Events in Berlin
This November, Berlin moves from late autumn into Advent, and the listing runs on into mid December. The Winter Market at the Humboldt Forum opens on 18 November, followed on 23 November by the Berliner Weihnachtszeit at the Rotes Rathaus and the WeihnachtsZauber on Gendarmenmarkt. Concerts range from Saint Levant on 16 November and Rea Garvey’s Christmas Calling on 29 November to a Candlelight evening of Christmas classics on 8 December. The Gemäldegalerie pairs portraits from Botticelli to Lempicka until 14 March, Genghis Khan fills the James-Simon-Galerie and LICHTenberg lights up a historic bathhouse until 31 January.
Official events calendar for Berlin
The events below are the Christmas markets that lead Berlin's official events calendar this season. The season traditionally begins after Totensonntag on 22 November, though some markets open earlier. For the sights that stay open all year, see the guide to visiting Berlin.
Christmas Market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
When: 13 November to 1 January 2027
Where: Breitscheidplatz, City West
Around 170 stalls stand beneath a 400-metre carpet of lights, selling handmade crafts, Christmas decorations and winter food.
Winter Market Schlossplatz at the Humboldt Forum
When: 18 November to 3 January 2027
Where: Schlossplatz, Mitte
More than 150 stalls, historic fairground rides and evening light projections fill the square around the Humboldt Forum and the Schlüterhof.
Berliner Weihnachtszeit at the Rotes Rathaus
When: 23 November to 3 January 2027
Where: Between the Rotes Rathaus and St Mary's Church
An ice rink, a 50-metre panoramic Ferris wheel and the Altberliner Marktgasse of traders and craftspeople, with a medieval market by the church.
WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt
When: 23 November to 31 December
Where: Gendarmenmarkt, Mitte
White tents fill the square, with a heated arts and crafts tent, gourmet restaurants in heated tents and an international stage programme.
Christmas Market at Charlottenburg Palace
When: 23 November to 27 December
Where: Charlottenburg Palace, Spandauer Damm
More than 100 exhibitors set up in front of the illuminated palace, with children's merry-go-rounds, a small Ferris wheel and heated tents.
Live music and festivals in Berlin
Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro plays Lark on 11 November at 20:00.
Candlelight: Tribute to Hans Zimmer
Candlelight: Tribute to Hans Zimmer plays the Französischer Dom on 12 November at 18:45.
Saint Levant, Afandi World Tour
Saint Levant, Afandi World Tour plays Columbiahalle on 16 November at 20:00.
Swae Lee, Same Difference Tour
Swae Lee, Same Difference Tour plays Astra Kulturhaus on 17 November at 20:00.
Neschastny Sluchai
Neschastny Sluchai plays PUNCH L!NE Club Berlin on 22 November at 20:00.
Gurriers
Gurriers plays Frannz Club (Kulturbrauerei) on 24 November at 20:00.
Rancore
Rancore plays LARK on 27 November at 19:00.
Rea Garvey’s Christmas Calling
Rea Garvey’s Christmas Calling plays Uber Eats Music Hall on 29 November at 20:00.
The Jazz Room: Marvin Gaye, a Night of Soul
The Jazz Room: Marvin Gaye, a Night of Soul plays Colosseum Berlin on 6 December at 16:00.
The Rainer Hersch Orkestra, Classics for Fun
The Rainer Hersch Orkestra, Classics for Fun plays Konzerthaus (Kleiner Saal) on 6 December at 16:00.
Candlelight: Christmas Classics
Candlelight: Christmas Classics plays the Apostel-Paulus-Kirche on 8 December at 21:00.
!K7 presents DJ-Kicks All Day
!K7 presents DJ-Kicks All Day plays Haus der Visionäre on 13 December at 13:00.
Events and shows in Berlin
Bogdan Lisevsky
Bogdan Lisevsky plays PUNCH L!NE Club Berlin on 10 November at 19:00.
The Jury Experience: The Killer AI
The Jury Experience: The Killer AI comes to Colosseum Berlin on 14 November at 16:00.
Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty
Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty comes to Columbia Theater on 15 November at 15:30.
Mittermeier's Lucky Punch Comedy Club, Mixed Night
Mittermeier's Lucky Punch Comedy Club, Mixed Night plays PUNCH L!NE Club Berlin on 18 November at 20:00.
Klassikvergnügen
Klassikvergnügen plays Philharmonie (Kammermusiksaal) on 23 November at 20:00.
Tarmo Peltokoski & Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Tarmo Peltokoski & Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra plays Philharmonie (Grosser Saal) on 3 December at 20:00.
Current exhibitions in Berlin
Founded on Antiquity, Berlin's First Museum
Until: 10 January 2027
Where: Altes Museum, Museum Island
Antiquities from the museum's first permanent display of 1830 show how Schinkel's building opened as Berlin's first public museum.
Lina Lapelytė, We Make Years Out of Hours
Until: 10 January 2027
Where: Hamburger Bahnhof
Performers and visitors move 400,000 wooden cubes through the Historic Hall while voices sing poems, so the work keeps changing shape.
Lovis Corinth, Then Came Berlin!
Until: 25 January 2027
Where: Berlinische Galerie, Kreuzberg
A major show on the painter's rise to fame after his move to Berlin in 1901 and on his impact on the city's art scene.
LICHTenberg, Light, Sound and Atmosphere
Dates: 7 November 2026 to 31 January 2027
Where: Stadtbad Lichtenberg
Moving light and a soundtrack of film music, electronic beats and video game sounds fill the two pool halls of the historic bathhouse.
Across Epochs, Gursky, Lucas, Miró, Warhol
Until: 28 February 2027
Where: Alte Nationalgalerie
Works from the 20th and 21st centuries meet 19th-century art in select places on all three floors of the museum.
Maurizio Cattelan, NIGHT
Until: 7 March 2027
Where: Neue Nationalgalerie
The first major solo exhibition in Germany by the Italian artist, chosen for the 2026 Preis der Nationalgalerie, in Mies van der Rohe's building.
Portraits! Surprising Encounters from Botticelli to Lempicka
Until: 14 March 2027
Where: Gemäldegalerie
Portraits from six centuries hang in surprising pairs, with masterpieces by Botticelli and Lempicka, Dürer and Giorgione, Rubens and Gainsborough.
Genghis Khan and the World of the Mongols
Until: 18 April 2027
Where: James-Simon-Galerie, Museum Island
Marking 800 years since his death, archaeological treasures from Mongolia, many never shown abroad before, trace the Mongol Empire.
Berlin tickets and tours
Public holidays in Berlin to plan around
Public holidays reshape a visit more than most travellers expect. On the statutory holidays and on Sundays the Berlin rules impose a general ban on publicly noticeable work, so most shops stay shut, museums and attractions switch to holiday timetables and public transport runs a thinner service. Germany sets its public holidays Land by Land rather than nationally: only 3 October, the Day of German Unity, is fixed for the whole country by the Unification Treaty, and the nine days listed below are the ones every Land observes in 2026.
National holidays in Germany 2026
- 1 January New Year's Day (Neujahr)
- 3 April Good Friday (Karfreitag)
- 6 April Easter Monday (Ostermontag)
- 1 May Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit)
- 14 May Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt)
- 25 May Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag)
- 3 October Day of German Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit)
- 25 December Christmas Day (Erster Weihnachtstag)
- 26 December Boxing Day (Zweiter Weihnachtstag)
Local holidays in Berlin 2026
Berlin is a city-state, so the day the Land keeps for itself is also the local one. That day is International Women's Day, listed by the Senate Department for the Interior and Sport among the statutory holidays of the Land of Berlin, and in 2026 it falls on a Sunday and stays a holiday. It is the only date on this page that does not apply across the country.
- 8 March International Women's Day (Internationaler Frauentag), regional
More about Berlin
Things to do in Berlin
The Berlin guide on Tourist Office ranks twelve attractions, from the Brandenburg Gate to the Gemäldegalerie, then adds free sights, Cold War sites and hidden green corners.
Where to get help in Berlin
This page shows where to find the nearest tourist office in Berlin, the city passes and the public holidays that change opening times.
Beyond Berlin
The Germany guide looks past the capital to Neuschwanstein Castle, Cologne Cathedral, Heidelberg Castle and the Zugspitze, with the sights worth a longer trip.