25 Years Potsdamer Platz: A Free Festival For Everyone

25 Years Potsdamer Platz: A Free Festival For Everyone

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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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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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Free and Outdoors: 10 Great Events of the Kultursommerfestival in Berlin in August & September

Free and Outdoors: 10 Great Events of the Kultursommerfestival in Berlin in August & September

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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11 Highlights Not to Miss at the Kultursommerfestival 2023

11 Highlights Not to Miss at the Kultursommerfestival 2023

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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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100 Cultural Events For Free and Outside – The Kultursommerfestival 2023

100 Cultural Events For Free and Outside – The Kultursommerfestival 2023

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This summer is going to be great! I can feel it in my gut. Ok, admittedly summers in Berlin are usually always great. But somehow there’s something in the air. Everyone is in the mood to just have the best time.

We’re looking forward to visits to the lake, walks in the park, outdoor cinema, open-air parties, evenings by the canal, festivals and a lot of fun. And there’s a lot to experience this summer, too. In large part, we have the Kultursommerfestival (Cultural Summer Festival) to thank for that, which is taking place for the second time this year. From June 24 to September 3, the festival brings together a full program of 100 events. It is probably one of the largest joint projects of Berlin cultural institutions there is.

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How to save a forest – Recap Sustainable Listening #2 – Forest

How to save a forest – Recap Sustainable Listening #2 – Forest

How much of the German forest can we still save? Together with Staatsoper Berlin, iHeartBerlin is trying to find a constructive solution through our new event series Sustainable Listening. Check out the recap of the climate performance from early January.

Last summer was considered a so-called forest fire summer. That year alone almost, 4300 hectares of forest were destroyed in large fires throughout Germany. Of course, many of these were hectares around Berlin, for example, in the Berlin Grunewald, where in August 2022 a blast from ammunition caused the accidental destruction of about 42 hectares.

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A New Year’s Eve Party for Families with Kids at The Playce

A New Year’s Eve Party for Families with Kids at The Playce

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New Year’s Eve is coming up and everyone is all excited because it’s the first time in two years that official parties and events are happening again after the various pandemic lockdowns. We are certainly excited to hit the clubs again.

But there is one small but cute subgroup that unfortunately will have to stay home for New Year’s Eve once again: The kids! And isn’t that unfair? New Year’s Eve is historically really an adult kind of thing, isn’t it? The late hour of the main event, the booze, the firecrackers, the clubs – these are all not really kid-friendly things. It’s really unfair though because kids do sense that this is a special happening, yet one that many of them are excluded from.

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Look Over Here, Look Over There, Lesbians Are Everywhere!

Look Over Here, Look Over There, Lesbians Are Everywhere!

Just the other week, on July 22nd, we celebrated the Dyke* March in Berlin. 

Yes, the parade is the ultimate paradise for lesbians but it’s also a demonstration to show the world that we exist and that we are here proudly celebrating who we are and the community that we have been building for decades from the shadow. “Look over here, look over there, lesbians are everywhere!”

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Queer Joy at the Berlin Pride Parade

Queer Joy at the Berlin Pride Parade

The last weekend was full of queer joy for us with several pride parades and queer parties going on. It felt a bit like Christmas for the LGBTQIA+ community and there was something going on for every sub-group. This year, we not only visited the main pride on Saturday but also the Dyke* March on Friday and the Internationalist Pride that happened on Saturday evening at Hermannplatz. Both of these were pretty much in contrast to the main Pride parade, but nonetheless what stood out was the smiling faces and happiness of all the queer people who joined. And that makes us very happy. Because queer joy matters so much – it’s the rebellion, the antidote, the protest against discrimination, hate, prejudice, prosecution, and inequality.

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CODESS: The 8 Year Anniversary Performance by UY Studio

CODESS: The 8 Year Anniversary Performance by UY Studio

Avid followers of iHeartBerlin know that fashion label UY is one of our favorites in Berlin and very close to our hearts. No other label has elevated club wear like they did and turned it into a lifestyle. UY is one of the longest-running clubwear labels in Berlin with a history of presenting their work in a very creative and multi-disciplinary way. Three years ago they celebrated their 5th anniversary with a stunning performance at Halle am Berghain choreographed by our friends from The Progressive Wave with the soundtrack created by Dasha Rush. It was a true spectacle and one of the most impressive presentations of a fashion label we had seen. Check out my photos and animations of that show here.

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