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.

The New Place for Luxurious Moments: The Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin

The New Place for Luxurious Moments: The Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin

photo: Moët&Chandon. 

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Berlin has a very special new place for the exclusive moments in life: The elegant Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin on the legendary food floor ‘Die Sechste’ of KaDeWe has recently opened, serving an exquisite selection of finest champagnes, cocktails, and delicate snacks – a bar of its own kind. Following the opening of the very first Moët & Chandon Bar at renowned Harrods in London last year, the first one in Germany has followed in the famous department store KaDeWe in Berlin. But let’s quickly rewind a few decades for a little trip back to a time long before iHeartBerlin: Back in the late 2000s, the KaDeWe was already an It-place that enjoyed worldwide fame and was a favorite for all Berliners. Especially the gourmet floor convinced me.  It was pure fascination when I was younger. For years this became a special place for me where I could escape the daily life every now and then to treat myself. read more…

Cocktail & Movie 4 – Celebrating the Love Dramas and Decadence of the Fin de Siècle

Cocktail & Movie 4 – Celebrating the Love Dramas and Decadence of the Fin de Siècle

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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Berlin’s Triangle of Dancing – Bar & Club Guide for Friedrichshain, Treptow & Kreuzberg

Berlin’s Triangle of Dancing – Bar & Club Guide for Friedrichshain, Treptow & Kreuzberg

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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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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Bye Bye Winter Everyday Life – Berlin Escapism in South Tyrol

Bye Bye Winter Everyday Life – Berlin Escapism in South Tyrol

Photo: Hotel Plan Murin

Berliners unfortunately, spent most of the winter either with firmly cemented gray clouds in the sky or with abstruse squalls. The meteorological situation was honestly more desolate than usual. And after two years of lockdown, we felt the desire for a Berlin escapism even more. But where to? So where do you actually have snow, fresh air and almost always good weather? In the Dolomites!

Visit Südtirol invited us to explore the skiing and hiking region, and we have summarized our main highlights for you. 

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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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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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Soulhouse: Order the Perfect Massage to Your Home

Soulhouse: Order the Perfect Massage to Your Home

photos: Soulhouse. 

When the founders of Berlin-based massage therapy platform Soulhouse reached out to me a while ago to ask me if I would be interested in trying out their new massage service, they probably had no idea that this would be such a dream opportunity for me. I’m somewhat a massage fanatic and to get offered to try out such a premium service is like Christmas and my birthday is coming together on the same day.

I really love to get massages and I will jump at any opportunity to get one. Whenever I book into a hotel that offers massages, the first thing I’ll do is book one at the earliest time possible. When I discover a new massage studio in my neighborhood, I’ll be the first one to try it out. And pretty much all of my previous and current partners have come under pressure to give me massages. So, clearly, I’m an expert now in the field of receiving massages and I won’t shy away from sharing my qualified opinion 😉

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Kreuzberg Just Got a New Night Club: Marktlokal Klub

Kreuzberg Just Got a New Night Club: Marktlokal Klub

Even though it seems there is very little good news these days, we have something great to announce that will really bring some joy to some of you. Kreuzberg just got a brand new nightclub: Marktlokal Klub! The district that is so famous for its nightlife and bar scene but oddly has so few actual clubs is finally getting a new one. Located at Markthalle 9 in the basement of the Marktlokal restaurant the new nightlife spot follows suit with Berlin’s tradition of having clubs in basements.

I instantly had to think back to places such as ZMF in Mitte (the original location from the makers of the iconic Griesmühle) or the famous Fuchs & Elster at Weserstraße (the original club from the Klunkerkranich team). In Kreuzberg, for instance, there were the two cute Kellerclubs Kleine Reise at Spreewaldplatz and St. Georg next to Ritter Butzke, both of which served as earlier locations for the Pornceptual party. In addition to that, there were countless places all over the city, that didn’t even have proper names, or at least I don’t remember them, as they were often lowkey hidden underneath restaurants or bars. I really like these smaller, intimate clubs, because they often have the best crowd and are never shy to surprise you with the most fun vibes.

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