Berlin's Leisure and cultural life may have moved indoors for the most part, but there is still a lot going on this autumn. Games enthusiasts will love the new Games Ground. Meret Becker sings chansons in the Tipi am Kanzleramt. You can listen to exquisite classical music, learn more about Jewish life and sustainability and experience a wild dance performance. When the pale November sun does shine, it's good to know that Berlin's Tierpark is open all year round.
Tip 1: Visit Games Ground Berlin and immerse yourself in cool gaming worlds
At the new Games Ground festival in the Alte Münze, you can test new video games, take part in workshops and compete in tournaments. eSports, indie games and retro games will cast a spell over you. Discover the best board games and immersive virtual reality experiences. There is a special area for children with child-friendly games. There are also giant, fluffy animals and fantasy creatures. Cosplayers can secure free tickets in advance via the organiser's website and will hopefully turn up in droves. How do you dress up?
Where: Alte Münze, Molkenmarkt 2, Mitte
When: Friday 9am - 7pm conference, Saturday 10am - 11pm public day
Tip 2: Use the day pass for a packed day of culture on Museum Island
The Pergamon Museum is being renovated, but the Neues and Altes Museum, Bode Museum and Alte Nationalgalerie are open for you. If you are fit enough, you can explore them all in one day and with just one ticket. Masterful sculptures and the large coin collection await you in the Bode Museum. In the Neues Museum, the bust of Nofretete is and remains the biggest crowd-puller. In the Altes Museum, too, you will be surrounded by treasures bequeathed to us by ancient masters of their craft. And last but not least, the Alte Nationalgalerie also pays homage to the greats of their trade, from Caspar David Friedrich to Renoir and Liebermann. Are you ready for the (museum) island?
Where: Museum Island, Mitte
When: Friday to Sunday 10am - 6pm
Tip 3: See "The Day I Was Supposed to Die" at the Maxim Gorki Theatre
The racist murder attack in Hanau shook the entire country in 2020 and continues to have an impact to this day. It cost nine people their lives, including the brother of Said Etris Hashami. He himself barely survived and has since been working with other victims in the "Initiative 19 February Hanau" for remembrance, justice and education. In his book "The Day I Was Supposed to Die", he tries to come to terms with the terrible experience and shake us all awake. There is a lot to do if we as a society do not want to provide a breeding ground for hatred and xenophobia. The Maxim Gorki Theatre is opening up a space for Hashami for mourning remembrance and important critical discourse.
Where: Maxim Gorki Theatre, Am Festungsgraben 2, Mitte
When: Sunday 4pm
LGBTQIA* Winterdays in Schöneberg
Christmas queer atmosphere: queer associations present themselves, live music, DJs, drag shows, karaoke and bingo, culinary delights, manufactories, crafts, design and a party hut make the visit an unforgettable experience.
Tip 4: Listen to the Ukrainian National Orchestra
While the Berliner Philharmoniker are on tour, Berlin's most prestigious address for classical music is open to other ensembles and soloists. On Thursday, you can ring in the coming weekend in classical style and experience the Ukrainian National Orchestra. Together with star cellist Raphaela Gromes, it has just recorded an acclaimed album, the proceeds of which will go to charity organisations. Antonín Dvořák's cello concerto takes centre stage. It will be accompanied by contemporary works by Ukrainian composers. The joint concert in the Philharmonie will open with a work by Dmitri Bortnjanskij followed by Dvořák's Cello Concerto and his Symphony from the New World. Combines practical solidarity with uplifting artistic enjoyment.
Where: Philharmonie Berlin, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten
When: Thursday 8pm
Tip 5: Spend an animal-filled day at Tierpark Berlin
It is the largest landscape zoo in Europe and with its winding paths, old trees and historic buildings such as Friedrichsfelde Palace, it is worth a visit in itself. Now the zoo is also delighted to welcome offspring: adorable little bears, giraffes and otters await your visit. Take photos of the pink flamingos in the colourful autumn leaves, discover the shy snow leopard in the Himalayan world or visit the large carnivores, which you can also experience during a feeding session. Take a look behind the scenes of the zoo on a guided tour. Petting animals and playgrounds for the little visitors round off your animal-filled day
Where: Tierpark Berlin, Am Tierpark 125, Lichtenberg
When: Daily 9 am - 4:30 pm (last admission 3:30 pm)
day ticket for Tierpark Berlin
Tip 6: Experience gripping contemporary theatre at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele
The siblings Felix and Charlotte lost their parents at an early age. The play follows the orphans over decades and shows how they deal with the trauma of loss in their "mum and dad game" and reflect on their own existence. Director Thorsten Lensing brings his first own play "Crazy for Trost" to the stage. The ensemble of Sebastian Blomberg, André Jung, Ursina Lardi and Devid Striesow brings the text to life. It is sad and touching, but also funny and surreal. Who are we? What is our path? What is the right way to live? These are the big questions of universal validity that are dealt with on this evening in a way that is as haunting as it is original.
Where: Haus der Berliner Festspiele - Große Bühne, Schaperstraße 24, Wilmersdorf
When: Friday and Saturday 7pm
Tickets for Verrückt nach Trost
Tip 7: Celebrate Robin Ticciati's farewell with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester
After seven years, Robin Ticciati passes on the baton and bids farewell with "noise, scandal, mischief, upheaval" - yes, Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 received largely horrified reviews at its premiere. Today, the Resurrection Symphony is considered as visionary as it is revolutionary. In this performance, it is flanked by Alma Mahler's "The Silent City". The Rundfunkchor Berlin presents the work a cappella. Let virtuoso and stirring music lead you from darkness into light.
Where: Philharmonie Berlin, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten
When: Friday and Saturday 8pm
Tip 8: Trace the change in the neighbourhood at Making Mitte
Nowhere else in the city can you experience the urban transformation of the past 35 years as tangibly and spectacularly as in Mitte. The almost three-hour tour "Making Mitte" in English starts at the steps of the Volksbühne theatre. The famous theatre is one of the great constants in the capital's changeable eastern centre. On the route you will learn how the dazzling art and culture scene of the 1990s became the driving force behind urban development and rapid gentrification. At iconic locations such as the Tacheles, you can see how raw subculture was replaced by prestigious architecture. Last but not least, you will also be presented with the architectural legacy of the GDR in the form of the infamous prefabricated buildings.
Where: Volksbühne Berlin, Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Mitte
When: Sunday 11am
Tip 9: Travel with Meret Becker through the chanson worlds of Barbara
She is mentioned in the same breath as Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel. The singer and pianist Barbara, who died in 1997, is one of the icons of French chanson. Her intimate songs are about loss and loneliness, longing and love - timeless, precise and touching. In the Tipi am Kanzleramt, Meret Becker now makes Barbara's unmistakable music and lyrics her own. Dietmar Löffler, who has adored Barbara for many years, will be at the piano. "NACHTBLAU - Chanson für eine Abwesende" is the fitting title of the evening. If your heart beats for stylish and soulful songs, you shouldn't miss this homage to the woman in black.
Where: Tipi am Kanzleramt, Große Querallee, Tiergarten
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday 8pm
Tip 10: Understand sustainability even better at the Zero Waste Future Festival
Sustainability is not an imposition, but an opportunity. That's why a festival that presents and celebrates the many facets of this concept is only logical. And who could present such a topic more authentically than Berliner Stadtreinigung? The fifth Zero Waste Future Festival is taking place at NochMall, the BSR's second-hand department store. Find out about topics such as repair, food waste and upcycling and learn how to avoid waste in everyday life. You can bring broken glasses, small electrical appliances or games consoles to the open workshops and repair offers. To stay true to the festival motto when it comes to snacks and drinks, you should bring your own reusable containers.
Where: NochMall, Auguste-Viktoria-Allee 99, Reinickendorf
When: Saturday 1pm - 6pm
Tip 11: Let it rip with PunkDrumLove at Dock 11
Our last tip is a cracker. The female trio PunkDrumLove chases from one extreme to the next in this dance performance. Dancer and choreographer Johanna Lemke devised and developed the piece. It evokes the noise, chaos and violence of our present. The performers consistently test their own limits and those of the audience. They translate our suffering and excessive demands into directly tangible stage art. It's tough fare, but giving up is not an option. Because in the end, there is still hope in the power of love and the possibility of honest encounters. Let yourself be dazzled, beguiled and awakened!
Where: Dock 11, Kastanienallee 79, Prenzlauer Berg
When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday 7 pm
