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When I went to Berlin alone for the first time 24 years ago, one of the first places I visited was Potsdamer Platz. At that time I was insanely impressed by the architecture, the stores, all the cinemas, theaters, and restaurants. I felt as if I had been transported to the future. What they came up with for this historic place back then absolutely resonated with me.
This coming weekend, September 15-16, Potsdamer Platz is now celebrating its 25th anniversary with a big, free festival. A lot has happened in this quarter of a century. A whole neighborhood has developed around it, and the square as a whole is even busier and more active than when I first visited. In particular, the restructuring of the former Potsdamer Platz Arkaden into The Playce is probably the most striking recent change. It is the first mall in Berlin to undergo a major overhaul and attract visitors with a new concept.
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by Frank | Sep 11, 2023 | Events, Food, Music
Once a year, the Staatsoper and iHeartBerlin invite readers and music enthusiast to the beautiful Apollosaal. For one night, the opera’s opulent marble reception hall takes on a dual role: a cinema and a cocktail bar. Related to the Opera season’s musical lineup, we hand-pick a film and craft a cocktail, aiming to stir the audience’s curiosity about a particular opera or musical piece. This year’s movie and drink by Zubrowka was all about the atmosphere and decadence of the start of the 20th century. Read on to learn more about it and see some impressions from this evening.
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by Claudio | Sep 8, 2023 | Bars, Events, Movies
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This Friday you can look forward to a very special party in one of our favorite clubs: The Swedish brand ABSOLUT will mix up the Berlin nightlife with Born To Mix on September 8 – literally. Because here not only extraordinary drinks are mixed, but also different creative ideas, scenes, and people are brought together in one place to create very special moments that you will not forget so quickly. If you’ve ever been to an ABSOLUT event, you’ll know that I’m not exaggerating.
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by Frank | Sep 5, 2023 | Party
Advert. photo: Fabian Brennecke.
This summer in Berlin has undoubtedly been more eventful than ever. In the last few weeks, we have attended more events and parties than we have in a long time, and I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun and beautiful moments.
We owe many of these events to the Kultursommerfestival, which has just celebrated its half-time. Since the end of June, around 100 cultural events have been taking place throughout Berlin, free of charge and outside. There is a lot to experience here until September 3, and to give you an overview, we have picked out 10 highlights for you that you should definitely visit.
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by Frank | Aug 4, 2023 | Events
How can we still dance in a world where forests burn, oceans boil and societies become hateful instead of peaceful? The recent incident in the US where a young man was fatally stabbed by a teenager at a gas station because he was voguing was a big shock to the queer community worldwide. But it’s not a coincidence that bodies that nonconform to patriarchal power structures get attacked and killed. And especially, bodies that dare to show their power with dance are a threat to the old ideas of how the world should be run.
When thinking of dancing bodies in today’s world I think of pleasure, but I also think about the power of changing things that were taken for granted for way too long. So maybe we can help the world by dancing?
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by Claudio | Aug 3, 2023 | Dance
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The iconic Potsdamer Platz has such a rich history of transformation and reinvention – it’s almost a part of its identity. Berlin-based artist Jill Senft has now become another creative force in a long line of people who laid their hands on the famous quarter and gave it a fresh look. We recently joined a guided tour by the artist herself showcasing several of her sight-specific pieces that are spread all over the place – many of which are inside and around the newly opened The Playce that some of you might remember as the former Potsdamer Platz Arkaden – a place that has gone through its own mighty transformation in the last years.
The style of artist Jill Senft can be described as colorful, joyful, bold, and whimsical – a style that could not be more suitable for a busy place like that with so much going on and so many different people passing through. She was one of many artists that pitched their visions for the artist take-over and her idea was the one that struck a chord.
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by Frank | Jul 19, 2023 | Art
Berlin is not a city known for its love of stability and traditions. Things change rapidly, and what may be your favorite party or restaurant today could easily become dull and uninteresting tomorrow. As Berliners, we are spoiled with an infinity of options. However, there are certain events that should never be overlooked and genuinely deserve the label of “timeless.”
One of these rare gems is the annual free open-air concert, Staatsoper für Alle, which transforms Bebelplatz into a magnificent arena for classical music. Even if you haven’t been a fan of opera music in the past, attending this event may change your perspective. It’s similar to the effect of being in a stadium surrounded by devoted fans; eventually, the music will resonate with you.
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by Claudio | Jul 12, 2023 | Music, Theater
Berlin transforms at night, and places that look inconspicuous during day time can become real hot spots for club kids and bar hoppers. Famous for its unique charm, the area between Treptower Park and Ostkreuz offers everything you could possibly dream of for a crazy night out in Berlin – and all of this within walking distance. Once a rather industrialized area, clubs and cultural institutions were the first to enhance its value – and let me tell you, they did. Now the corner between Stralauer Allee, Markgrafendamm, and Elsenbrücke is one of the most demanded areas when it comes to nightlife. And just on the other side of the bridge, there are a bunch of other clubs between Flutgraben and Schleusenufer.
These two areas offer plenty of cool options to spice up your weekend! Dozens of clubs, bars, and cultural institutions, which originally gave the area its vibe, invite you to explore and let loose. Here is a curated list of our favorite spots around Friedrichshain – Treptow – Kreuzberg.
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by Claudio | Jul 5, 2023 | Bars, Clubs, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg
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As Summer returns, so does one of our favorite happenings: “Staatsoper für Alle” – the annual open-air that transforms Bebelplatz Unter den Linden into an open-air arena for classical music. With free admission, live performances, and a special pop-up picnic organized by us, our readers are in for an unforgettable experience.
I guess most of our iHeartBerlin readers have been to an open-air party, a festival, or any other kind of music experience you can have beneath the summer sky. But over the years, I noticed how many see classical music as something that can only be experienced behind closed doors in big concert halls and so on. But what if one of the biggest and central public spaces in Berlin would become an open-air concert venue?
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by Claudio | Jun 28, 2023 | Music, Theater
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This past weekend the Kultursommerfestival 2023 kicked off with not one but nine events spread all over town. The opening is only one of around 100 cultural events that will take place until the end of the summer on September 3rd – all of them for free and outdoors. The program is super diverse and will include concerts, theater shows, performances, exhibitions, installations, parties and so much more.
As a partner of this year’s Kultursommerfestival we had the pleasure to create a list of highlights from the program to give our readers some guidance on which of the many events they definitely shouldn’t miss. There is something in there for everyone. It’s going to be such an eventful summer!
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by Frank | Jun 27, 2023 | Events
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