The Next Day #100: Berlin Weekend Guide
Must-see events in Berlin from 15-18 May.
One hundred guides later and Berlin still amazes us. ♡
This weekend closes Theatertreffen with two strong final acts — and opens wide with XJAZZ!, protest raves, open studios, and one special live appearance by Tim Bernardes (we will be there tonight). We also have a new sponsor on board — shoutout to Genau Genau for supporting our work and your German. 💚
Whether you’re here for quiet cinema or wild dancefloors, you’ll find something to get lost in. Let’s begin.
Lalai & Mateus
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🎸 CONCERTS
XJAZZ! Festival 2025
Wed–Sun, 14–18.05, from 8 pm. Various venues across Berlin. Ticket: from €16
XJAZZ! returns with a glowing lineup of local legends and global trailblazers. This edition is full bloom from jazz and soul to avant-garde, electronic and Afrobeat. Our highlights: 🎧 Moor Mother + Lonnie Holley, 🎧 Alabaster DePlume, 🎧 Àbáse, 🎧 Joy Guidry, 🎧 Brown Penny, 🎧 MUSCLECARS, and 🎧 Yukimi.
Tim Bernardes
Wednesday, 14.05, doors 7 pm / show 8 pm. Funkhaus Berlin, Saal 1, Nalepastr. 18, 12459 Berlin. Ticket: €40.
It’s a rare chance to see one of Brazil’s most soulful voices live. 🎧 Tim Bernardes blends tropicalia, indie, and metaphysical saudade with intimate power. Expect a quietly beautiful show.
Güner Künier
Thursday, 15.05, doors 7 pm / show 8 pm. Kantine am Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Berlin. Ticket: €17.60
Post-punk, synth grit, and shoegaze haze. Güner Künier presents 🎧 Yaramaz, her bold and personal second album. With a live set by Dane Joe.
MÃEANA canta JG – European Tour
Friday, 16.05. Doors: 7:30 pm / Concert: 9 pm. Lido, Cuvrystraße 7, 10997 Berlin. Ticket: €30.
Brazilian singer 🎧 Mãeana bridges João Gilberto’s bossa nova with João Gomes’ piseiro, in what she calls “pisa nova.” A lush, intimate performance with guitar, percussion, and her surreal stage presence.
LABYRINTH #6: The Rites of Spring
Fri–Sun, 16–18.05, entry in time slots. Musikbrauerei, Greifswalder Str. 23a, Berlin. Ticket: €54.55
A 90-minute micro-festival of music, dance and ritual, held in 12 rooms. Experimental, neoclassical, folk-tinged. Think Stravinsky meets pagan dreamworlds.
🎹 EXPERIMENTAL & AMBIENT MUSIC
Listening Session at St. Oberholz
Thursday, 15.05, 7–10 pm. St. Oberholz, Oranienstr. 10–11, 10997 Berlin. Free entry
An evening of unconventional sound featuring “Circling the Whuhula” by Suzana Benesova & X Ariaz, 🎧 Comanarama, plus classical selections by 🎧 María Vélez Gallo.
Sanatorium Merkuriál at Morphine Raum
Fri–Sat, 16–17.05, 8–11:30 pm. Morphine Raum, Köpenicker Str. 147, 10997 Berlin. Ticket: €10 (per night)
Two nights of raw, textural electronics from Poland and beyond. A deep dive into Eastern Europe’s experimental scenes with 🎧 Rashad Becker, 🎧 Robert Piotrowicz, 🎧 Jacek Sienkiewicz, and Artur Rumiński.
Orchestral Sessions: Phase One – String Works by Giacinto Scelsi & Avi Caspi
Friday, 16.05, 8–10 pm. Halle am Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Berlin. Ticket: €48.50 at RA or €43 at the door.
A radical orchestral night in total darkness. 24 musicians channel the sonic rituals of Scelsi and new work by Avi Caspi. No phones, just vibration.
Lee, Gordoa & Forciniti at KM28
Friday, 16.05, doors 8 pm / start 8:30 pm. KM28, Karl-Marx-Str. 28, 12043 Berlin. Ticket: Donation-based.
Improvised and immersive: 🎧 Okkyung Lee (cello), 🎧 Emilio Gordoa (percussion), and 🎧 Isabella Forciniti (modular synth) collide acoustic and electronic worlds in a one-of-a-kind trio.
ACT(4)
Saturday, 17.05, 8 pm – 1 am. Studio dB, Uferstr. 8–11, Studio A14, 13357 Berlin. Ticket: €16.95–20
An evening of industrial, glitch, corrupted MIDI, and avant-noise. Live sets by 🎧 EPRC, 🎧 Inkasso, 🎧 UnoX, and more.
WENN MASCHINEN VON STILLE TRÄUMEN
Saturday, 17.05, 7:30–10 pm. Galiläakirche, Rigaer Str. 9–10, Berlin-Friedrichshain. Ticket: €10–15
A night of noise and electroacoustic featuring SUMASM, Kaseki & Onyx, and 🎧 Eva Kadmon. Expect raw textures, Butoh-infused, and sonic disruption.
Foundling – Artemisia Album Experience
Sunday, 18.05, 8–11 pm. Morphine Raum, Köpenicker Str. 147, 1st floor, 10997 Berlin. Ticket: €22.
A lush live preview of 🎧 “Artemisia,” the new album by Berlin-based ensemble Foundling. Dreamy harp, tuned percussion, vintage synths, and scent design by Ines Lechleitner.
🪩 PARTIES
HEISSS pres. Patrick Mason & LSDXOXO
Friday, 16.05, 5 pm – 6 am. Else, An den Treptowers 10, Berlin. Ticket: €25
Expect bold, high-voltage house and techno sets from showstoppers 🎧 Patrick Mason and 🎧 LSDXOXO, 🎧 Kim She, and more. Prepare for chaos under the sky.
Nyege Nyege x Gaswerk Residency Showcase
Friday, 16.05, 8 pm – 12 am. Block1, Blockdammweg 1, 10317 Berlin. Ticket: €11.30.
A boundary-pushing night of modular synths, Afro-tech and electronics from Uganda to Berlin. Featuring 🎧 Afrorack, 🎧 Halosaur.
Sister
Friday, 16.05, 10 pm – 6 am. Panorama Bar, Am Wriezener Bahnhof 70, 10243 Berlin. Ticket: €22
House, garage, and breaks in this new series by Nathalie Seres, featuring 🎧 Call Super, 🎧 Pangaea, 🎧 Special Request, and 🎧 Sophie McAlister.
KOOKOO: energy, frequency, and vibration
Friday, 16.05, 10 pm – 6 am. OHM, Köpenicker Str. 70, 10179 Berlin. Ticket: €13–15.
A night of genre-defying sound and light with daxophones, butoh dance, and ambient frequencies featuring 🎧 Anna Butter and 🎧 Mieko Suzuki.
Toy Tonics presents ITALOMANIA
Saturday, 17.05, 2 pm – 8 am. OXI, Wiesenweg 1–4, 10365 Berlin. Ticket: €13.55–22.60
One of my favorite dancefloors returns to Berlin with 18 hours of disco, Italo, and non-stop groove with 🎧 Hara Katsiki, 🎧 Vio PRG, and more.
Body Language
Sat-Sun, 17-18.05, 11 - 12 pm. Venue TBA on Telegram. Ticket: €22 at the door
A queer-forward night of house, techno, and fun. Come for b2bs by 🎧 Stella Zekri & Manolo, 🎧 Camilla Rae & Young Lychee.
🇩🇪 LEARN GERMAN (sponsored content )
Free Trial German Class at Genau Genau
Hobrechtstrasse 23, Neukölln, 12047 Berlin. The first shot is free, then from €49 per class. Check the details here.
Learning German, humour, and logic meet there. Unbelievable, but true! Genau Genau makes it cozy and clear—with free coffee, tea and no scary grammar terms. Try a 90-min trial class for free and see if it clicks.
🎭 PERFORMING ARTS
Double Serpent by Ersan Mondtag
Sat-Sun, 17-18.05, 7 pm. In DE with EN surtitles. Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, 10719 Berlin Ticket: €16-€56. #Theatertreffen
In “Double Serpent”, Ersan Mondtag explores trauma, desire, and blurred realities in a surreal thriller. As past and present collide, a haunting love story unfolds in a shadowy world where violence is unseen yet ever-present.
SISSY SMUT Vol. 5 • SUNDAY SERVICE
Sunday, 18.05, 6:30 pm. Volksbühne Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, 10178 Berlin. Tickets: €26.
SISSY SMUT returns with its 5th edition, curated by Matt Lambert and Emre Busse. It features bold queer cinema, live performances by THE A-ROUSERS, Bláthin, and Kaiden Ford, plus DJ sets by Cormac and River Moon for a night of transgressive celebration.
FAGGOT*S
Sat-Sun, 17-18.05, 7:30 pm. Until 23.05. In EN. Berliner Ringtheater, Alt-Stralau 68, 10245 Berlin. Tickets: €6-€18.
"FAGGOTS*" is a solo drag performance by Hassandra using voice-masking tech and queer myth. It’s based on “The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions” by Larry Mitchell & Ned Asta.
PERFORMANCE / DANCE
Kontakthof – Echoes of ’78
Wednesday, 14.05, 8 pm; Thursday, 15.05, 4 pm. In DE and EN. Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, 10719 Berlin Ticket: €15-€56. #Theatertreffen
Meryl Tankard revisits Pina Bausch’s “Kontakthof” with original cast members. Mixing dance and archival film, the piece reflects on memory, aging, and loss — a poignant tribute to Bausch’s legacy.
Jeux – cie. toula limnaios
Wed–Sat, 14–17.05, 8:30 pm. HALLE Tanzbühne, Eberswalder Str. 10, 10437 Berlin. Ticket: €12–€25.
A poetic dance piece about time, memory, and childhood. Inspired by Plato, Nietzsche, and Bergson, “jeux” unfolds in dreamlike tableaux vivants—a meditation on creativity, play, and the power to change.
Fest of Fools: DauerDeviation by Kysy Fischer
Friday, 16.05, 8 pm. English Theatre Berlin, Fidicinstraße 40, 10965 Berlin. Ticket: from €11.
Performer Kysy Fischer presents DauerDeviation, a work in progress that twists movement, language, and sound into new, unexpected directions.
Paula Almirón – The River and The Devil
Fri–Sat, 16–17.05, 7 pm. Sophiensæle, Hochzeitssaal, Sophienstr. 18, 10178 Berlin. Ticket: €10–€25.
A haunting dance piece by Paula Almirón on a dried Bolivian river, colonial scars, and mythic spirits. A ritual of salt, sound, and memory. Poetic, political, and deeply moving.
🎨 VISUAL ARTS
For Real For Real – Exhibition & Program
Opening: Thursday, 15.05, 6 pm. Exhibition until 27.07. Tue–Sun, 12–7 pm. daadgalerie, Oranienstr. 161, 10969 Berlin. Free entry
This group show, curated by Claudia Rankine, explores aliveness, resistance, and presence through art, readings, and film. It features Jericho Brown (16.05) and Shamel Pitts (17.05).
Marius Glauer
Opening: Thursday, 15.05, 5–9 pm. Artist Talk: Saturday, 17.05, 4 pm. EIGEN + ART Lab, Torstraße 220, 10115 Berlin. Free entry
Marius Glauer pushes photography beyond the image, blending pop, sculpture, and abstraction into bold, material works full of surface and fantasy.
BlueLobster Art Gallery Night x Creative Hub
Thursday, 15.05, 10:30 pm – 1:30 am. Studio 1111, Berlin. Free with RSVP
A late-night mix of video art, music, and creative exchange with artists from Brazil, Colombia, the US, and Germany. Expect visuals, conversations, and fresh perspectives.
International Museum Day 2025
Sunday, 18.05, all day. Museums across Berlin. Free admission
Many Berlin museums open their doors for free with special tours, talks, and activities. A perfect day to dive into art, science, culture, and curiosity — from Futurium to Bode Museum and beyond.
🍽️ THE NEXT DAY: FRIDAY LUNCH
Ferro Canteen
Monday–Friday, 9 am – 4 pm. Kopenhagener Str. 60–68, 13407 Berlin.
We biked up to Reinickendorf to close season one at Ferro Canteen — a slow, sunlit lunch spot tucked inside Wilhelm Hallen. Expect bold plates (like butter chicken with pani puri), rooftop seating, and crisp sourdough that’s worth the trip. Quiet, industrial, and full of flavor, sometimes the best tables are beyond the ring.
🍽️ FOOD
Tongue and Throat Memories: Jolof Stories
Friday, 16.05, 7–11 pm. Weltwirtschaft Restaurant / HKW, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin. Ticket: €30
An evening of Senegalese hospitality with chef Tamsir Ndir: film, conversation, Ceebu Jën dinner, and a closing DJ set as DJ Tchoub Tchoub.
Berlin Chili Fest: Spring Edition
Fri–Sun, 16–18.05, from 6 pm. Berliner Berg Brauerei, Treptower Str. 39, 12059 Berlin. Ticket: €6-€12.
The festival for chili lovers. Hot sauces from across Europe, spicy street food, craft beer, all set to a soundtrack of good music and sunny vibes.
Summer Bagels & Tiny Tattoos
Sunday, 18.05, 11 am – 5 pm. Atelier Sud, Gneisenaustr. 57, 10961 Berlin-Kreuzberg.
Fresh homemade bagels and flash tattoos in a cozy Kreuzberg atelier. Drop by, hang out, snack, and maybe leave with some ink.
🎬 CINEMA & ART
Midnight Screening: Anna Zett at BABYLON
Friday, 16.05, midnight. Babylon Kino, Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, Berlin. Free entry
Two powerful films by artist and writer Anna Zett, blending personal memory, archival ghosts, and poetic resistance. Featuring “This Unwieldy Object” (2014) and “Es gibt keine Angst” (2023).
Touch of RED: RECOLLECTION – Screening
Saturday, 17.05, 6 pm. daadgalerie, Oranienstr. 161, 10969 Berlin. Free entry
A poetic dance documentary tracing Shamel Pitts and his collective TRIBE through residencies and reflection. Early cut screening in the presence of the artist and filmmaker.
✨ MISCELLANEOUS
Berlin Dance Music Event 2025 (BDME)
Wed–Sun, 14–18.05. Various venues across Berlin. Ticket: €69-€169.
Part conference, part club marathon, BDME brings artists, labels, and music professionals for panels, showcases, and parties. With 300+ artists and speakers, 40+ conference sessions, and club events.
Queer Night Market – Berlin Edition
Friday, 16.05, 3–11 pm. Holzmarkt 25, Holzmarktstr. 25, Berlin. Ticket: €4.38
A chill and joyful afternoon with drag, music, food, tattoos, and handmade things from queer creatives. Everyone’s welcome.
A100 WEGBASSEN – Life. Culture. Diversity
Saturday, 17.05, 2–10 pm. Treptower Park (Elsenstr./Puschkinallee)
Massive street protest-meets-rave against the A100 highway expansion. 7 stages, FLINTA* spaces, talks, kids’ zone, and a dancefloor with a cause.
🧠 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The Berlin Format – BERLIN DESIGN WEEK
Thu–Fri, 16–17.05. Day 1: Fotografiska Berlin, Oranienburger Str. 54. Day 2: WPP Campus, Litfaß-Platz 1. Ticket: €49-€79
Two days of panels, talks, and keynotes on design, ethics, and brand futures with speakers like Tom Dixon, Emell Gök Che, and Philipp Mühlebach. This is the ticketed core of BERLIN DESIGN WEEK, but many other events across the city remain free and open to all. Full program here
Transpositional Geologies – Film, Talk & Book Launch
Thursday, 15.05, 5:30–9 pm. Humboldt Lab, 1st floor, Unter den Linden 2, Berlin. Free entry
An inside view into the colonial legacies of mineral collections through film, conversation, and the launch of “Transpositional Geologies”. With Sascha Mikloweit, Paul Basu, Saima Nakuti Ndahangwapo & more.
Talk: Scott Bolden – Bringing Back Balance
Friday, 16.05, 8:30–10 am. Das Baumhaus, Gerichtstr. 23, 13347 Berlin. Free entry (RSVP required)
Designer and Baumhaus co-founder Scott Bolden explores dynamic balance as a key to sustainable change, not just technical, but existential.
Writing Club – For Everyone
Sunday, 18.05, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. Karuna Pavilion/Beteiligungscafé, Gärtnerstr. 4, Boxhagener Platz, Berlin. Ticket: from €6.50
A cozy workshop for reflection and self-expression through writing. Prompts, sharing, and quiet connection. No experience needed—just bring your words and an open heart.
Vivian Ngozi Aghamelu at Nomi Winebar
Sunday, 18.05, from 3 pm. Nomi Weinbar, Audre-Lorde-Str. 49, 10997 Berlin. Free entry
An intimate afternoon with queer German-Nigerian artist Vivian Ngozi Aghamelu. Expect performance, conversation, and works from her powerful “Hairy Seduction” series with wine and Kottilesben Juice flowing.
📌 SAVE THE DATE
🍑 Naked People Reading: A safe, inclusive space for the queer community to listen, connect, and celebrate the power of stories and presence. Wednesday, 21.05, 8 pm. ACUD, Veteranenstr. 21, Berlin-Mitte. Ticket: €10-15 at the door.
🎸 Stereolab is one of my favorite bands from the ’90s. They’ll be playing at Huxley’s Neue Welt on May 29th. Ticket: €41.
🌑 Dov’è Liana brings their uninhibited, mystic synthwave ritual to Berlin. Tuesday, 03.06, 7:30 pm. Kantine am Berghain. Ticket: €34.50
🎤 Kim Deal brings your latest album 🎧 “Nobody Loves You More” to Metropol on 22.06, at 7 pm. Ticket: €45.
🎸 I can’t wait to see St. Vincent present her latest album, 🎧 “All Born Screaming,” in Berlin! The show is on 05.07 at Tempodrom. Tickets: €53-€59.
⚡ Patti Smith Quartet returns for an open-air in Berlin—still fierce, wild, and luminous. Friday, 11.07, 7 pm. Zitadelle Spandau. Ticket: €73.55.
Congrats on the 100# ☺️
Congrats on this massive milestone! <3