|
|
EVENTS
Carnival of Cultures (Karneval der Kulturen)
(Pentecost weekend, June)
www.karneval-berlin.de
Deeply ingrained in the German psyche is the belief that culture equals
national culture. No surprise then that the German approach to immigration
has been a bit schizophrenic - as an foreigner you have two options either
keep to yourself with a view to going home or you integrate completely
with a view to becoming a real German. Anything inbetween would open the
specter of multiculturalism.
The Karneval is Berlin's most colourful and vivacious festival, taking
place every year in June over the Whitsun weekend. Thousands of representatives
from over 70 cultures don their glad rags and dance along the streets
of Kreuzberg in a joyous celebration of Berlin's multi-ethnicity. Four
purpose-built stages host all kinds of performances, the main stage is
at Blücherplatz, the children's stage at Mariannenplatz.
Christopher Street Day
Late June.
Arguably the best of Berlin's rash of summer street parades, Christopher
Street Day commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots on Christopher St in
New York which sparked off the modern gay liberation movement. Upwards
of 70 wagons and accompanying paraders prance, pose and sashay their way
from the Kurfürstendamm to Tiergarten, finishing with a grand circle
around the Victory Column , Berlin's favourite phallic symbol and namesake
of the local gay magazine. The champagne spurts from the majority of the
floats (available also to bystanders for an appropriate fee), cooling
down the mass of sexually-charged sweating dancers. Political slogans
alternate with fantastic costumes, and the diversity of the spectators
reflects the success of the movement. A great day out for the whole family.
Love Parade
www.loveparade.de
Straße der 17 Juni. , 10557 Berlin - Tiergarten
Once a year on a given Saturday in early July a large number of the world's
party-goers gather to celebrate the now legendary Love Parade. Having
moved to Strasse des 17. Juni, this street party, which started in 1989
on the Ku'damm as demonstration for love, has ballooned into the biggest
Techno/Dance party in the world, attracting hedonists from all corners
of the earth. Excessive amounts of bare flesh are exposed as the parade,
comprising of approximately 1 million fun seekers (all with their own
whistles) dancing on the back of lorries (some 250 in all) and on the
street, makes its way up and down Strasse des 17. Juni and round the Großer
Stern at the Victory Column in the middle of Tiergarten. Real techno fans
should prepare to be disappointed as the music tends towards the mainstream-chart-house
end of the market. Despite this, the ethos of the event has escalated
so much that fledgling Love Parades have been hatched in Austria and England.
Accompanied every year by a cringingly cosmic motto (two such examples
being "One World, One Love Parade" and "Join the Love Republic"),
the Berlin parade has gradually mutated into a highly commercialised circus
as each of its "partners" succeed in only blocking sunlight
with their logo-emblazoned balloons. Thankfully, all such things must
come to an end - 2001's event was the first totally commercial Love Parade
(the Berlin Senate finally refused to accept the goings-on as a political
demonstration) and it appears to have been the straw that broke the camel's
back, leaving everybody with a bad taste in their mouths. As the organisers
sit down at the negotiating table with city officials to ensure the longevity
of Berlin's most lucrative event, rumours are spreading round the rest
of the sentient world that the 2001 T-shirt may, shortly, become a collectors
item.
Fuck Parade
www.fuckparade.de
Tel: (069) 94 35 90 90
Usually held on the same day as the Love Parade, the Fuck Parade (which
started its life in 1997 as the Hate Parade) trampled an alternative course
through the streets of Berlin. Those who began to be sickened by the highly
commercialised Love Parade decided to return the day to the real soul
of Berlin, and so created an event where run-down transit vans and trucks
blasted out Gabba, Hard Techno and Drum 'n' Bass. It was, understandably,
more fashionable than the day's highly mainstream alternative. Things
have gone a bit wrong, though. An upping of the stakes in 2001, when the
organisers planned a three-pronged attack on Alexanderplatz, looked as
if it could really challenge its commercial rival as the party of the
day. Even after the Love Parade's unexpected postponement to the weekend
after, the Fuck Parade still enjoyed the billing as the curtain raiser
event that was to launch Berlin's first "Love Week". Unfortunately,
the Berlin Senate's decision not to accept the Love Parade's status as
a political demonstration applied to the Fuck Parade as well. With no
intention of paying for the clean-up, which the organisers of non-political
events are obliged to take responsibility for, the Senate saw fit to pull
the plug on the parade, forbidding all music. The ensuing Fuck Parade
as a "demonstration for a right to demonstrate" proved to be
a damp squib as the aimless organisers bellowed badly rehearsed references
to music and society through megaphones while the police endeavoured to
confiscate all stereos on sight. It seems the sun has nearly set on the
era when street festivals could rise out of pointless protest. If the
organisers of the Fuck Parade want to wear party hats and blow whistles
in the future, they'd better get used to filling black plastic bags, too.
Sounds like Home (Heimatklänge)
(July - Aug)
www.tempodrom-am-ostbahnhof.de
Tempodrom am Ostbahnhof
Strasse der Pariser Kommune 10, 10243 Berlin - Friedrichshain | Tel: 318
61 40
In Summer from June through August the circus tent of the Tempodrom plays
host to a series of concerts called "Heimatklänge". This
festival of world music presents a range of music from a different country
or region each year. The idea behind Heimatklänge is to present bands
which are active in their home country. The result is musical selection
which attempts to go beyond the sterotypes of the world music genre. The
theme for the 2001 series is Soul 2 Soul: Afrika in Amerika - Amerika
in Afrika. The action (which is practically free) takes place Wednesday
to Saturday from 9.30pm and Sundays from 4pm.
German-American Festival
(Jul - Aug)
www.deutsch-amerikanisches-volksfest.de
Truman Plaza , 14169 Berlin - Dahlem | Tel: 0172/390 09 30
A regular event since 1961, Berlin´s German-American Festival is
something like a cross between Disneyland and a country fair. Attractions
include carnival rides, American style food and a reconstruction wild
west town. Every Saturday and Sunday during the festival visitors will
be treated to a rodeo complete with Bull Wrestling, Steer Roping and of
course the obligatory Bucking Bronco.
Internationales Stadionfest - ISTAF (late August)
www.istaf.de/
Olympischer Platz 3, Tel: 0800 2489842
No longer the climax of the prestigious, but discontinued, Golden Four
athletics series, the Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) in the Olympic
Stadium is still, nevertheless, the seventh and final meeting on the IAAF
Golden League calendar. Designed to unify the elite individual meetings
held in Europe, the Golden League always attracts the top names in track
and field to fight it out for some big prize money. Any athlete who can
win their discipline at five of the seven Meetings can win the jackpot
and claim their share of 50kg of gold ingots.
Hanf Parade - Hemp Parade (late August / early September)
www.hanflobby.de/hanfparade
hanfparade@hanflobby.de
Tel: 24 72 02 33
Although the German state laws on possession and use of cannabis were
relaxed in 1998, a select band of individuals will not be happy until
the whole rule book has been torn up. The organisers of this cannabis
crusade also want to see hemp being used more in making environmentally
friendly materials and pain killers. In an attempt to achieve their goal,
they incite a bunch of stoned (although presumably highly dedicated) people
to plod from somewhere to somewhere else. 2001's event was from Hallesches
Tor to the Rotes Rathhaus near Alexanderplatz . Yet another day of over-time
for the street cleaners.
Berlin Marathon
(Late September)
www.berlin-marathon.com
Waldschulallee 34, 14055 Berlin | Tel: 302 53 70
Ever run 42 kilometers? In two hours? If you have, or if you just want
to see someone's face after they've done it, the Berlin Marathon might
be for you. Each year in September almost thirty thousand runners start
at the Schloß Charlottenburg on the Straße der 17 Juni, running
through ten different Berlin Berzirks before they finally break through
the finish line on the Kurfurstendamm. This is Germany's biggest and fastest
marathon--last year contestants came from 73 different countries. Of course,
you don't have to be a record holder to join in on the action. For runners,
the finish line closes at 3:00--seven hours after the starting gun. If
you still need more time, you can join the power walkers' competition,
which starts an hour earlier and gives you until 6:00 to pant your way
down the home stretch. The race also includes a wheelchair competition,
and a speed skating competition for rollerbladers. Their website has more
information in English, downloadable registration forms, and even access
to live coverage of the race on the big day.
51. Berliner Festwochen (Sep/Oct)
www.berlinerfestspiele.de/berlinerfestwochen
Various venues , Tel: 25 48 92 33
For the past fifty years, Berlin has celebrated both classical music and
international theater in September. Starting in 2000, in honor of the
festival's fiftieth anniversary, the two mediums no longer had to share
the spotlight. September saw notable classical musicians from all over
the world performing in Berlin. This part of the program, called the "Jahrhundertklang,"
or "Sound of the Century" presented a retrospective of the last
century in music. In October, international theater and dance companies
brought their acts to the German capital. Plays in English, Chinese, French--even
Hebrew made their German premieres. The music program for 2001 was to
the sound of Schönberg and Beethoven.
Art Forum Berlin
International Fair for Contemporary Art
(Late Sept)
www.art-forum-berlin.de
Berlin Messe Center, Messedamm 22, 14055 Berlin - Charlottenburg | Tel:
++49 - 30 - 88 55 16 43/44
Always dreamt of being an artist, a real artist, a pro-fessional artist?
Find out if you have what it takes at art.forum berlin - an overwhelming
romp through over 140 galleries from Tokyo, NY, LA, Zurich, Paris, Rome,
London, Prague and other wealthy parts of the world, hawking their wares
on over 12000 sq.m of prime conference centre real estate. Come to smell
the bullion-stained corsets of the collectors and their perfumed concubines,
gigolos and spouse/business partners as they lumber through the padded
esplanades aching to unload on a must-have helium inflated floating life
raft for their Chamonix hunting villa. OK - its horrible and crass, but
its a good shot of reality for anyone interested in art today. What's
most important is what sells. Quote of the vernissage: One art dealer
chatting to another "Paris is so provincial daarling - just like
Düsseldorf - OK it may be pretty - but its so provincial."
Jazz Fest Berlin
www.berlinerfestspiele.de/jazzfest/
Schaperstrasse 24, 10557 Berlin - Tiergarten | Tel: 39 78 70
The Jazz Fest Berlin has a long and enviable history. It started out in
1964 and - at least for the rest of that decade - was involved in presenting
some very interesting and swinging concerts. In its early years, it was
closely connected with the late Joachim Ernst Berendt, who was known throughout
Germany as the 'Jazz Pope'. Berendt brought Jazz musicians together from
all corners of the globe and put them on stage together. The results can
be heard on his influential and collectable series of MPS/SABA records
'Jazz meets the world'.
In recent years, the Jazz Fest has been criticised as having gone somewhat
off the boil. However in 2000, it came back into its own, presenting as
it did everything from wordjazz (Ruth Weiss) to cross-cultural fusions
(British tenor saxophonist Alan Skidmore, his quartet and Amampondo, a
six-piece South African drumming group). 2001 brought a new musical director
and proved to be worthwhile event for fans of Nordic jazz.
aaa - The Berlin Motor Show
(Oct 26th-Nov 3rd, 2002)
www.aaa-berlin.de
Messedamm , 14055 Berlin - Charlottenburg | Tel: 30 38 20 14
Held in the Autumn of every even numbered year (next in 2002) is the "aaa
- The Berlin Motor Show". Aimed at all who are interested in cars,
whether in the business or not, the show gives all motor-related industries
an opportunity to showcase their vehicles, products and services to a
wider audience. With a supporting programme of audience-oriented shows
and activities, an interesting day out for all motor fans is assured.
Jewish Culture Days - Jüdische Kulturtage (November)
www.herden.de/jkt
Fasanenstraße 79-80, 10623 Berlin - Charlottenburg | Tel: 880 28
230
Each year in November Berlin celebrates its Jewish heritage with two weeks
of events ranging from concerts to films to exhibitions. This year's theme
is "Tel Aviv Non Stop", another interesting mix of culture from
dance to politics in a variety of venues. The diverse musical programme
will be covering a wide range of styles from classical organ symphonies
to Isreali jazz. Most accessible for non-German speakers is the cinema
programme at Arsenal and Filmkunsthaus Babylon which showcases a certain
number of films in original version with English subtitles. Multi-kulti
scenesters may find the show of young Jewish fashion on Saturday 17th
of some interest. See the website for a full programme.
Verzaubert International Queer Film Festival
(Nov - Dec)
www.queer-view.com/verzaubert
Hackescher Höfe Theaters | Rosenthaler Str. 40-41, 10117 Berlin -
Mitte | Tel: 283 46 03,
The Verzaubert Queer Film Festival takes place across Germany in November
- December each year. The festival comes to Berlin in late November and
for a week presents a selection of film titles, from full length features
and short films to documentaries at the Hackesche Höfe Kino in Mitte.
Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte)
(late Nov - Xmas)
Germans tend to see the anglo version of Christmas as basically lacking
- what little the British do have is mainly due to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg
Gotha, who tried to improve the depressing situation in England with the
traditions of his homeland when he married Queen Victoria in 1840. One
thing he forgot to transplant was the Christmas market, one of the most
popular of Christmas events. Christmas markets are held all over Germany
in the run up to the night itself, and are inevitably bustling with locals
and tourists, full of Christmas cheer in the form of Glühwein, roast
chestnuts and gingerbread. In between such warming fare, there are plenty
of traditional decorations and other Christmas paraphanalia for the eager
shopper. In Berlin, markets are held on Alexander Platz , on Unter den
Linden near the Opera House , and around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
. On Advent weekends, the alternative/ecological Christmas market is held
along Sophienstr in Mitte. The old centre of Spandau is also host to its
own Christmas market, reputedly the biggest in Europe.
Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival
www.berlinale.de
The Berlinale takes place every February, with screenings held in various
cinemas located citywide. All details are widely advertised in the press
and by the festival organisers in the weeks prior to the event.
Berlin's biggest annual event before anybody had heard of the Love Parade,
the Berlinale is the third largest film festival in Europe. Although aimed
mostly at industry professionals, that doesn't stop the whole city going
film-mad for two weeks in February. Nothing in Berlin is complete without
controversy, and the Berlinale is no exception. Contentious points for
the 2001 Berlinale included the big name no-shows (namely Gus Van Sant,
Julianne Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Emma Thompson and Johnny Depp), and the
usual gripes at Festival head Moritz de Handeln´s program of safely
commercial films that served in many cases as a convenient forum for films
being released soon or concurrently in German cinemas. And no Berlinale
is complete without the critics´ cries of too few German films -
this year´s only competition entry, by a Greek-German director and
about a German-American marriage, could not even claim full citizenship.
So maybe it is a little too Hollywood and then Hollywood doesn't even
show up. But many Berliners see that as all the more fun for the locals.
With bigger theatres, more tickets, less glitz and fewer scenesters than
Sundance or Cannes, the Berlinale is truly a festival for all of Berlin
- that is, for anyone with enough patience to endure the ticket queues.
May Day Riots
(1 May)
Kottbusser Tor , Berlin - Kreuzberg | U1/8 Kottbusser Tor
Not a day that the Berlin Riot Police can spend with their families, as
everyone with even the smallest grumble hits the streets and blames the
authorities for all sorts of mistreatment. An annual event since the first
showdown in 1987 (when a supermarket was torched), May 1st is traditionally
the workers' day when the man in the street can express his discontentment
about any pertinent issues. After the demonstrations shifted towards Prenzlauer
Berg after the fall of the Wall, the day's activities have moved back
to Kreuzberg, as the inhabitants of the upwardly-mobile eastern bezirk
presumably find hypocrisy just as bad as violence. Sadly, excessively
physical clashes with the police are now run of the mill and the use of
water cannons has become necessary in order to disperse the crowds. The
trouble is usually isolated although, in 2001, the police were forced
to close the roads into Kreuzberg while they battled the demonstrators.
Thankfully, the rest of the city is happy just to celebrate a day off
work.
German Open
www.german-open-berlin.de
german.open@rot-weiss-berlin.de
Gottfried-von-Cramm-Weg 47 - 55, 14193 Berlin - Grunewald | Tel: 89 57
55 20
May heralds the arrival in Berlin of the Women's Tennis Association Tour.
Since 1979 the German women's tour event has been staged in Berlin at
the Lawn Tennis Tournier Club "Rot-Weiß" in Grunewald.
With over $1 million of prize money up for grabs, this outdoor clay court
tournament attracts fifty-six of the biggest names in women's tennis every
year to battle it out for the title of German Open Champion. Tennis's
links with the middle classes are still as strong as ever with the Wednesday
of the tournament being "Mercedes Ladies' Day". Currywurst on
a stick, anyone?
Public Holidays
Mar/Apr - Easter Monday
Mar/Apr - Easter Sunday
Mar/Apr - Good Friday
1 Jan - New Year's Day
1 May - Labour Day
40 days after Easter - Ascension Day
25 Dec - Christmas Day
3 Oct - Day of German Unity
May/Jun - Whit/Pentecost Monday
May/Jun - Whit/Pentecost Sunday
26 Dec - Boxing/St Stephen's Day
|
|