The Next Day #37: Berlin Weekend Guide
From February 15th to 18th
Hi,
The highlight of this week is the Berlinale Film Festival starting this Thursday. Don't miss our Berlinale Special guide to help you choose what to see this year.
This week kicks off with Zach Condon bringing his band Beirut for a beautiful concert in Berlin. For a folk music vibe, head to Kliffs concert this weekend. Seeking experimental music? SALO is bringing together 4 great artists at 90 mil.
For dancing, check out Fukstep, Toy Tonics, and Sahra. If you prefer the comfort of a theater, don't miss "In Memory of Doris Bither." "The Expo Festival: A Showcase of Wahlberliner*innen" showcases works by international Berlin-based artists, featuring a diverse range of art forms.
The art highlight is the opening of "Poetics of Encryption: Art and the Technocene" at KW.
Be sure to check out our save-the-date section to ensure you don't miss any popular events.
Stay updated on Berlin's top news in English with 20 Percent Berlin, offering a Tuesday preview of three-weekend events for your planning.
See you around. Email us if you want to share an event.
Lalai & Mateus
Beirut
Thu-Sat, 15-17.02, 8 pm. Tempodrom, Möckernstrasse 10, 10963. Ticket: 49,50€
Beirut brings its eclectic fusion of indie folk, Balkan folk, and Eastern European influences to Berlin. Their latest album, 🎧 "Hadsel," is a triumphant celebration of life.
Helena Deland
Thursday, 15.02, 8 pm. Privat Club, Skalitzer Str. 85-86, 10997. Ticket: 21€
The Canadian songwriter Helena Deland, known for her melodic pop songs, performs her latest album 🎧 "Goodnight Summerland," embracing a more stripped-back, folk-inspired sound.
Ale Hop & Tatiana Heuman: Near and Remote Memory Activation Practices
Thursday, 15.02, 8 pm. silent green, Gerichtstrasse 35, Wedding. Ticket: 9€
Experimental instrumentalists Ale Hop and Tatiana Heuman explore soundscapes, textures, and cosmovision with self-made South American instruments, fusing tradition and improvisation.
Harsh Symmetry
Thursday, 15.02, 8 pm. Urban Spree, Ticket: 18,20€+ fees.
Nostalgia is currently in vogue, and it's no surprise to witness the resurgence of shoegaze and darkwave. Californian artist Harsh Symmetry embarked on a retro-inspired career in 2022 and has already released two albums. 🎧 Imitation
Kliffs
Saturday, 17.02, 8 pm. Monarch, Skalitzer Str. 134, 10999. Ticket: 17,50€.
Kliffs present their album 🎧 "After the Flattery," featuring dreamy, melancholic folk-pop with acoustic guitar, rustic percussion elements, and cello, creating the ideal ambiance for fans of cozy performances.
SALO x 90mil
Saturday, 17.02, 7 pm - 4 am. 90mil, Holzmarktstrasse 19-23, 10243. Ticket: 20 + 5€.
Get ready for experimental concerts featuring 🎧 Tara Clerkin Trio, Alpha Maid, Kulku, and Alexa D!saster! These artists bring a blend of jazz, electronica, trip hop, grunge, and experimental sounds, promising a mind-blowing experience. #experimental #electronica
Fukstep
Thursday, 15.02, 8 pm - 2 am. PAS, Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 101, 10553. Ticket: 8/12€.
Fukstep premieres with 🎧 Fukinsei presenting experimental Mediterranean sounds with Sicilian roots, followed by Haimzu's live performance, and akÃi's genre-bending sets. #breakbeat #bass
O Mato
Friday, 16.02, 11 pm - 10 am. Hoppetosse, Eichenstrasse 4; Treptow.
Jungle vibes on the dancefloor with DJs Paul Kine, J. Feierabend, Jonas Köksal, and Rami. 🎧 O Mato na Manteiga
Toy Tonics
Friday, 16.02, 10 pm - 6 am.. Berghain/Panorama Bar, 70 Am Wriezener Bahnhof.
I'm always keen on attending this party; Toy Tonics is one of my favorite dance floors in town. Be ready for a wild funky house and disco party. 🎧 Chloé Caillet
Garage Girls - Homecoming
Friday, 16.02, 11:59 pm - 9 am. OHM, Köpenicker Str. 70, 10179. Ticket: 15€.
Garage Girls are back at OHM with a Valentine's special. Come slow dance to the sounds of Marble, 🎧 DJ Fart in the Club, and the GG crew. #bass #garagE
More parties?
Algo Ritmos with 🎧 Coco Maria, a DJ specializing in Brazilian, South-, Central-American, and Caribbean wax. Sat, 17.02, from 10 pm. Sameheads, Richardstrasse 10; Neukölln.
Sahra سهرة : Berlin electro SWANA club night for DJs and artists from the SWANA region and its diaspora. Sat, 17.02, 11:59 pm - 6 am. Lido, Cuvrystrasse 7; Kreuzberg. Ticket: 20/22 €. 🎧 Balout Crew
Fandango to end the weekend dancing the best of house music. Sun, 18.02, 6 - 12 am. The Lighthouse, Plötzensee. Ticket: 16/22€. Before 7 am: free entry.
Celebrate Bubble Drag: Mega soli drag show with over 18 performers to raise funds to repair Bubble Berlin. Sun, 18.02, 7 pm. Tipsy Bear, Eberswalder Str. 21, 10437 Berlin.
In Memory of Doris Bither
Thursday 15.2 to Saturday 17.2, 7.30 pm. Directed by Yana Thönnes. In German and English with German and English subtitles. Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Kurfürstendamm 153, 10709 Berlin. Tickets: 15€.
Doris Bither reports to the police that she has been repeatedly visited and raped at night by an invisible entity in her own home. The police officers classify the case as paranormal activity. An author recognizes the story’s potential and writes a bestseller. Doris Bither loses the copyright to her own story. The performers go in search of the language Doris Bither lacked to tell her story.
The Expo Festival: A Showcase of Wahlberliner*innen
From Thursday 15.2 to 29.02. Multiple performances. In English. Fidicinstrasse, 40 10965 Berlin. Tickets: 11/17,60€.
The English Theater Berlin hosts the 10th Edition of The Expo Festival: A Showcase of Wahlberliner*innen, featuring twelve productions by Berlin’s independent performing arts community. Don't miss "Retina Maneuver," a solo lecture-performance by Ping-Hsiang Wang, inspired by Alicia Keys's "Girl On Fire," on Monday, February 19, at 9 pm.
shebeenDUB: Performance by Nora Chipaumire
Fri-Sat, 16-17.02, 7 pm. KINDL, Am Sudhaus 3, 12053. English, 3 hours without break, coming and going possible at any time. Ticket: 28€.
Combining sound installation, dance performance, and party, this immersive show will get your heart pounding and feet moving with its pulsating beats. Nora Chipaumire takes us to the true core of electronic dub music, originating in reggae and deeply rooted in the broader African diasporic experience.
Hans Uhlmann, Closer to Nature, Kotti-Shop/SuperFuture
Opening Thursday, 15.02, from 6 pm. Berlinische Galerie, Alte Jakobstraße 124 – 128
10969. Free admission.
Three exhibitions will open simultaneously, featuring Uhlmann's retrospective, showcasing his drawings and sculptures spanning the 1930s to 1970s. It presents around 80 items and explores his contributions as a curator, lecturer, and networker in post-war West Berlin.
Poetics of Encryption: Art and the Technocene
Opening Friday, 16.02, 7 pm. KW Institute, Auguststrasse 69, Mitte. Free admission.
"Poetics of Encryption: Art and the Technocene" delves into the opacity of digital technology, exploring its impact on culture and power dynamics. Featuring over 40 artists, it examines themes of exclusion and secrecy across analog and digital media, inspired by Nadim Samman's book.
Jill Mulleady & Henry Taylor – You Me
Opening Friday, 16.02, 6-10 pm. Schinkel Pavillion,
The exhibition "You Me" features artists Jill Mulleady and Henry Taylor, showcasing their figurative imagery that challenges viewers' perceptions of painting, blending private and public spheres through a shared dedication to art history.
Rescued Modernism: Masterpieces from Kirchner to Picasso
Until 21.04. Kupferstichkabinett, Gemäldegalerie, Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin. Ticket: 4/8€.
This exhibition showcases 95 carefully selected works, salvaged from oblivion in 1937. It includes single sheets and portfolios of graphic art confiscated from German museums, often sold abroad for foreign currency.
Berlin International Film Festival: 74th Berlinale
From 15 until 25.02. Tickets: 10/15€.
The Berlinale, one of the world's most highly anticipated film festivals, has kicked off, showcasing over 400 films this year. We've curated a special selection of must-see movies from this edition, which you can access here.
If you're interested in learning more about Brazilian cinema, our friends at Cena Berlin have curated a list of 11 films not to be missed at the Biennale, with 5 of them hailing from Brazil.
🎸 The Heliocentrics: An ensemble known for their genre-blending approach, incorporating elements of jazz, funk, psychedelic rock, and world music. 26.02, 8:30 pm. Gretchen. Ticket: 28,25€. 🎧 Legna
🩰 Club Amour with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: 07-08.03, 7 and 9 pm. Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Main Stage. Ticket: 19/63€.
🎠Dirty Hands by Jean-Paul Sartre: Hugo, on a political mission to assassinate Hoederer, grapples with moral conflict and questions the intertwining of politics and personal convictions. 12-13.03 (13 with English subtitles), 7 pm.
🪩 Disco Tehran - Nowrouz in Berlin: Fri, 22.03, 11 pm - 6 am. Gretchen. Ticket: 13,55/22,60€.
🪩 LSDXOXO presents 🎧 Delusions of Grandeur. Fri, 29.03, 10 pm. Trauma Bar & Kino, Heidestrasse 50, 10557 Berlin. Ticket: 20,35€.
🎸 Altin Gün promises a guaranteed fun-filled show. Get ready to dance! 16-17.04, Huxley’s Neue Welt. Ticket: 32€. 🎧A​ş​k
🌕 Air play Moon Safari at Zitadelle Spandau. Sunday, 21.07, 7 pm. Ticket: 54/82€. 🎧 Moon Safari
For those interested in Berlinale, I've just uploaded my guide to pre-Berlinale controversies and will be posting updates as the festival moves along!