I Research Text Summer in Berlin Summer in Berlin means more summer! Berlin, June 2017 Summer in Berlin is always special. Because Berlin has a lot of summer to offer every year. With the first warm days, the capital kicks off its festival summer, classical summer, theatre summer, culinary summer, and summer at the lakes. Berlin is celebrating summer in the green with an extra highlight as it hosts the IGA International Garden Exhibition for the first time this year. In short, Berlin has the perfect summer for everyone, whether dancing in the streets at festivals, picnicking in the city's parks and gardens, strolls along the water's edge on the Spree or any of the city's dozens of lakes, taking in a bit of culture on outdoor stages, indulging in culinary treats and street food fare, or partying through the night in the city's beach bars and clubs. The main thing for everyone is heading outside to enjoy summer in Berlin. sommer.visitBerlin.de Berlin's Summer of Festivals With the first rays of sunshine, Berlin literally dances its way into a summer season full of celebration. Every year, on the 1st of May, the Myfest takes place in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, followed by the annual Carnival of Cultures over Pentecost/Whitsun weekend (2017: 2–5 June) that brings in more than a million people to the city. The carnival parade on Sunday is a true celebration of Berlin's cultural diversity with spectacular costumes and rhythmic dances worn by people representing more than 80 nations around the world. All served up with plenty of tasty treats and music from around the world tempt you. The musical, culinary, and international flair continues for an entire month for the German-French Volksfest (16 June to 16 July). In mid July thousands of LGBTQ people will conquer the streets of Berlin on Christopher Street Day (22 July) to demonstrate for equal rights and against discrimination. www.myfest36.de, www.karneval- berlin.de, www.volksfest-berlin.de, csd-berlin.de Summer in the Neighbourhood Berlin is a city of distinct neighbourhoods and they are a source of pride. In summer, people head outside to grill, play music, and party at events like the Torstraßen Festival in Prenzlauer Berg (8– 11 June) and the legendary Kreuzberg Jazz Festival on Bergmannstraße (30 June to 2 July). Neukölln, meanwhile, looks forward to summer's end when they can celebrate Popráci, the traditional Rixdorf Straw Bale Rolling Contest. For the 184th time, the bales weighing almost 200 kg will be rolled around Richardplatz (9 September). www.torstrassenfestival.de, www.kiez-und- kultur.de/bergmannstrassenfest, www.popraci.de A Summer of Music Sounds fill the days and nights of Berlin's summer. Whether pop, classic, or rock - numerous open- air concerts and music events throughout the whole city fill the streets with sounds and rhythm. Rock & Pop: The Fête de la Musique kicks things off with choirs, bands, and soloists performing all over the city (21 June). A month later, Rock im Grünen will take the stage at Biesdorf Park (21–22 July). East Side Music Days (2–3 September) invite musicians to sing and play along the streets between East Side Park and the Oberbaumbrücke. By Pop-Kultur 2017 (23–25 August), no one can escape music fever as the music industry gathers for discussions, concerts, performances, and talk. Lollapalooza signals the end of summer as rock bands from around the world take the stage visitBerlin / Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH Press Office Press Office [email protected] Am Karlsbad 11 Tel. +49 (0) 30 26 47 48 – 912 10785 Berlin, Germany Fax: +49 (0) 30 26 47 48-968 visitBerlin.de press.visitBerlin.de facebook.com/Berlin blog.visitBerlin.de facebook.com/visitBerlin twitter.com/visitBerlin I Research Text at Rennbahn Hoppegarten (9–10 September). www.fetedelamusique.de/berlin, www.rockimgruenen.de, eastsidemusicdays.com, www.pop-kultur.berlin/, www.lollapaloozade.com/festival/ Classical: The summer of classical music kicks off on 1 July as the Berliner Philharmoniker perform outdoors at the Waldbühne. A fortnight later, performers from all over the world will turn the Gendarmenmarkt square in central Berlin into a massive stage (14–16 July). The Feuerblumen und Klassik Open Air at Britzer Garten is another highlight of the summer season (2 September). Tip: From 24 June to 26 August, the former Cistercian abbey at Chorin hosts a number of high-calibre concerts throughout the summer. www.classicopenair.de, www.gruen- berlin.de/nachricht/feuerblumen-und-klassik-open-air-2017, www.waldbuehne-berlin.de, www.choriner-musiksommer.de Extraordinary: Whether in the middle of the forest, on water, or even vegan, Berlin offers some unusual stages for music performance. These include concerts at the Waldbühne, the Olympic Stadium, and the Wuhlheide, as well as other open-air highlights in 2017 such as the Citadel Music Festival from 1 June to 29 August. Jazz am Hafen brings the music to the harbour from June 30 to July 2 and Berlin Beats & Boats sets sail on 8 July. Kunsthaus Urban Spree in Berlin Friedrichshain district will be holding Germany's very first vegan music festival on 23 June. Food and music are also centre stage at the Foodsharing Festival being held 18–20 August at Malzfabrik. The food will be prepared using salvaged food. www.waldbuehne-berlin.de, www.olympiastadion.berlin, www.wuhlheide.de, citadel-music-festival.de., www.partner-fuer- spandau.de/Jazz-am-Hafen_1060_0.html, www.berlin-beats-boats.de, www.urbanspree.de, www.malzfabrik.de The Art of Enjoying Summer and a Summer of Enjoying Art ... something that Berlin does very well with quite a lot of art programming outside this summer. Check out the 15th Open Air Gallery on the Oberbaumbrücke between Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg being held 4 June and 3 September this year. This outdoor art show has become quite a platform for creativity from all over the world. People interested in relatively recent history will be drawn to the open-air exhibition "Revolution and the Fall of the Wall", on display in the inner courtyard of the former Stasi headquarters since 2016. A different kind of life in the shadows is this year's theme at the "48 Hours Neukölln" summer art festival (23–25 June). Visitors will be invited to consider the shadow sides of our society. The Berlin Circus Festival brings together acts large and small from 25 August to 3 September at Tempelhofer Feld. www.openairgallery.de. revolution89.de, www.48-stunden-neukoelln.de, www.berlin-circus-festival.de Another great tip for art lovers are the city's art and flea markets on Straße des 17. Juni, Museum Island, and Fehrbelliner Platz. They feature contemporary pieces and antique treasures. The fabric market at Maybachufer, meanwhile, is a must for fashion artists and decorators. Every Saturday it has everything for sewing and also something to snack on. Every second Sunday this location also offers a cheerful summer atmosphere with knickknacks, art, and music at the nowkoelln flea market. www.berlinertroedelmarkt.com, www.kunstmarkt-berlin.com, www.fehrbi.info, www.neukoellner-stoff.de, www.nowkoelln.de visitBerlin / Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH Press Office Press Office [email protected] Am Karlsbad 11 Tel. +49 (0) 30 26 47 48 – 912 10785 Berlin, Germany Fax: +49 (0) 30 26 47 48-968 visitBerlin.de press.visitBerlin.de facebook.com/Berlin blog.visitBerlin.de facebook.com/visitBerlin twitter.com/visitBerlin I Research Text Berlin's open air cinemas provide for plenty of outdoor entertainment nights from May to September. A new kind of silent movies: at Hofkino Berlin in Friedrichshain or the WBB Kinogarten in Pankow, guests listen to the films using headphones. The skies over Berlin will become a stage themselves on 1 and 2 September as the Pyronale lights up the night sky over the Maifeld at the Olympic Stadium with fireworks. www.freiluftkino-berlin.de, www.hofkino.de, www.wwb- pankow.de, www.pyronale.de Summer in the Garden Berlin is known as the greenest metropolis in Europe, with nearly 32% of the city's total area consisting of green spaces, forest, and waterways. It's no wonder, therefore, that Berliners and visitors like to celebrate summer picnicking on a meadow or strolling through the green outdoors. At Gardens of the World in Berlin's Marzahn-Hellersdorf district, the IGA (13 April – 15 October) will be drawing people from Berlin and all over the world. This is the first time this international garden exhibition is being held in the German capital. More than 5,000 events and a festival of the finest horticulture will take place on the park's 104 hectares. A cable car has been set up to take visitors up the Kienberg in the surrounding Wuhletal. A mountain by Berlin standards, this hill rises a majestic 102 metres with views reaching to central Berlin. Highlight: you can ride 500 metres downhill on Berlin's first natural bobsleigh run. www.iga-berlin-2017.de The Japanese, Italian, and Balinese style gardens as well as a magnificent tea house in Europe's largest Chinese garden welcome visitors to the Gardens of the World year-round. In April 2017, the English garden was the tenth theme garden to open at the site, just in time for the start of the IGA. www.gruen-berlin.de/gaerten-der-welt The Britzer Garten, which hosted the National Horticultural Show in 1985, is also an ideal place for day spent enjoying outstanding horticulture, rose gardens, and annual flower shows. Named in 2002 as one of the most beautiful gardens in Germany, this park also offers a creative play area for children, and exhibitions on flora and fauna.