This weekend, Berlin will be all about big emotions, moving images and special encounters. Between red carpets, Valentine's moments and special exhibitions, you will experience the city from its glamorous, romantic and creative side. Be there when stars such as Amanda Seyfried and Ethan Hawke travel to the capital for the 76th Berlinale and discover new urban hotspots away from the established venues. We wish you a wonderful Valentine's Day in Berlin. Be inspired by our 11 tips.
Tip 1: Experience glamour, glitz and great cinema at the Berlinale
Berlin rolls out the red carpet for the Berlinale. Stars such as Amanda Seyfried, Isabelle Huppert, John C. Reilly, Ethan Hawke, Juliette Binoche, Sandra Hüller and Midori Francis have announced their attendance. It all kicks off on 12 February. Experience premieres, follow discussions with filmmakers or simply let yourself be carried away by the special atmosphere in the city's cinemas. Whether arthouse films, major competition films or socially relevant documentaries – the programme is as diverse as Berlin itself. Especially for culture lovers and cineastes, the Berlinale is an absolute highlight that offers encounters, inspiration and new perspectives. Many venues are centrally located, so cinema visits can be wonderfully combined with restaurant or bar visits. You can find the best tips for this in our Berlinale blog.
When: 12 to 22 February 2026
Where: various locations in Berlin
Tip 2: Celebrate Valentine's Day in your own personal way
14 February is all about love, and Berlin provides the perfect backdrop for all facets of this great emotion. Many restaurants and venues offer special programmes: choose between Valentine's Day menus or romantic concerts, go ice skating or roller skating hand in hand at ZIK. It's especially nice to just drift along, discover little cafés or attend a special event together. We have compiledthe best ideas for you in our blog 11 tips for Valentine's Day. And you can find even more tips in our event calendar:
When: 14 February 2026
Where: Locations throughout Berlin
Tip 3: Listen to "Music from distant radio days" at the State Opera
Take an acoustic journey through time and visit the Staatsoper Unter den Linden for a very special concert. On Valentine's Day, the musicians will transport you back to the golden age of radio, when music still reached living rooms via crackling waves. In the magnificent atmosphere of the historic opera house, you will experience how old treasures are brought back to life. "Music from distant radio days" brings the sounds of past decades to life and combines historical radio music with grand opera acoustics. Immerse yourself in an evening full of nostalgia and let the music touch your soul.
When: 14 February 2026
Where: Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Unter den Linden 7, Mitte
Tip 4: Discover secret concert venues at Sofar Sounds
At Sofar Sounds Berlin, only one thing is certain: it will be intimate and surprising. At least, that's what the concept promises, which is as simple as it is ingenious: you register, find out the exact location shortly before the event and let yourself be surprised by three different acts. Whether in a quaint living room, a hip loft or a hidden gallery, the organisers always surprise with original ideas, where you sit right next to the musicians. Sofar Sounds also invites you to intimate concert moments on Valentine's weekend. Look forward to an unforgettable evening that shows you how lively the Berlin music scene is, even away from the big venues.
When: 13 & 14 February 2026
Where: Location on request
Tip 5: Celebrate love with "Ode to Joy – Melodies for Valentine's"
The Philharmonie's Chamber Music Hall will also become a stage for grand emotions on Valentine's Day. With "Ode to Joy – Melodies for Valentine's", Berlin violinist Iskandar Widjaja presents a concert evening full of classical masterpieces with a romantic atmosphere. The Chamber Music Hall offers a wonderfully intimate setting for this musical homage to joy and love. Look forward to experiencing the passion of the musicians up close. Afterwards, round off the evening with a glass of Proscecco in the foyer of the Philharmonie or let our 11 tips for romantic dates inspireyou to further romantic adventures.
When: 14 February 2026, 8 p.m.
Where: Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten
Tip 6: Experience pure musical theatre with "Queen of Love"
The Schall&Rausch Festival in Neukölln is experimental, loud and passionate. The play "Queen of Love" breaks the boundaries of classical musical theatre and presents a performance that is modern, bold and absolutely authentic. At CANK, a hotspot of Berlin's off-scene in a former department store building, you'll be part of a production that dissects the theme of love in an unconventional way. The festival is known for its brand-new formats and attracts a diverse, culturally interested audience that is eager to discover new things. If you're not in the mood for classic romance, then this is the place for you.
When: 14 February 2026, 9 p.m.
Where: CANK, Karl-Marx-Straße 95, Neukölln
Tip 7: Experience silent film art with orchestra at the Babylonale
Almost simultaneously with the Berlinale, the Babylon Cinema on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz invites you to a very special highlight: at Babylonale, the historic cinema from the 1920s will be showing a total of seven classics from the silent film era with live music by the Babylon Orchestra Berlin from 14 to 21 February. On Valentine's Day, Charlie Chaplin's timeless classic"THE CIRCUS"is on the programme. Experience how the musicians lend incredible dynamism and depth to the images on the screen. You've never seen Chaplin's classic, for which he received his first Academy Award at the first Oscar ceremony in 1929 (which wasn't called that at the time), so authentically. The film tells the story of a tramp who is mistaken for a pickpocket and, while fleeing from the police, is hired by a circus as a clown. When it turns out that he cannot be funny on command, the challenges begin. And then he falls in love with the circus director's daughter. A wonderful film to celebrate Valentine's Day together.
When: 14 February, 7.30 p.m. (additional dates up to and including 22 February)
Where: Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, Mitte
Tip 8: Take a trip back in time at the DDR Museum
At the DDR Museum, you can not only learn about Berlin's history , but literally touch and experience it. The entire museum is interactive: you can open drawers in the cupboards of a prefabricated apartment, sit in an original Trabant car, leaf through school books and find out what living, working and leisure time in East Germany were really like. What was life like back then? With a day ticket for the DDR Museum, you can enjoy an exciting tour of discovery that brings you closer to an important chapter in German history.
The interactive stations make the visit exciting for families too, and thanks to the long opening hours, the museum is ideal for integrating into a winter sightseeing programme. Combine your visit with a walk along the River Spree and then warm up in a nice café.
When: daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 1, Mitte
Tip 9: Immerse yourself in 19th and 20th century art
This weekend, you can see an important art collection for the last time on Museum Island, namely that of the Scharf family, after whom the Museum of Surrealist Art in Charlottenburg, the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection, is named. The Old National Gallery is showing around 200 paintings from the family's comprehensive and significant art collection in the exhibition "The Scharf Collection: From Monet to Grosse" at the Old National Gallery, you can see around 200 paintings from the family's comprehensive and important art collection until Sunday – view masterpieces of French realism and rediscover the French Impressionists and Cubists. Particularly exciting: a representative selection of works from the graphic oeuvre of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
When: until 15 February, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Alte Nationalgalerie, Bodestraße, Mitte
Tip 10: Last chance: See Karl Schmidt-Rottluff at the Brücke Museum
Somewhat hidden in the winter landscape in south-west Berlin lies a real gem: the Brücke Museum, which is dedicated to the world-famous artist group "Die Brücke" (The Bridge). At the beginning of the 20th century, the Brücke painters were among the most important Expressionist artists and were significant pioneers of Classical Modernism. This weekend is your last chance to see the exhibition "Immer wieder muss die Welt neu gesehen werden" (The world must be seen anew again and again), featuring around seventy paintings by Brücke painter Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, co-founder of the artist group. Let yourself be carried away by explosions of colour and the new formal language of Expressionism, and then enjoy a coffee in the neighbouring Kunsthaus Dahlem.
When: until 15 February, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Brücke Museum, Bussardsteig 9, Dahlem
Tip 11: Celebrate the grand opening of MAMMOTH @ MoMa5
MAMMOTH @ MoMa5 , a new and exciting cultural and event venue, is opening this weekend in the south of Berlin. In the former industrial halls in Marienfelde, contemporary club culture meets art, music and urban creativity. The grand opening promises a diverse programme with live acts, performances and DJ sets. Come along to celebrate this new venue, but also to be inspired, because here you can experience the dynamics of Berlin's urban development up close. MAMMOTH @ MoMa5 offers a lively programme of contrasts away from the well-known venues and shows you that the most exciting things often happen where you don't immediately expect them.
When: 13–15 February 2026
Where: Motzener Straße 5, Marienfelde/Tempelhof
Here you'll find even more great tips for events in Berlin – whatever the weather.
