22nd Political Ash Wednesday Berlin

As in previous years, Political Ash Wednesday will take place in the stylish concert hall of the University of the Arts (UdK Berlin). The glam rock women's band Die Gabys will provide the musical entertainment for the evening.


The political parties of the self-proclaimed centre are threatened with disintegration. But once a year, they sound the call for a day of reckoning. Political Ash Wednesday is their day, when they all become populists. The party leaders are drawn to the discerning voters in the deepest provinces. Under the pretext of telling people the truth, beer flows freely. But viewed soberly, the following always applies: what comes across as sharp is often stale and flat. There is a shortage of skilled workers – including political personnel. And that is a global trend. Political Ash Wednesday Berlin fills the vacuum in the capital on this day and has become a well-established tradition.

Year after year, select artists gather here especially for this occasion. Previous participants include Dieter Hildebrandt, Alfons, Hagen Rether, Rainald Grebe, Florian Schroeder, Lisa Fitz, Marc-Uwe Kling, Volker Pispers, Luise Kinseher, Wilfried Schmickler, Urban Priol, Georg Schramm and many others.

Satire is becoming an endangered species.

But Ash Wednesday in Berlin remains! After more than 80 years, the Charter of the United Nations is apparently finally retiring, because wars can easily do without international law. Germany is at the forefront: with free morality and weapons.

The political parties of the self-proclaimed centre are threatened with disintegration. But once a year, they sound the call for a day of reckoning. Political Ash Wednesday is their day, when they all become populists. The party leaderships flock to the most remote provinces to meet the discerning electorate. Under the pretext of telling it like it is, the beer flows freely. Viewed soberly, however, the following always applies: what comes across as sharp is often stale and flat. There is a shortage of skilled workers – including in the political arena. And that is a global trend.

Political Ash Wednesday Berlin fills the vacuum in the capital on this day and has become a well-established tradition. Year after year, select artists gather here especially for this occasion. Previous participants include Dieter Hildebrandt, Alfons, Hagen Rether, Rainald Grebe, Florian Schroeder, Lisa Fitz, Marc-Uwe Kling, Volker Pispers, Luise Kinseher, Wilfried Schmickler, Urban Priol, Georg Schramm and many others.

The 22nd Political Ash Wednesday Berlin with:

Abdul Kader Chahin
From Duisburg-Marxloh and always with a political dig

Frank Lüdecke
First aid for organising your thoughts

Anna Mateur
The guardian of chaos with the powerful voice

Mathias Richling
Physically and mentally as sharp as ever

René Sydow
The angry intellectual who whips us out of our lethargy

Host of the evening:
Arnulf Rating
As a die-hard loudmouth, always refreshingly incorrect

The Gabys
Are there as a band and provide the perfect rock sound for the evening



Tickets from £26 (including taxes, system and advance booking fees) are available from 1 November 2025 - information will follow.