The days are getting shorter and the nights longer. Autumn is just around the corner—and this year it brings with it an abundance of festivals, premieres, and exhibitions. To make sure you can enjoy the season to the fullest, no matter the weather, we’ve rounded up our top 11 events for autumn 2025.
Tip 1: Celebrate freedom at Berlin Freedom Week
Celebrating freedom, shaping democracy, imagining the future—that’s what awaits you at the very first Berlin Freedom Week, taking place from 8 to 15 November 2025. On the 36th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city will transform into a stage for bold ideas, dedicated voices, and global visions. Workshops, cultural events, and interactive formats will unfold in venues steeped in history themselves. Whether your focus is on human rights, political change, or social cohesion, this week is for everyone who wants to make a difference. Be inspired—and take action!
A true highlight of the week will be the Berlin Freedom Conference on 10 November 2025. Here, leading thinkers from politics, business, education, media, culture, and civil society will come together to share ideas, build networks, and actively shape global change in the spirit of democracy.
When: 8-15 November 2025, depending on the event
Where: Various locations in Berlin, including Haus 22 - Campus for Democracy, Berlin Wall Memorial, Parliament of Trees, Tränenpalast
When: 9 November
Where: everywhere in Berlin
Tip 2: Festival of Lights lights up Berlin
When the nights start drawing in, Berlin begins to glow. As every autumn, the Festival of Lights once again bathes the city in a blaze of color. This year’s edition focuses on cohesion, community, and solidarity. Under the motto “Let’s Shine Together,” dazzling projections tell the story of Berlin’s multifaceted life - and how beautifully diversity is lived here. A special highlight awaits at Berlin Cathedral, where for the first time the magnificent interior will serve as both concert hall and projection space over several evenings.
You can experience the city’s most stunning light installations in comfort on guided tours and boat cruises.
When: 8 to 15 October 2025, 7 - 11 p.m
Where: everywhere in Berlin
Tip 3: Be a guest at the Food Week
Good food belongs to autumn like the wind to a flying kite. Across Berlin, chefs, restaurateurs, food entrepreneurs, producers, and brands present their very best recipes. But it’s not only about enjoyment: Equal focus is placed on the origin and quality of the ingredients, as well as on sustainable and healthy nutrition. A highlight of the season is the House of Food at Bikini Berlin: a place to exchange ideas, taste delicious creations, and, of course, prepare a treat or two yourself—while trying out something new. Savor the flavor!
As part of Servus Austria, all nine Austrian provinces invite you to experience the culinary diversity of Austria through special events across the city.
Tip: This year's True Italian Pizza Week will take place from 25 September to 1 October in selected pizzerias throughout the city.
When: 6 to 12 October 2025
Where: various venues
OktoberFest - Festzelt der Hauptstadt
Erlebt echtes Wiesn-Feeling mitten in Berlin: zünftige Musik, frisch gezapftes Bier, bayerische Schmankerl & beste Stimmung im Festzelt. Das Oktoberfest Spandau – feiern wie in München! Jetzt Tickets sichern!
Tip 4: Listen to exciting interpretations at the Jazzfest
Under the motto “Where will you run when the world’s on fire?” this year’s Jazzfest Berlin invites audiences into an intense musical dialogue. More than 120 musicians from over 20 countries will come together over four days to create a polyphonic soundscape, spanning improvisation, hip-hop, noise, poetry, and experimental sound - at a time when global crises continue to shake our world. You’ll encounter jazz legends such as Wadada Leo Smith, Vijay Iyer, and Marc Ribot, alongside fresh voices that blur and transcend traditional genre boundaries.
With Community Week, the festival also opens up a space for exchange—between people, ideas, and artistic expressions. Visitors can get involved themselves through workshops, film projects, and neighborhood events that tackle social issues in creative ways.
When: 30 October to 2 November 2025, Community Week from 27 October
Where: various venues in Berlin
Tip 5: Get smart at the Berlin Science Week
BEYOND NOW – under this visionary motto, Berlin Science Week celebrates its 10th anniversary. More than 200 events invite you to rethink science: interactive talks, immersive exhibitions, creative experiments, and inspiring encounters at the intersections of research, art, and society. From quantum physics and climate research to the future of democracy – this is where ideas emerge that help us look beyond today’s crises.
A true highlight: the Berlin Science Week CAMPUS at the Museum für Naturkunde – a hotspot for curious minds. Come get inspired and help shape what lies beyond the now!
When: 1 to 10 November 2025
Where: various locations throughout Berlin
Tip 6: Join in and listen to the radio play nights
You can simply sit back and enjoy at the Radio Play Festival, taking place from 17 to 26 October. Alongside classic radio play evenings, you’ll find a wide range of exciting events dedicated to listening and storytelling: from improvised live radio plays in the theatre and atmospheric campfire sessions, to author talks, full-moon mystery performances, creative workshops, and even radio play walks. So grab your headphones, step into nature, and dive straight into the story.
When: 17 to 26 October 2025
Where: various locations in Berlin
Tip 7: Get involved in the Day of Club Culture
Berlin’s clubs are more than just spaces for dancing and partying – they have always been incubators for creative ideas. At night, they become havens for anyone seeking inspiration, a break from daily life, or simply the chance to dive into another world. On Club Culture Day, the artistic and community spirit of Berlin’s clubs and collectives takes center stage. Join the celebration as venues across the city present unique programmes under this year’s motto: “Bridging Realities – 35 Years of Movement.”
When: 3 to 12 October
Where: all over the city
Tip 8: Be enchanted by the fairytale days
Berlin’s long, dark autumn evenings are the perfect backdrop for a journey into the world of fairy tales. That’s why libraries, bookshops, schools, concert halls, theatres, public institutions and even embassies open their doors for Fairy Tale Days, inviting you to be enchanted. This year, the spotlight falls on the tale of the Swan Woman – a story of overcoming obstacles and discovering true strength. But the best way to experience it is to hear it yourself. Most events during Fairy Tale Days are free of charge.
When: 6 to 23 November
Where: various venues in Berlin
Tip 9: Theatre of Things - autonomous objects on stage
How much of a life of their own do things possess? And what happens when they not only serve us, but begin to act independently? Under the festival title “Autonomous Objects”, the 2025 Theatre of Things takes on precisely this question, opening up a fascinating dialogue between humans, machines, and matter.
In 18 productions, installations, try-outs, and workshops, artists from around the world explore the tensions of digital autonomy – at times poetic, playful, and critical. Puppets, robots, and objects take the stage as actors, mirroring social systems and inviting us to reimagine the boundary between human and thing. Step into the unexpected and discover new forms of theatre!
When: Autumn 2025 (advance booking from 30 September 2025)
Where: various venues in Berlin
When: 31 October to 5 November 2025
Where: Schaubude, Greifswalder Straße 81-84, Pankow
Tip 10: Spooky fun & bats for Halloween
From spooky Halloween parties at Soda Club in the Kulturbrauerei or the eerie “Abandoned Factory” on Greifswalder Straße, to bat tours at the Spandau Citadel and the family-friendly Pumpkin Festival in Schöneberg – Halloween in Berlin has something for everyone. Of course, little spooky fans can enjoy trick-or-treating at many spots across the city, while grown-ups head to Club Birgit for the legendary Halloween Bambule.
When: 31 October (and a few days around)
Where: everywhere in Berlin
Tip 11: Immerse yourself in the poetry of fog
Autumn is when Berlin reveals its most mysterious side – fog drifting over parks, grey clouds hanging low above the city. Fittingly, the site-specific fog sculpture by Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya has been extended in the sculpture garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie, made possible by a generous donation. At regular intervals, clouds of mist envelop trees, statues, and pathways – condensing into almost tangible forms before dissolving again into a translucent veil. A truly poetic autumn experience.
When: until 19 October
Where: Sculpture garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie
