The first weekend in June is just around the corner and brings a whole host of event highlights to Berlin – some of them even coming in pairs. Not only is Museum Island celebrating its birthday with the Inselfest, but Berlin City Library is also hosting an anniversary event. And if you prefer to spend warm June days outdoors, there’s plenty on offer: bike rides, concerts, market visits and street food festivals are sure to make your weekend a treat. Here are our 11 visitBerlin tips for this weekend.
Tip 1: Celebrate the 200th birthday of Museum Island
This weekend, the Berlin cultural scene is focusing its attention on Museum Island in two ways, as this year the 200th anniversary of the cultural complex coincides with UNESCO World Heritage Day. True to the current motto ‘Together for Peace and Understanding’, the organisers of the Island Festival have strived to put together a particularly inclusive programme.
With a heavily discounted day ticket, all the island’s museums, the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche and PETRI Berlin are open to you this weekend. The rest of the programme is free: it includes over 100 guided tours, open-air concerts ranging from Brahms to Mousse T., workshops and many other drop-in activities.
When: Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 8 pm
Where: Museum Island, Mitte
Tip 2: Explore Berlin’s laboratories during the Long Night of Science
The Long Night of Science is back and has once again put together a particularly clever programme for you. From Saturday afternoon, Berlin’s laboratories, museums and universities will open their doors and offer insights into worlds that usually remain hidden: How does a quantum computer find a needle in a haystack amongst millions of documents? What does an ancient Egyptian priestess’s tomb look like from the inside? And what’s the story behind the wandering colours made of sugar?
Experts will answer these and many other questions through talks, experiments, interactive exhibitions and VR experiences. Take the opportunity to catch a rare glimpse behind the scenes of research.
When: Saturday from 4 pm to midnight
Where: Various venues across Berlin
Tip 3: Celebrate 125 years of the Berlin Library
It’s not just Museum Island; Berlin City Library is also celebrating its birthday this weekend and is hosting a big courtyard party to mark the occasion. Since 6 June 1901, the library has provided the city’s residents with free access to education. At the same time, it is also a special place for people to meet and exchange ideas.
To ensure that libraries remain spaces for active democracy in the future, the ZLB’s courtyard party is not just about celebrating: authors such as Jenny Erpenbeck and Leif Randt will be reading from their works, and you can join in a discussion on the role of libraries in dictatorships and democracies during a fishbowl discussion. There will also be cosy shaded spots, drinks and food on site!
When: Saturday from 3 pm
Where: Berlin Central and State Library (Berlin City Library building), Breite Straße 36, Mitte
125 years of the library for Berlin
The Berliner Philharmoniker and Jakub Hrůša celebrate the musical world of Czechia: Martinů’s Symphony No. 1, Kaprálová’s lyrical Suita rustica, and Suk’s Fantasy for violin with Julia Fischer. Experience these rare masterpieces live on 4 / 5 / 6 June. 👉🏻Book your tickets now!
Tip 4: Experience Andalusian flamenco at Rosas Negras
It stands for deep emotion, drama and passion. Flamenco has its origins in 19th-century Andalusia, where it developed from the region’s many cultural influences. Alongside Moorish, Jewish and Christian residents, Roma migrants also brought their musical and dance traditions to southern Spain.
On Friday evening, you can experience this unique art form with Rosas Negras in the Philharmonie’s Chamber Music Hall. Seville-born flamenco star Manuel Reina, together with six other dancers, will guide you through a wide-ranging repertoire, from classical choreographies to modern reinterpretations.
When: Friday at 8 pm
Where: Philharmonie Berlin – Chamber Music Hall, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten
Tip 5: Enjoy a summer community festival at the Frachti Market
Thanks to the Berlin-based khisdapaze collective , the frachtkante site on the grounds of the former Tegel Airport has for several years provided a space for cultural engagement and social interaction. Just in time for the first proper summer weekend, the collective invites you to the Frachti Market on Sunday.
From solidarity art and second-hand stalls to music, entertainment and food, there’s plenty on offer in this summery open-air space. In keeping with the collective’s ethos, you’ll also have the chance to network with others and learn more about social and community projects.
When: Sunday from 12 noon to 8 pm
Where: frachtkante, Tegel Airport 1, Tegel
Tip 6: Visit the museum at the Kulturbrauerei
Since 2013, the Museum in the Kulturbrauerei has been a key venue for the historical reappraisal of the division of Germany. In the permanent exhibition ‘Everyday Life in the GDR’, you can explore 600 square metres of exhibits – with free admission – featuring historical documents such as film and audio recordings, slogans and numerous original artefacts.
In addition, the museum regularly focuses on changing special themes. On 10 June, the exhibition ‘Skateboarders & Rollerbladers Before and After the Fall of the Wall’ opens here, examining the youth movement centred on recreational sport from both East and West perspectives.
When: Friday from 9 am to 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Museum in the Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstraße 97, Prenzlauer Berg
Skateboarders and Rollerboarders Before and After the Fall of the Wall
Tip 7: Discover how Cassirer helped Impressionism achieve its breakthrough
Anyone interested in French Impressionism at the start of the 20th century could not have missed Paul Cassirer . In the early decades of the 20th century, his Berlin art salon developed into one of the best-known destinations for fans of what was then modern painting. At the same time as founding his salon in 1898, Cassirer also worked as secretary of the newly founded Berlin Secession art association.
He made works by Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh accessible to a wider audience in Germany for the first time, thereby leaving a lasting mark on the local art scene. In his honour, the Alte Nationalgalerie is now dedicating the exhibition ‘Cassirer and the Breakthrough of Impressionism’ to him .
When: Friday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Alte Nationalgalerie, Bodestraße 1-3, Mitte
Paul Cassirer and the Breakthrough of Impressionism
Tip 8: Join the ADFC cycle rally for the transport revolution
For the transport revolution to work and for Berlin to become a green metropolis, the Mobility Act already in force must first be put into practice. The ADFC cycle rally on Sunday is campaigning for this and is calling on the whole city to get on their bikes.
To ensure everyone can ride at their own pace and as many people as possible can take part, the organisers have put together various routes. Families will start near the finish line, whilst more experienced cyclists can set off from further afield, such as Oranienburg or Eberswalde. At around 2 pm, all participants will then meet at the Großer Stern in the Tiergarten.
When: Sunday at various start times
Where: Various meeting points in and around Berlin
Tip 9: Take a Berlin Wall tour by bike
If you want to warm up for Sunday’s rally or haven’t had enough after the main tour, Berlin on Bike is the perfect choice. Accompanied by a tour guide well-versed in history , you ’ll set off from the Bikedepot at the Kulturbrauerei and cycle for around 15 kilometres along the route of the Berlin Wall.
At key historical sites such as Bornholmer Straße and the government district, you’ll learn numerous fascinating facts about the division of Germany through vivid anecdotes. The programme includes spectacular escape attempts, defining moments of the Wall’s fall and personal insights into everyday life in the GDR.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am
Where: Bikedepot Kulturbrauerei Hof 4, Knaackstr. 97, Prenzlauer Berg
Tip 10: Feast at the Reinickendorf Street Food Festival
In the shadow of the impressive Borsig Tower, built between 1922 and 1924 and considered Berlin’s first skyscraper, you can feast your way around half the world this weekend. The Reinickendorf Street Food Festival brings together culinary specialities from Turkey, Lebanon, Italy, the Philippines and many other countries, alongside regional beer and musical entertainment.
The neighbourhood festival was launched on the initiative of F.C. Arminia Tegel 1977 e.V., which created it as a community event for the district. And with great success: alongside the international delicacies, the festival boasts a varied supporting programme of concerts, fairground rides and other activities for the whole family. The €2 entry ticket doubles as a drink token.
When: Friday from 2 pm to 10 pm, Saturday from 12 noon to 10 pm and Sunday from 12 noon to 8 pm
Where: Festival grounds at Borsigturm 130, Tegel
Reinickendorf Street Food Festival
Tip 11: Dance to disco-punk at Erobiques’ big garden party
Anyone who hasn’t yet heard of Carsten “Erobique” Meyer will never forget this all-round artist from the Münsterland region after this Saturday, because Erobique concerts are a truly memorable experience. As a composer, visual artist, musician and entertainer, Meyer has made a name for himself in bands such as International Pony and Einbahnstraße, amongst others.
However, his solo shows are particularly popular, in which he gets his diverse audience dancing to unconventional disco music . See for yourself at Erobique’s Big Garden Party on the Weißensee Open-Air Stage and be captivated by the self-proclaimed “Germany’s last Discopunk for the time being”, then join him on a spirited holiday to Italy.
When: Saturday from 5 pm
Where: Freilichtbühne Weißensee, Große Seestraße 8-10, Weißensee
Here you’ll find even more great tips for events in Berlin – whatever the weather.
