Like a music fairytale: the iHeartBerlin picnic at Staatsoper für Alle

Like a music fairytale: the iHeartBerlin picnic at Staatsoper für Alle

Summer arrives with one of our favorite events of the year: “Staatsoper für Alle” – the annual open-air classical music festival on Bebelplatz. And as every year, we have another special picnic pop-up for our readers to win seats for.

Emotions, pathos, singing, and fans: what sounds like a short and sweet description of the currently omnipresent European Football Championship applies just as much to the world of opera. And every summer, one of the core objectives of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden is to bring opera to life for everyone. 

Every year, Bebelplatz is transformed into a fantastic backdrop for classical and opera music.  As part of the free open-air concert Staatsoper für Alle on July 12 and 13, fans of classical music and those who might want to become one can let themselves be carried away by the music of the Staatskapelle Berlin. So if you want to use the break in the European Championship drama on both days to indulge in the drama of the opera, you can simply drop by at the free event. And even if you weren’t a fan of opera music in the past, attending this event may change your perspective. 

Last year alone, over 33,000 people came to Bebelplatz to listen to the musical sounds of Verdi and Bruckner. This year, the opera performance of Melancholy of Resistance will be broadcast live on 12.7. and on 13.7. Wagner and Strauss are on the program, whose timeless pieces deal with the twists and turns of love and human nature. 

Be there – our picnic pop-up at Staatsoper für Alle
As we know that all this can be overwhelming for those who have never attended this event before or have had little exposure to classical music, we at iHeartBerlin give our readers the opportunity to experience this event in a more intimate circle every year. We are giving away 3×2 places for a picnic with us before and after the concert.

Dates of the picnic:
Date: 13.07, 19.00
Place: Bebelplatz
Participants: You & your BFF
What: Live concert by the Staatskapelle

Although the joint picnic with our readers has now become a tradition, it remains a very special kind of get-together that is as unique each time as the people we get to meet.

To make the picnic a visual and culinary delight, this year PicknickDeluxe 030 is equipping us with their amazing setup and delicacies from Meo Meo’s Kitchen, which are not only pretty to look at but also incredibly tasty. Meo Meo’s Kitchen is run by Kim and her husband Tuan. They are well known in the Berlin street food scene and have permanent stalls in Mauerpark on Sundays and in Thaipark on Saturdays and Sundays. Together with Katharina the founder from PicknickDeluxe030, they now also offer picnic boxes and catering for large groups.

To take part in the raffle for a place on our picnic blanket, simply do the following:
1. Follow us on Instagram to make sure our messages get through to you if you win.
2. Comment on this post with your favorite opera and tag your friend who you would like to take with you.
3. Check your inbox on 10.7. – we’ll let the winners know via DM. 

Staatsoper für Alle is organized by the Staatsoper Berlin in collaboration with its long-standing partner BMW, which supports the opera in making this event free for everyone and providing access to classical music.

Creative Forces in Berlin: An Interview with Choreographer Constanza Macras

Creative Forces in Berlin: An Interview with Choreographer Constanza Macras

photos: Frank R. Schröder. 

Constanza Macras is one of the creative souls of Berlin, who enriches our favorite city through her ideas and impulses. Born in Buenos Aires, she studied dance and fashion design before a good mix of coincidence and purpose led her to Amsterdam, New York and, finally, to Berlin. In 2003 she founded the DorkyPark Company, an interdisciplinary ensemble that works with dance, text, live music, and film. In their latest piece DRAMA, which celebrated its premiere in January, a group of performers explores the possibilities of stage space in the post-pandemic age, probing the relationship between real stage space and virtual networks. 

I had the chance to ask Constanza a few questions for iHeartBerlin about her new piece, her life, and her perspectives on the arts scene.

This week you can watch both DRAMA and their previous production The Future at Volksbühne on June 22 and 23.

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Strange Berlin: 10 Things You Didn’t Yet Know About Our Favorite City

Strange Berlin: 10 Things You Didn’t Yet Know About Our Favorite City

You know Berlin like the inside of your pocket? No one can fool you when it comes to facts about the German capital? We dare to try and present you ten curious things that you might not have known at all. And with which you can shine during the next visit of non-Berliners. Whether it’s a historical event, statistics on animal excrement or genuine (and not so genuine) Berlin biographies – these items show that Berlin can still surprise us in 2023.

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Brave New Fashion: This Is The Next Generation of Berlin Designers

Brave New Fashion: This Is The Next Generation of Berlin Designers

Berlin’s fashion scene and especially our local Fashion Week have gone through some fundamental changes in recent years. What we appreciate most about it is: It has shed the old veil of the past and presented itself in a new guise. What we have seen here in the past year brought together everything our fashion hearts desire: exceptional talents from Berlin, whose creations surprise us, captivate us, blow us away, and inspire us to dream. Believe us: we had more than one moment where we thought: “Wait, what’s happening right now? And is this really happening in good old Berlin?”

In our opinion, six labels in particular have the potential to be true game changers, not only shaping Berlin through their work but also re-establishing the city in the ranks of the international fashion scene. What impresses us most about them is their courage to break with conventions and rethink fashion. They say goodbye to superficialities and celebrate craftsmanship, individuality, sustainability, and diversity. And an equally new and fresh audience celebrated them during Berlin Fashion Week. We have the feeling that Berlin propelled itself into a new era and our favorite city is finally showing again why it can easily keep up with the big fashion metropolises of this world. 

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Art in Berlin: 5 Exhibitions You Shouldn’t Miss

Art in Berlin: 5 Exhibitions You Shouldn’t Miss

It’s a strange time right now, isn’t it? Winter is over and spring is not yet here. Or, to put it another way, it’s too mild not to leave the house and too cold to stay out in the fresh air for long. So if you just want to get outside without freezing, you should head for the nearest museum. Because some of Berlin’s art houses are offering us not only a change of scenery and heated rooms right now, but also really good exhibitions. 

Here are five of them that are worth leaving the house for:

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A Hidden Gem in Berlin: The Noack Foundry & Bar Brass Restaurant

A Hidden Gem in Berlin: The Noack Foundry & Bar Brass Restaurant

left: artwork by Tony Cragg, right: Bar Brass. 

You all know the story of Alice in Wonderland, right? Young Alice falls down a rabbit hole one day and lands in a magical world unknown to her. That’s more or less what it’s like when you visit the Bildgießerei Noack in Berlin. Maybe you haven’t even thought about it, considering all the art to be discovered in Berlin. Why this should change as soon as possible, I tell you here.

Most of the time, all roads to art lead to the Museum Island – after all, there’s a lot to see there. But sometimes you get off the path. Then you may suddenly find yourself in front of an impressive industrial building that calls itself the Bildgießerei Noack. What at first glance is architecturally stunning carries in its interior the history of a long tradition: the casting of sculptures.

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The Hottest Calendars for 2023 Created by Berlin Artists

The Hottest Calendars for 2023 Created by Berlin Artists

The end of the year is coming. Not long now and the old familiar feelings are spreading: a bit of melancholy, a touch of longing, but above all the anticipation of the new year. It’s not called “New Year, new happiness” for nothing, is it?

And even if you already had a lot of joy in 2022, I’m sure we all share the desire to have even more of it in 2023. Be it through traveling, festivities, reunions, work or time for ourselves. We just shouldn’t lose track of all our plans. And what better way to keep organized than with the enchanting calendars of Berlin’s artists? We have looked around and compiled the most beautiful among the beauties for you. 

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Club Tarot: From Mate Drinks to Tarot Cards

Club Tarot: From Mate Drinks to Tarot Cards

Club Mate fans take note: Have you ever stared into your Club Mate and wondered who you really are? Have you ever wanted to really explore yourself? Find out what paths, opportunities, and feelings the universe has in store for you? Then you no longer have to stare at the bottom of the empty bottle. Because we have the right deck of cards for you – literally. 

Club Tarot is the new must-have for all fans of the cult drink and friends of self-reflection. The card set consists of 78 lovely-designed tarot cards and a guidebook, which explains in detail how you can dive into the world of tarot. All beautifully sorted in a box whose design, of course, reminds us of our beloved Mate.

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Enjoying Together: Of Inclusive Food and Non-Binary Gingerbread

Enjoying Together: Of Inclusive Food and Non-Binary Gingerbread

photo: Manfred Weber. 

Have you ever experienced this? You’re standing in front of a packed buffet at the company Christmas party and you’re just about to start feasting when you think: wait a minute, where are the vegan and gluten-free dishes? Sometimes you’re lucky and find at least a selection of, well, one dish. But often there are simply no dishes that meet one or the other criterion – let alone both. Eating then becomes an exclusive and, let’s face it, exceedingly monotonous affair.

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