At the zoo, a newborn tiger cub is exploring its surroundings, setting the tone for the weekend: Berlin is setting off on a springtime exploration. Whilst MaerzMusik transforms the city into a sound laboratory, the Napoleon Komplex offers a culinary journey through the world of chocolate – and the FEZ takes you on a journey through time. From Charlottenburg to Pankow, this weekend is all about new beginnings!
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Tip 1: Look forward to the colourful programme of MaerzMusik 2026
MaerzMusik is back in Berlin this weekend. This year, the festival sees itself as a musical laboratory. With numerous concerts, performances, installations and film screenings, the focus is on listening as a communal practice. This year’s edition brings together creatives from all over the world in events that seek an artistic response to the uncertainties of our time – through dialogue with the audience and the interplay of different disciplines.
MaerzMusik opens on Friday evening with 11,000 Strings at MaHalla in Oberschöneweide. On Saturday and Sunday, the programme continues with screenings, performances and a music installation by Catherine Lamb.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various times
Where: Various venues across Berlin
Tip 2: Experience musical contemporary history at Wir sind am Leben
The year is 1990: the Wall has fallen, Berlin is in turmoil, and suddenly everything seems possible. Siblings Nina and Mario also want to make their dreams come true in the new capital – until their mother Rosi suddenly appears on the scene. Drawing on this East German family story, Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer tell the tale of a generation’s new beginning in their brand-new musical Wir sind am Leben.
On Saturday evening, the musical celebrates its premiere at the Stage Theater des Westens, presenting you with rousing live music ranging from pop and East German rock to grand musical ballads. Tickets for the premiere weekend are in high demand, but there are still tickets available for the following week from 24 March onwards.
When: Tuesday to Sunday at 7.30 pm
Where: Stage Theater des Westens, Kantstraße 12, Charlottenburg
Tip 3: Indulge at the Berlin Chocolate Festival
Cocoa was already being used as a foodstuff in South America over 3,000 years ago and was drunk at ritual festivals under the name Xocolatl. However, the chocolate of that time had little to do with sweet flavours: in the Aztec language, Xocolatl means ‘bitter water’. Whether you’ll learn such facts about the world’s most popular sweet treat at the Berlin Chocolate Festival remains to be seen – but delicious tastings are guaranteed.
In the spacious outdoor area of the Napoleon Complex, you can celebrate the start of spring with sweet, bittersweet and savoury chocolate creations from all over the world.
When: Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 9 pm
Where: Napoleon Complex Berlin, Modersohnstraße 35–45, Friedrichshain
Tip 4: Take a trip back in time at the FEZ
In the FEZ’s Time Lab, the laws of physics are suspended: the past, future, present and timeless space coexist here, inviting you on an extended journey through the centuries. It all begins in the present, where you first create a (time) passport.
With this, children and accompanying adults then have access to the medieval kitchen, a Stone Age cave, an ancient forum, the green-screen studio of the future and many other stations. Use the VR glasses to look into the city’s past and peer through time into the hopefully better world of tomorrow.
When: Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 10 pm
Where: Wuhlheide Leisure and Recreation Centre (FEZ), Straße zum FEZ 2, Treptow-Köpenick
Take a journey through time at the FEZ
Tip 5: Pay a spring visit to the zoo
Just like in Berlin city centre, the March sunshine is also cheering up the zoo’s residents. There’s plenty going on here throughout the day: almost every hour, you can join in the guided feeding sessions for the polar bears, giraffes, gibbons and red pandas.
A particular cause for celebration is the newest resident of the Rainforest House. The female Sumatran tiger cub, born in January, has passed her first veterinary check-ups with flying colours and can already be seen here regularly on her first adventures – usually still accompanied by her mother, Mayang.
When: Friday to Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm
Where: Berlin Zoo, Am Tierpark 125, Lichtenberg
Tip 6: Cheer on Berlin’s swimmers at the Open Championships
From Friday to Sunday, ambitious young swimmers will be competing under the banner ‘Road to DJM’ to qualify for the German Age Group Championships. You are warmly invited to cheer them on and applaud them from the stands. Young athletes will take to the water in the large competition pool at the Swimming and Diving Hall in the Europasportpark from Friday afternoon.
Talented swimmers born in 2008 or later will compete against each other in various disciplines and distances. The only requirement for participation is membership of a club or a swimming association – and, of course, a healthy dose of sporting spirit.
When: Friday from 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9.30 am
Where: Swimming and Diving Hall at the Europasportpark (SSE), Paul-Heyse-Straße 26, Prenzlauer Berg
German Age Group Championships
Tip 7: Enjoy a one-hour boat trip on the Spree in the spring sunshine
The many waterways in and around Berlin are particularly inviting in spring. Make yourselves comfortable on one of the sightseeing boats and let the sun shine on your face. Enjoy coffee, cake or a refreshing drink and watch the city’s cultural highlights glide past you for an hour.
You’ll learn a thing or two about Berlin and its history, as the crew will keep you entertained with amusing anecdotes. If, contrary to expectations, it does happen to rain at the weekend, the cosy boats also have indoor seating available: so you can set sail into the weekend in complete relaxation, whatever the weather!
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various departure times
Where: Friedrichstraße station landing stage, Reichstagufer 18 (at the Tränenpalast), Mitte
Tip 8: Enjoy Jewish culinary culture at Koscher-Licious
The Pears Jewish Campus , right in the heart of Berlin, sets an example of people living together in harmony – whether they have a Jewish background or not. Alongside schools, a co-working space and an events area, there are also small festivals here for the general public to enjoy – such as this weekend’s Koscher-Licious Food Festival. The whole of Berlin is invited to this festive occasion. You can look forward to Jewish street food from all over the world, a 360° kosher bar, live cooking and a colourful children’s programme. Tuck into some shakshuka, latkes and cholent.
When: Sunday from 12 noon to 6 pm
Where: Pears Jewish Campus, Westfälische Straße 15, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Tip 9: Admire Franz Liszt’s work at the Berlin-Weißensee Piano Festival
Even during his lifetime, Franz Liszt was regarded as a rock star of piano music, thrilling international audiences to standing ovations with his virtuosity. Yet it was particularly as a composer that he had a lasting influence on music history – especially with his ‘translations’.
In his honour, the 4th Berlin-Weißensee Piano Festival is taking place under the title ‘Franz Liszt – Transformation’, focusing on Liszt as a ‘translator for the piano’. For he was one of the first to adapt well-known orchestral pieces for the piano, thereby making them accessible to people in their own homes. Over three concert evenings, three pianists will offer you deep insights into Liszt’s unique life’s work.
When: Friday to Sunday at various times
Where: Ballroom of the Peter Edel Education and Cultural Centre, Berliner Allee 125, Weißensee
Berlin-Weißensee Piano Festival
Tip 10: Experience Abel Selaocoe as Artist in Focus
The South African cellist, singer and composer Abel Selaocoe is one of the most exciting musical personalities on the current classical scene. In March, the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin is dedicating no fewer than four concerts across three Berlin venues to him as Artist in Focus.
Over the weekend, two concert evenings await you at the Philharmonie, followed by the closing night with the Bantu Ensemble at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Selaocoe’s music blends classical cello artistry with jazz, improvisation and African traditions – whilst remaining deeply rooted in the artist’s very own sonic world.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm
Where: Philharmonie Berlin, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten and Haus der Kulturen der Welt, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, Tiergarten
Tip 11: Welcome spring at the Nowruz Festival at the Humboldt Forum
The Nowruz Festival – also known as Newroz or Navro’z – has been celebrated along the Silk Road for over 3,000 years to mark the beginning of spring. Depending on the country and cultural context, the festival takes on additional meanings. For Kurds, for example, the festival symbolises resistance, whilst Iranians celebrate the new year with it.
At the Humboldt Forum on Saturday, during Nouruz, Newroz, Nauroz, and with free admission, you can gain an insight into the customs and traditions surrounding this festive day. International artists bring their traditions with them and create an experience full of music, dance, conversation and togetherness.
When: Saturday from 11am to 8.30pm
Where: Humboldt Forum, Schlossplatz, Mitte
