Festivals and Annual Events

The ‘Long Night of Museums’ festival is run for one day every January and August and has many museums open till 2AM. Special exhibitions are staged and other cultural events are held around the city as part of it. It is an excellent night out for any appreciator of art. This year’s (2010) festival was held on the 30th of January and featured events all around the city. Telephone 90 26 99 444

is renowned all around Europe as a premier festival for independent and mainstream movies; and is called the ‘Berlinale’. It takes place at the end of February and is surprisingly accessible for an event so large. Tickets are relatively easy to obtain and some of the screenings of films not in the competition are free. It is a delightful addition to a movie buff’s itinerary, but of course, tickets must be booked in advance. Telephone: 259 200

25th March-6th April, 10 high profile days of opera in Berlin. Also called the Festtage, it showcases some of the world’s leading opera singers in beautiful concerts and star-studded after parties, all at the majestic Berlin opera house. Perfect holiday gift for the opera aficionado. Telephone: 20 35 40.

The International Tourism Exchange in Berlin is an annual trade fair in the middle of March, generally at the Messe Berlin fairgrounds. It attracts thousands of visitors as well as tour companies, hotels, insurance companies and publishing organizations. It is also a travel convention and its scale has been steadily increasing in the past few years. It is a good opportunity to research some travel locations or fix up that business holiday.

this is the Carnival of Cultures, a dizzying weekend of celebrating the cultural and ethnic diversity in Berlin. It takes place in late May or early June, generally on Pentecost weekend or Whit Sunday. There are parades, market stalls, outlandish food, and the streets come alive with people in their national garb. 1 in every 7 Berliners has emigrated from a different country so there is plenty of diversity to rejoice. Telephone: 6097700.

Germany’s answer to the worldwide Mardi Gras festival, it is a political demonstration for Gay rights. It takes place in most big cities on the 19th-21st of June.

for a whole month, the city is running with beer of all sorts, and this is a good time to try the different types from all the different regions of Germany. The festival originated in Munich and is held in a much larger scale there but Berlin still attracts thousands of visitors during this time.

for two weeks every October, the historic and modern buildings and monuments in Berlin are lit up with spectacular illuminations. The landmarks you’ve come to know in the daytime, such as the Brandenburg gate and the Berliner Dom will show a whole new character to themselves in the night. A lovely time to be in the city, the fireworks and lightshows will take your breath away.

most cities in Germany hold Christmas markets which are pretty much the same as they have been for the last few hundred years. Stroll through narrow corridors flanked by quaint stalls selling beautiful handmade antiquities while the warm smell of roasting sausages and mulled wine assails your nostrils. It’s an experience to be treasured. The markets are held during the whole of December but check exact dates and times on the website as they change regularly.

It is the world's largest dance and music festival and continues throughout the day, usually in mid-July when the weather is warm. During the festival, participants dance in the street on trucks. The event is held annually on Strasse des 17. Juni in the Tiergarten district. It has faced opposition in the past because of widespread dislike of rising commercial prices during the festival. Nevertheless, the festival continues despite the emergence of a group opposing it.