The Next Day #31: Berlin Year-End Highlights
Your guide to a great time during Christmas and New Year's Eve in Berlin
Hi! 🎄
Year-end is here, and live shows are scarce, but we've curated a New Year's celebration. Keep in mind queues are expected, so get ready to master the art of waiting. We've also listed some ongoing favorite exhibitions from the year. Check operating hours before heading out.
This is our last guide of the year. We'll take a break for the holidays but will return in the second week of January. We've compiled a comprehensive list for the upcoming weeks.
Special thanks to '20% Berlin' for bringing so many new subscribers to our newsletter.
Thank you for being with us this year. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2024. 🎇
You can follow us on Instagram, where we share event tips in our Stories.
Lalai & Mateus
Lubomyr Melnyk
Thursday, 21.12.23, 8:00 pm. Passionskirche Kreuzberg, Berlin. Ticket: 37.20€.
Considered the fastest pianist in the world, Ukrainian musician Lubomyr Melnyk mesmerizes the audience with his playing. 🎧 Pockets of Light
Kunsf, Mizuki Ishikawa, MızMız
Friday, 22.12, 8 pm. Zemin Berlin, Urbanstrasse 3, Kreuzberg. Entrance: donation-based
An evening of avant-garde electronic music for enthusiasts. 🎧 non manifold edges
Harlem Gospel Night with Donna Brown & The Golden Gospel Pearls
Days 22, 23, 25-27.12, 4- and 8 pm. Apostel Paulus-Kirchengemeinde, Klixstrasse . Tickets: 28€.
For those who want to attend a gospel choir concert in a beautiful church.
The No-Counts
Friday, 29.12, 9 pm. Wiener Blut, Wiener Strasse 14, Kreuzberg. Donation based.
Berlin's independent underground 3-piece-combo The No-Counts live on stage with their own brand of rudimentary rock'n'roll, influenced by garage, teen-punk, folk-punk, and frat-rock as well as moody Shutdown66-styled punk-ballads. 🎧 Sleep Forever
Spandau20 x Toy Tonics
Friday, 22.12, 10 pm. Berghain/Panorama Bar, Berlin. Ticket: 25€.
Hard-hitting power techno and nu rave meet wildstyle house and indie disco with Spandau20 at Berghain and Toy Tonics at Panorama Bar. 🎧 Eliza Roeze
Finest Xmas
Monday, 25.12, 10 pm - 9 am. Berghain/Panorama Bar.
The annual Christmas party at Panorama Bar featuring Lakuti and Tama Sumo on the decks. 🎧 Lakuti x Tama Sumo
SOFT with DJ Tennis, Bradley Zero, Alinka, and Terr
Wednesday, 27.12, 11 pm - 9 am. RSO, Schnellerstrasse 137, 12439. Ticket: 14,50/20€.
A great line-up to kick off the countdown to the arrival of 2024. Get ready to dance all night. 🎧 Boiler Room with DJ Tennis
In Between Days Special
Friday, 29.12, 10 pm. Schokoladen, Ackerstrasse 169, Mitte.
A transitional state between departure and breakdown, enhanced by good music. Future Sailor blends northern soul, girl groups, C86, and rock 'n' roll, while Monophonic mixes post-punk, indie, 60s beat, garage, and soul, creating irresistible vibes in their DJ sets. 🎧 In Between Days Special
E I S B Æ R – New Wave & Post-Punk
Friday, 05.01, 11 pm. Privatclub, Skalitzer Str. 85-86, Kreuzberg. Ticket: 6€.
You can expect a lively New Wave and Post-Punk set in all its variations: sometimes poppier, sometimes darker, with guitars or synths. 🎧 E I S B Æ R
NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTIES
Renate New Year's 2024 - 80 Hour Marathon
Fri-Tue, 29.12 - 02.01, 11 am - 11 pm. Renate, Alt Stralau 70; Friedrichshain. Ticket: 15/40€.
This is for you if you love to party hard. The line-up is extensive, featuring techno and house music DJs. You can also purchase a ticket specifically for Monday. 🎧 Anacalypto x VIO PRG
Silvester Klubnatch
Sat-Tue, 11:59 pm - 4 am. Berghain/Panorama Bar.
This party is for resilient people who don't mind waiting in line. However, the lineup is one of the best in town for New Year's Eve, featuring 50 DJs across four dance floors, including a live performance by saxophonist 🎧 Bendik Giske and 🎧 Octa Octa.
Hohes Neues!
Sunday, 31.12, 7 pm - 7 am. Klunkerkranich, Karl-Marx-Strasse 66, Neulkölln. Ticket: 45/50€.
To witness the New Year's Eve countdown from Berlin's most sought-after rooftop with techno and deep house. 🎧 Alma Linda
NYE ENDRAVE - Rebellion der Träumer
Sunday, 31.12, 9:30 pm - 12 pm. Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2. Tickets: 36/40€.
The record label 🎧 Rebellion der Träumer is hosting a New Year's party with live acts and DJ sets featuring techno and downtempo music.
Gegen & Pornceptual & RSO
Sun-Tue, 31.12-02.01, 11:59 pm - 10 am. RSO, Schnellerstrasse 137, 12439. Tickets: 38/55€.
For a kinky New Year's Eve party with an amazing lineup featuring 🎧 fka.m4a, Dasha Rush, Curses, and Jennifer Cardini. Don't forget to check the dress code. Simultaneously, there is another party happening at the RSO for minimal and house music fans.
More party options?
8MM Silvester Spectacular: Get ready to kick off 2024 with a rock 'n' roll bash for all who like to start the year with a bang! Sunday, 31.12, 9 pm. 8mm. Ticket: 13,41.€
Koffäin NYE for house and disco music party. Sunday, 31.12, 10 pm. Prince Charles. Ticket: 24/29€. 🎧 Demuja
NYE at Zenner with 2 dancefloors, ambient, and house music. Sunday, 31.12, 10 pm. Zenner, Alt-Treptow 15, Treptower Park. Tickets: 22,60/33,90€. 🎧 Barbara Preisinger
Spell: The New Year's Eve party with Radhoo, Lena Willikens, Vlada, and others. Mon-Tue, 01-02.01, 12 am - 8 pm. Sonnenraum, Eichenstrasse 4, Arena Berlin/Kreuzberg. Ticket: 20€. Lena Willikens
In My Room
Thu, 21-12, 7 pm. German with English surtitles. Maxim Gorki Theater, Am Festungsgraben 2, 10117 Berlin. Tickets: 12€ to 40€.
Falk Richter’s In My Room is a research project that unfolds a multilayered web of memories, images, and voices from the personal space of a son and author, weaving biographical experiences with social narratives into a panorama of a present become past.
Death Drive – Everything Everyone Ever Did
Tue 26.12.23 6 pm. German with English subtitles. Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 10178 Berlin. Tickets: 16€ - 44€.Â
Amid wet moss and gathering storms, the Belgian director Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe explores the force of destruction as the beginning of humanity, and tells, in a series of sudden slides into and out of the living world, the story of becoming and being.
Tanztage Berlin 2024 | Nasheeka Nedsreal: NuReal Dust
Fri-Sat, 05-06.01.24, 7 pm. Sophiesaele, Sophienstrasse 18, Mitte. Tickets: 10/15€.
Through movement, sound, and visuals, this piece investigates the hybrid nature of identity, revealing how masks can conceal, disclose, protect, and be used to protest. It explores desires, fears, and vulnerability in a digital age, where unmasking becomes a symbol of perpetual change, challenging our perceptions of reality.
Die Ehe der Maria Braun (The Marriage of Maria Braun) Â
Sat-Tue, 06-09.01.24, 8 pm. German with mobile surtitles in English, French and Spanish on 08.01. Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Kurfürstendamm 153, 10709 Berlin. Tickets: 7€ to 49€.
Hermann and Maria Braun marry during WWII, but he doesn't return after the war. Maria, thinking he's dead, starts a relationship. When Hermann returns, she kills her lover, and he takes the blame, going to jail. Maria strives for a better life, learning economic laws. As they reunite, her belief in emotional control dictated by economics proves costly. Directed by Thomas Ostermeier.
Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau and* Aérea Negrot’s: ManiFiesta!
Thursday, 21.12, 5 - 6 pm. Gropius Bau. Free entrance. *Aérea Negrot (1980–2023)
ManiFiesta! is a polyphonic monologue of (an) avatar(s), returning to declare the end of Skirtmination. This piece serves as both a remembrance and a manifestation of queer artists' ongoing presence and the influence of their ancestors. If you haven't already, visit the 'General Idea' exhibition.
Mary Ellen Mark: Encounters
Until 18.01, daily 11 am-8 pm. C/O, Hardenbergstrasse 22–24, Charlottenburg. Ticket: 6/12€.
US documentarian Mark, who advocated for society's margins since the 1960s, is remembered through a beautiful exhibition showcasing photos capturing humanity in diverse and often challenging circumstances.
Coco Fusco: Tomorrow, I will become an island
Until 07.01, Wed–Mo 11 am – 7 pm, Thu 11 am – 9 pm. KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Auguststrasse 69, Mitte.
Coco Fusco retrospective: spanning three decades, a key voice in art discourses on race, feminism, and postcolonial theory. Featuring videos, photography, texts, and installations.
The Assault of the Present on the Rest of Time
Until 07.01, Thu-Fri, 2-7 pm; Sat-Sun, 11 am - 7 pm. Schinkel Pavillion, Oberwallstrasse 32. Ticket: 4/6€. Closed 24-27.12.
The exhibition explores historical and contemporary perspectives on state violence, emphasizing the moment of witnessing. Artworks from the 1930s-1940s converse with those by Simone Fattal and Lawrence Abu Hamdan.
La Chola Poblete: Guaymallén
Until 05.02, Wed-Mon, 11 am-6 pm; Thursday, until 9 pm. Palais Populaire, Mitte. Free entrance.
Born in Guaymallén, Argentina, La Chola Poblete, Deutsche Bank’s "Artist of the Year" 2023, explores her non-binary, indigenous roots in a powerful and surprising exhibition.
Extreme Tension: Art between Politics and Society
Until 28.09.25, Tue-Fri-Sun; 10 am-6 pm; Thursday, until 8 pm. Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Platz. Tickets: 10/15€. Thursday is free after 4 pm.
The Neue Nationalgalerie's latest collection exhibition is likely the best since the museum's reopening, especially for those interested in performance. Covering artistic production from 1945 to 2000, it's extensive, with numerous videos and supporting texts, so plan to visit with more time.
The Singing Project: Open Singing
Thursday, 21.12, 5 - 6:30 pm. Gropius Bau. Free entrance.
Ayumi Paul extends The Singing Project, a collective singing sculpture with open workshops - no experience needed. It fosters a communal language through free singing, enhancing self-perception in a polyphonic whole.
Dogs & Bubbles
Wednesday, 27.12, from 5:30 pm. Estelle, Kopenhagener Str. 12A, Prenzlauer Berg.
An evening with a variety of international hot dogs, including Indian, Turkish, Swedish, and German, will be served at a festive post-holiday gathering, accompanied by Tater Tots and Bubbles. Perfect for enjoying with friends and family. ðŸŒ
C/O Book Bazar
Friday, 29.12, 11 am - 8 pm. C/O Berlin, Charlottenburg.
One of Berlin's finest museum bookstores is hosting a book sale. Explore our rummage boxes for fantastic deals, including exhibition catalogs, rare signed photo books, editions, design objects, and socially and sustainably produced C/O Berlin items.
Chaplin's The Gold Rush with LIVE Orchestra (1925/80 min)
Sunday, 31.12, 6 pm. Babylon Berlin, Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 30, Mitte. Ticket: 29€.
Film enthusiasts ring in the end of 2023 by watching the classic "The Gold Rush" by Charlie Chaplin, accompanied by a live orchestra. Get ready to spend the last day of the year in the company of Bach, Picasso, and Charlie Chaplin.
Christmas Market at Charlottenburg Palace
Until 31.12 (closed on the 24th), daily 12 - 10 pm. Charlottenburg Palace. Free entrance.
Enjoy a royal Christmas at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, with festive markets, beautiful lights, and traditional treats like candied apples. The historic setting, adorned with wooden huts and a small Ferris wheel, will transport you to a magical past.
Here is a list of movies to catch up on during the holidays at the most beautiful cinemas in Berlin or in the comfort of your couch:
Perfect Days (2023/2h05). Directed by Wim Wenders.
Wim Wenders delicately unravels the story of a seemingly contented toilet cleaner living a quiet life in Tokyo, offering a bittersweet tale with ambient urban charm that, at times, may feel a bit too understated.
Priscilla (2023/1h50). Directed by Sofia Coppola.
In Sofia Coppola's films, her heroines exist within a crowd yet are profoundly lonely, trapped in a seemingly invisible cage. Priscilla, in particular, emerges as possibly the loneliest from the very outset of the movie. Based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley.
Anatomy of a Fall (2023/2h32). Directed by Justine Triet.
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral.
Saltburn (2023/2h30). Directed by Emerald Fennel. Amazon Prime 22.12
In Emerald Fennell's "Saltburn," a promising Oxford student takes a seedy turn into a world of lust and envy, delivering a desperate narrative that lacks genuine excitement and leaves viewers questioning its purpose.
Sick of Myself (2022/1h37). Directed by Kristoffer Borgli. MUBI
In this Norwegian satire, a young woman intentionally disfigures herself with a Russian drug to gain attention, which vividly explores the consequences of Main Character Syndrome.