Friday

GUSH

 André Velez Cruz

Record label The Huntleys + Palmers arrive in Berghain, bringing with them a selection of their hottest talent. Topping the lineup is Berlin band GUSH, whose experimental and psychedelic sonics blend wry lyrical delivery and fuzzy textures. Joining them is Tony Morris and Isa Gordon, who penned Wake Up Baby, a fiery Glasgowegan earworm. Poet Stuart McKenzie also performs his now legendary tracks Get Out The House and Feminine, Marvellous and Tough. 

Kantine am Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Berlin details.

Poesiefestival Berlin 2026

Diana Pfamatter DAAD, Berlin

Berlin’s premier poetry festival begins tonight with a month-long programme that centres around three themes: myth, grief, and a critical re-writing of a predominantly white and male European literary ‘Canon’. For the opening night, the daadgalerie brings the legendary James Noël in conversation with Cornelius Wüllenkemper to celebrate Noël’s new book Paons. Haiti-born Noël is one of the most important poetic voices of his country, having written more than ten books in Creole and French.

CDC Dance Battle

Koone-80

Black dance culture steps into the spotlight for a five-day celebration of diversity, community and unity. For 13 years, CDC Dance Battle has been poppin’ off in and around Neukölln, bringing dancers (beginners and pros) from all over the world to participate in dance battles, soak up the vibes and connect with movement. With kid-friendly day raves, after-hour parties, Caribbean street food and childcare facilities, there’s literally no excuse not to get on down.

Saturday

The Infinite Now

Aho Ssan & KMRU at Metabolic Rift by Frankie Casillo

Berlin Atonal and Unsound have created a 30-hour continuous sound, art, performance and social event that invites participants to eat, sleep, watch, listen and rest together. That’s right, they’ve installed hammocks, beds and soft places where you can recharge while time moves forward and the space evolves. There’s so many big names attached to this event; it’s akin to having the likes of Kali Malone, Actress and Jim O’Rourke performing in your bedroom.

 Kraftwerk, Köpenicker Straße 70, 10179 Berlin details.

Vitamin Well Women’s Race Berlin

IMAGO / NurPhoto

This FLINTA-focused running event lets participants choose between walking and running races of either 10km or 5km, and there’s also an 800m on offer for kids. No matter if you do it competitively or just for fun, the route will take you through Tiergarten and past such landmarks as Brandenburger Tor and the Siegessäule.

Straße des 17. Juni, 10557 Berlin details.

SchwuZ Comeback Party

IMAGO / Anadolu Agency

In case you haven’t heard the good news, SchwuZ is back! Although they’re still looking for a new permanent location, the much beloved, missed and oldest gay club in Germany, which opened its doors in 1977, is back for one night only at Schöneberg’s legendary venue Metropol. Featuring all your fave queens, including Gloria Viagra, PornoZ and Biggy van Blond, the night launches a new era for the club, which will include more very soon.

Metropol, Nollendorfplatz 5, 10777 Berlin details.

Sunday

Bites and Bikes Street Food Festival

Daniele Vidoni Photography

If you love the idea of food trucks but also prefer bikes to motorised vehicles, then the Bites and Bikes Street Food Festival is for you. It does what it says on the tin. They’ve bought a whole bunch of cargo bikes and tons of street food, with the addition of live music, DJs and the option of a ‘six-ride pass’ that lets you try six half-portions of different street food dishes (and a wheel of fortune where you have the chance to double that!) to make the deal extra sweet.

Jules B-Part, Luckenwalder Str. 6b, 10963 Berlin details.

International Museum Day

Imago/Werner Otto

Fun fact: there are roughly 7,100 museums in Germany and Berlin hosts one of the highest densities in Europe. Established in 1977, International Museum Day was created to provide global insight into the cultural and societal importance of museums. That being said, not every museum has free entry on this day, so check which ones are participating in advance.

Sheena Is

Makar Artemev

Naked rockstar BLEACH invites a ragtag mix of performers to tread the boards in an open-stage drag night. If you’ve ever wanted to watch Berlin’s finest underground stars in their genre-defying and dizzying performance incarnations, Sheens Is has it all. With turns from BLEACH and DJ Anita Drink, this’ll be a guaranteed night you’ll remember.

Schokoladen, Ackerstraße 169, 10115 Berlin details.