Events for Families in Berlin, 28 Feb - 2 March

Friday - Kabbalat Shabbat

The regular family-oriented Kabbalot Shabbat will take place, including the one organised by Bambinim in Fürstenwalder Str 25 and the one in Rykestraße.

Bambinim East, every Friday at 4 pm

Purim Puppet Theatre on Sunday

The Bubales are a Jewish-themed puppet theatre. On Sunday, you can join to see the "Persien sucht die Superkönigin" Purimspiel. Tickets for the show at 4 pm are already fully booked; but you can still get tickets for the 2:30 show, at Rykestrasse Synagogue. Purchase the tickets till Friday at  bubales@gmx.de 

Bubales at Rykestrasse

Many Opportunities to Put on a Costume 

Purim is just around the corner, at the same time as the German Fasching, the carnival.

The FEZ organises the "Robbers, Witches and Legendary Creatures" festival throughout the weekend, including many activities for kids: magicians, games, crafts and more. Both Sat. and Sun., further details.

Dreadful Pirates at the FEZ

The Zoo will also have a carnival this weekend, on Saturday, from 1 pm, at the Hippo House.

On Sunday (3 pm), at the Georg Büchner Bookstore in Prenzlauer Berg (Wörther Straße 16, 10405 Berlin), there will be a special "Medieval Fasching" for children aged 4 and up. Children should come dressed up, and pre-registration is recommended.

Another children carnival will take place in the Berlin Republik restaurant (Schiffbauerdamm 8 10117 Berlin) from 2:30 pm . Free entry

Flea Market for Pets in Tierheim Berlin

The Berlin Animal Shelter (Tierheim Berlin, Hausvaterweg 39 D-13057 Berlin) runs a flea market this weekend. All benefits go to support the shelter, which cares for pets and farm animals. Further Information

Flea Market for the Animals (source: dpa) 

A second flea market will be in Statthaus Böcklerpark in Kreuzberg and will include second-hand clothing and toys, alongside food.

Also in Kreuzberg, also on Sunday, you will find (from 12:00) the Naschmarkt, a Slow Food market for all kinds of sweet delicacies. At Markthalle IX.


Purim 2014 Preview

We already know about a few Purim events for Purim 2014 in Berlin. I have already mentioned the Purim-themed puppet theatre at Rykestrasse this Sunday, and I am sure many events will be published in the next few days.

Todanke and Kumsitz are organising a Purim party for kids on Saturday, March 15th. Entrance fee is EUR 10 and if to rely on previous years, it is going to be one of the family-oriented highlights of the Jewish year in Berlin. Registration: todanke.berlin@gmail.com or yeladim.berlin@gmail.com

For adults, on Saturday the 15th, there is going to be at least one party: Shake it like Ludwig @ Basement. But I am sure I will have more info next week.

Events for Families in Berlin, Feb 21st-23rd, 2014

Kabbalat Shabbat

Every Friday, there are Kabbalat Shabbat ceremonies in different parts of town, including for families.

Today, at 5 pm, there is a Kabbalat Shabbat in the family room at the Rykestrasse Synagogue. Bambinim will have their weekly family event for families at 4 pm in Fürstenwalder Str (details)


Clothes Iron Curling

While the Winter Olympics might be mostly notorious for controversies this year and Berlin itself enjoys the mildest winter in decades, winter sport can be still exciting! On Saturday, the skating rink in Lankwitz (Leonorenstraße 37, see map) will host the "Clothes Iron Curling Tournament". The name actually says it all: the athletes compete in sliding clothing iron over ice. The event is for charity, for HIV children in Jamaica.

Further details (G)

You forgot to add softener again! 

Cooking Course at Bambinim, Pies in Neukoelln

On Sunday Bambinim will start a cooking class for children (in German), from 6 years. Further details 

And if you prefer to eat British style savoury pies as baked by the masters, Pieoneers are organising a "Pie Sunday", at 4 pm, in the Gift Scottish Pub. Not specifically for kids or families, but sounds yummy nevertheless (Facebook details)


Winter Event at Ökowerk

The Ökowerk is located in the middle of the Grunewald forest. On Sunday, the centre will offer a variety of events about nature in the winter, including "GPS Treasure Hunt" and creating Native American crafts.


Reminder: Fasching and Purim

Next week we'll celebrate Fasching, the German equivalent of the carnival. It is not a big event in Berlin as it is in the Catholic areas of the Rhineland and in fact, this year, the official Carnival Parade was cancelled due lack of funds (I guess Secretary of Culture Andre Schmitz was too busy with his tax avoidance to finance this joyous children event).

However, if you're new to the city and/or the German culture, you might be stumped or worse - forget to get a fancy dress for your kids for their kita or school events. So here's a reminder, and since Purim is around the corner, you should get prepared in any case.

If you want to take photos with the costumes, consider GalitTi's special offer for Purim and Fasching : 30 professional pictures for EUR 39 (Hebrew, here).

Princess Bride by GalitTi

Events for Families and Kids at this Weekend

Kabalat Schabbath

Every Friday night, there are several family-oriented Kabbalot Schabbath in Berlin.

Today:
- At 4 pm, there is a weekly event at the Friedrichshain branch of Bambinim, on Fürstenwalder Str. (see pic below)
- At 5 pm, there is a family Kabalath-Schabbath at the Rykestrasse Synagogue.

Family Concerts at the Philharmonie

There are several family oriented concerts in the Philharmonie at this weekend. The first one, on Saturday at 3 pm, is a "Fairy Tale Concert", based on the Grimm Brothers' "Drummer" (German Wikipedia). The second one, on Sunday at 3:30 pm, is a "Clown Concert" with Clown Filou and the Kammerorchester Unter den Linden. Tickets for both are usually in high demand.

Clowns on Concert, at the Philharmonie

Vietnamese New Year @ FEZ

The Vietnamese Community of Berlin celebrates the Têt festival this weekend, roughly equivalent to Rosh Haschanah (or New Year's). But neither German Jews nor the German Christians have fancy dragons to show off. The FEZ will celebrate the Têt with the largest East-Asian community in Berlin, and with you, too.

Vietnamese New Year (Têt) at FEZ

Israeli Brunch with Puppet Theater on Sunday

On Sunday, Bambinim will be offering brunch for families in the "Western" branch on Brandenburgischer Str. The brunch will also include puppet theater for younger kids, cooking class for older kids and massage for parents (details).

International Restaurant Day

The "Internation Restaurant Day" has nothing to do with established restaurants. It is rather a special social event, in which anyone can open a pop-up restaurant and feed the masses with their delicacies. You can be a restaurateur for a day, or just visit one. See on their homepage.

Chocolate  Jazz-café 
Porvoo, Finland
Restaurant Day 19 Aug 2012
Photo: Kimmo Lind

Indoor Football Tournament

If your children were born between 2001 and 2008, are not members of any football club and would like to play Association Football (soccer), they can participate in a tournament on Sunday, organised in Zehlendorf by FC Victoria 1889. For more details.