Weekend Events for the Whole Family in Berlin, Dec 30th - January 1st including NYE

New Year's Eve (Silvester)

They call it Silvester and it is the craziest night of the year. If this is your first NYE in Berlin, this is what to expect: 

• Everyone can buy tons of fireworks
• Consequently, explosions everywhere
• Plus parties and lots of alcohol

And if this does not sound like your kind of fun, especially with a baby/toddler or book somewhere as rural as possible (as this noise will be in all major cities). 

There are of course so many options of things to do in Berlin itself: 

• From 6pm : NYE for the whole family in the Spandau Citadel, with fireworks at the end 

Fireworks in the Spandau Citadel

• Several good parties for the clubbers in you, e.g. in Kino International or the Alte Muenze , at https://www.silvester-party-berlin.de/

Hanukkah

In general

• Candles and menorah can be bought in Judaica stores (e.g. Levy's in Hackescher Hoefe), or home-made, free ones (albeit pretty simple) are given by Chabad

• Sufganyot can be of course purchased as Pfannkuchen in every bakery, but for home-made upgraded ones, Yuval Belans offers a variety of interesting combinations (details)

Yuval Balens' Sufganyot

Seventh Candle, December 30th 

• Menorah lighting at the Oranienburger Str Synagogue at 3:30 pm 
• The "Rainbow Jews Chavurah" will light a GLBT and children friendly Menorah at 5pm, with crafts and food (details :  jonathan.rafael.balling@gmx.de )

Furthermore

• NYE fun runs: In the Grunewald (details); in the Plaenterwald on the 31st (details)

About Me

I offer tours in Berlin as well as write about the city as well as published several books and articles in general. I am always free for writing gigs - travel writing or any other types of writing and research - or of course to show you the wonderful city I live in

Weekend Events for the Whole Family in Berlin, Dec 23rd - 26th and all the way to the 29th, including Hanukkah

Christmas Markets during and after the Holiday

• Until January 1st: Winter World in Potsdamer Platz

• Alexanderplatz: On the 24th till 4pm 

• Breitscheidplatz (Europa Centre): Until January 1st On the 24th till 2pm, on the 25th/26th from 1 till 9 pm 

• Charlottenburg Palace : 12 to 8pm on the 25th/26th (closed on the 24th, the 26th is the last day)

• Opernpalais: Until January1st, on the 25th/26th 11.30 - 9pm, closed on the 24th 

Other Christmas-Related Events

• Every year, fans of Berlin's football (soccer) club FC Union are joining together to sing hymns and spread happiness. A very impressive event, Friday 23rd, at 5pm, in the Stadion Alte Foersterei (details)

• Another tradition, this time highly commercialised, is the Coca Cola Christmas Truck. They come on the 23rd, from 2pm, to the Brandenburg Gate and

Hanukkah

In general

• Candles and menorah can be bought in Judaica stores (e.g. Levy's in Hackescher Hoefe), or home-made, free ones (albeit pretty simple) are given by Chabad

• Sufganyot can be of course purchased as Pfannkuchen in every bakery, but for home-made upgraded ones, Yuval Belans offers a variety of interesting combinations (details)

Yuval Balens' Sufganyot

First Candle, December 24th

• Lighting in Pestalozzistrasse, from 4pm 
• Lighting the candles, singing and eating at the Fraenkelufer Synagogue, from 4:30pm 
• Lighting in Bleibergs, from 6pm (details)
• Party (as in clubbing) at midnight and onwards: Knusperhouse in Ritter Butzke (details) 

Second Candle, December 25th 

• Menorah lighting in Alexanderplatz (near Galeria Kaufhof, between the department store and the 200 bus station) , 6pm 

Third Candle, December 26th

• A guided tour for children in German: "Plätzchen, Latkes, Kerzenschein", about the two holidays. Organised by Stattreisen (not sure how it is) 2pm near the Bode (details)

• Chanukkah on Ice - at the Ice Stadium in Wilmersdorf , from 6:30 pm

Fourth Candle, December 27th 

• The annual tradition: the big Menorah lighting in Brandenburg Gate , starting at 6:30 pm

Fifth Candle, December 28th

• At 6:30 pm: a special Hanukkah concert with rabbi Walter Rothchild and the Minyan Boys, at the Mendelssohn Remise (details)

Sixth Candle, December 29th

• Bubales are back with the Hanukkah puppet theatre! With a Hanukkah party at the Rykestr Synagogue, from 4 pm (please register in advance) 

Seventh Candle, December 30th 

While officially in the next week, it has been already announced that there will be a lighting at the Oranienburger Str Synagogue at 3:30 pm 

Furthermore

• The Peter Pan children opera, Komische Oper, Monday 26th , 4pm 

• On the 26th, at 10:00, a fun run through Grunewald, costumes preferred! (details)

• Every day - Christmas circus in two versions: by Roncalli in the Tempodrom, and the "Berlin Christmas Circus" in the Olympic Stadium (details)

About Me

I offer tours in Berlin as well as write about the city as well as published several books and articles in general. I am always free for writing gigs - travel writing or any other types of writing and research - or of course to show you the wonderful city I live in

Weekend Events for the Whole Family in Berlin, Dec 16th - 18th

Fourth Advent - Selected Christmas Markets

Only at this Weekend

• Sat/Sun: Green Market for a Vegan Christmas, at Agora in Rollberg (details)

• Sat/Sun: Weihnachtsrodeo in Postbahnhof (details)

• Sun: Wedding Christmas Market, an alternative one, in Leopoldplatz (details)

• Sun: A very Yaam Christmas Market, with Reggae etc. (details)

• Sunday afternoon, a designer market in the Spreewerkstätten (Am Krögel 2, 10179 Berlin)

Also After this Weekend

• Till January 1st: Christmas Garden in the Botanical Gardens

• Until December 22nd : Historical Fair in the RAW Tempel, with Renaissance Fair artisans and entertainers. Weekdays 2 - 9pm; Fri/Sat 12am - 10pm ; Sundays 12am - 7pm 

• Until December 22nd: A historical market in the Mariannenplatz in Kreuzberg 

• Until December 23rd : The Lucia Market at the Kulturbrauerei

• Until January 1st: Winter World in Potsdamer Platz

• Every Friday through Sunday: at the Arena in Treptow 

• All Advent weekends: 
• Christmas Fair for kids at the FEZ
• At the Domaene Dahlem 
• At the Ethnological Museum in Dahlem 
• At the Späth’schen Baumschulen Nurseries 

• Every Sunday: 
• Oeko-Markt for Christmas in Kollwitzplatz; 
• In the Strandbad Weissensee 
• In Unicorn, Brunnenstr 64 

Hanukkah

• Reminder: candles and a Chanukkiyah are both available at Chabad 

• Chabad are also organising a Hanukkah activity for kids on Sunday (pre-registration nz@chabadberlin.de  ) 

Furthermore

• Do you have a tree yet? The Prussian Palace Authority offers an opportunity to get your own tree, on Saturday in the Jagdschloss Stern in Potsdam (details)

• On Sunday at 3pm, Santa will land on the top of the Panorama Point in Potsdamer Platz, to entertain the kids. Some of the activities can be also seen from the ground, for seeing him closely, you have to buy tickets. 

• Music: 
• Friday, 6pm: The children band "Rumpelstil" in the Gethsemanekirche in Prenzlauer Berg 
• Saturday, 3:30: Zwergnase, fairy-tale concert at the Philharmonie (details)
• Sunday, 2pm: Drummers' Circle. in the UFA fabrik in Tempelhof (details)

• Museums and Castles: 
• "Animal Depiction", workshop for kids at the Alte Nationalgalerie, Sat 3pm (details)
• A guided tour for kids with "Henry the Swan" in the Oranienburg Palace, Sat and Sun, both at 3pm (details)

• Sports: BTSC on Ice, an ice skating show with the opportunity to join in at the end (details)

About Me

I offer tours in Berlin as well as write about the city as well as published several books and articles in general. I am always free for writing gigs - travel writing or any other types of writing and research - or of course to show you the wonderful city I live in

Weekend Events for the Whole Family in Berlin, Dec 9th - 11th

Third Advent - Selected Christmas Markets

Only at this Weekend

• Fri/Sat/Sun at the DHM's courtyard

• Fri/Sat/Sun in the Gutshof Britz, with "Nordic" theme and lots of children theatre and folklore (details)

• Fri/Sat/Sun in Mutter Lustig in Koepenick (details)

• Sat/Sun in Samariterplatz in Friedrichshain

• Sat/Sun in the Dueppel Museum 

• Sat/Sun in the Postbahnhof: the "Weihnachtsrodeo" designer market 

Weihnachtsrodeo

• Saturday/Sunday: Designer Market at Kaos, Wilhelminenhofstr. 92, 12459 Berlin in Schoeneweide

• Sunday: In the Brunnenmarkt, Brunnenstr. 55 (Brunnen/Bernauer)

• Sunday: A Tierheim Christmas, at the Berlin Animal Shelter (details)

• Another Sunday bazaar for the benefit of non-profits: in the Regenbogenfabrik in Kreuzberg (details)

• Sunday: An "Anti-Christmas" Market, in  ESDIP in Friedrichshain (details)

Also After this Weekend

• Till January 1st: Christmas Garden in the Botanical Gardens

• Until December 22nd : Historical Fair in the RAW Tempel, with Renaissance Fair artisans and entertainers. Weekdays 2 - 9pm; Fri/Sat 12am - 10pm ; Sundays 12am - 7pm 

• Until December 22nd: A historical market in the Mariannenplatz in Kreuzberg 

• Until December 23rd : The Lucia Market at the Kulturbrauerei

• Until January 1st: Winter World in Potsdamer Platz

• Every Friday through Sunday: at the Arena in Treptow 

• All Advent weekends: 
• Christmas Fair for kids at the FEZ
• At the Domaene Dahlem 
• At the Ethnological Museum in Dahlem 
• At the Späth’schen Baumschulen Nurseries 

• Every Sunday: 
• Oeko-Markt for Christmas in Kollwitzplatz; 
• In the Strandbad Weissensee 
• In Unicorn, Brunnenstr 64 

Hanukkah and other Jewish Heritage Events

Yes, Hanukkah is also around the corner, this year in fact, first candle will be on December 24th. 

• Friday, 4pm : Chanukkah and Shabbath activities for kids in the Rykestr Synagogue

• Sunday, 11:00 in the Jewish Museum - "Ein Pferd zu Chanukka!" (in German), children programme , following the German-language book (that has been translated into English)

• Sunday in Karlshorst, at 11:00, the musical show Die Ziege Zlateh for children aged 6 and up, based on a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer and with a Chanukkah theme.

• If you don't know where to get Chanukkia and candles, Chabad are giving away

•  Also, in the Werkstatt der Kulturen in Neukoelln, a Klezmer Festival, throughout the weekend

Furthermore

• Museums: 
• Torchlight tour for children in the Museum of Communication, Sat 6:30pm 

• Guided tour about spices, in the Neue Palais, Sun 11:00 

• Workshop about the Fall of the Wall, in Martin Gropius Bau, Sunday 1pm 

• Music: 
• Saturday, 4pm, children concert by Prelude, Prenzlauer Berg 
• Sunday, 2pm : Peter Pan, opera for children, at the Komische Oper
• Sunday, 4pm : The children band "Rumpelstil" in the Mercedes Welt

• A real steam engine will leave on Sunday at 9:00 from the Gesundbrunnen Station, decorated for Christmas and with St. Nicholas on board. According to the website, all tickets are sold out, but perhaps you'll get lucky because someone hasn't shown up and either way, you can see the train leaving or coming back, at 11:00 

• And another Christmas activity: crafts from natural materials in the Waldschule Plaenterwald, Sunday 2 pm (details)

About Me

I offer tours in Berlin as well as write about the city as well as published several books and articles in general. I am always free for writing gigs - travel writing or any other types of writing and research - or of course to show you the wonderful city I live in