in several major European cities. On 5,500 square metres of exhibition space, you can visit constantly changing exhibitions of international photographers and up-and-coming talents.

Various social themes, strong perspectives and bold experiments open up a visual dialogue. One ticket is valid for all exhibitions and opens the door to a creative weekend with a vision. This is also literally available in the in-house rooftop bar Clara.

When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 11 pm
Where: Fotografiska Berlin, Oranienburger Str. 54, Mitte

Tickets for Fotografiska

 

Tip 8: Enjoy glitz and glamour at the Berlin Burlesque Festival

Showbühne Berlin
© Marion Rothmann

This weekend, a colourful mix of international and local burlesque stars will add a touch of glamour to Berlin's October. For the 13th time, the Berlin Burlesque Festival returns to the stages of the Heimathafen and the Wintergarten to push the boundaries of everyday life with glamour, wit, style and talent.

With fourteen shows per evening, the notorious dance genre is celebrated and expanded with modern interpretations. The artists are just as diverse as their dance styles: modern newcomer dancers, 80-year-old divas and international musicians promise you an evening full of love for frivolous stage art.

When: Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 10pm and Sunday from 12pm
Where: Heimathafen Neukölln, Karl-Marx-Straße 141, Neukölln and Wintergarten, Potsdamer Straße 96, Mitte

Berlin Burlesque Festival

 

Tip 9: Scare yourselves in the zoo

Pumpkin in Halloween Forest
Pumpkin in Halloween Forest © Getty Images, Foto: winyuu

Just in time for Halloween, Berlin is transformed into a spooky spectacle of pumpkins, skeletons and witches' hats. Crowds of little spooky fans are ready to get their hands on sweet spooky treats at the front doors. Tierpark Berlin also becomes a place full of spooky stories in October. No sweets await you here, but frightening myths from the animal kingdom.

Experienced guides will tell you legends of snarling predators and nocturnal bloodsuckers on the themed tour Creepy Animal World. It's that time again this weekend. Make your way to Friedrichsfelde, preferably in Halloween costume - then admission for children is only half price!

When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 3.30 pm
Where: Tierpark - entrance bear showcase, Am Tierpark 125, Friedrichsfelde

Scary animal world

 

Tip 10: Experience The Three ??? in 3D at the Zeiss-Großplanetarium

Zeiss-Großplanetarium
© visitBerlin, Foto: Jan Frontzek

The Zeiss-Großplanetarium also has a spooky atmosphere this weekend. A 3D audio production of the children's thriller classic The Three ??? and the Singing Snake will be performed in the planetarium hall for the first time. An impressive projection of the monster winds its way under the 23 metre high dome, while Justus, Peter and Bob tell you about their investigations via the modern surround system.

What is it all about? A young woman asks the three detectives for help because her aunt is behaving strangely. She talks about supernatural powers, performs mysterious rituals and sees a singing snake. The 90-minute event is suitable for children aged eight and over, families and The Three??? fans alike.

When: Sunday at 17:45
Where: Zeiss-Großplanetarium, Prenzlauer Allee 80, Prenzlauer Berg

The Three ??? at the Zeiss-Großplanetarium

  

Tip 11: Experience fabulous art history at the Museum Barberini

Museum Barberini - BWC Partner 2023
Museum Barberini in Potsdam © Lukas Spörl

Centaurs, wolpertingers and dragons have been part of our collective imagination for thousands of years. But one of these mythical creatures in particular has inspired artists throughout the centuries: the unicorn. At the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, the exhibition Unicorn.

The mythical creature in art is dedicated to this mysterious equine creature. Various exhibits follow its trail through the millennia. They range from Christian artworks and non-European paintings to the natural sciences and medicine. Embark on a fairytale excursion to Potsdam and experience the unique magic of the unicorn in over 150 works of art!

Museum Barberini

Here you can find even more great tips for activities & things to do in Berlin - whatever the weather.