Weekend Events for the Whole Family in Berlin, March 31st through April 2nd

Adventure Time at FEZ

The FEZ  is offering all kinds of adventures this weekend: piracy, sports, experiments, cooking and much more. 

FEZ Adventure Weekend
FEZ, on Straße zum FEZ 2, 12459 Berlin 

Public Transport: take the S3 to Wuhlheide or trams 27, 63 or 67 to Freizeit- und Erholungszentrum. Admission fees apply 

piracy at FEZ

Running or Biking? Why not Both! 

The half marathon for the adults will start on Sunday and will encompass the whole city centre, if you want to watch (route). On Saturday, there will be two fun runs for children: 500 m for kids under six, and a kilometre for kids between six and 10 year old. The event will take place in Park am Gleisdreieck at 11:00 (details) 

Berlin Half Marathon 

At the same time, there will be also a big "Bike Festival" in the Messe, VeloBerlin. The festival will feature new products, tryouts and a children parkour.  

VeloBerlin

Free admission under 14, Sat Sun at the Messe 

Food, Markets and Fairs 

After (having watched) so much sport, it's time to eat

• One intriguing event taking place this Sunday is the "Food Start Up Market", a market dedicated to latest developments in food. At Unicorn ( Brunnenstraße 64, 13355 Berlin), Sunday 12 - 6 (details) 

• Also on Sunday: the Naschmarkt in Markthalle IX, with lots of yummy stuff, Sun 12-6 

• If you're more into alcohol and liqueur, Destille Berlin is the weekend fair for you. Entrance fees apply, Sat & Sun at Heeresbäckerei (Köpenicker Str. 16-17, 10997 Berlin), more here

• The Easter Funfair at Britz (Fullhamer / Parchimer Allee) will take place starting Wednesday, March 29th, every day 

Huge Easter Bunny in Britz

• The Spring Funfair in the Zentralen Festplatz ( Kurt-Schumacher-Damm) , will continue throughout until April 17th; fireworks on Saturday April 15th, at 10 pm . Closed only on Good Friday (April 14th). Arrival: U7 Jakob-Kaiser-Platz and from there, busses  X21 , M21 ; or U6 Kurt-Schumacher-Platz and from there, busses M21, X21 or 128

• Another spring event: in the Botanical Gardens, on Saturday and Sunday

Furthermore

• Museums and Casltes: 

• Saturday afternoon: workshops for the whole family at the Museum of Technology, 3:30 

• Guided tour for children at the Maerkisches Museum, Sunday 2 pm 

• "Secrets of the pot", a guided tour for children at the Museum for European Cultures (Museum Europäischer Kulturen) in Dahlem. Sunday, 3 pm  

• Guided tour in the Charlottenburg Castle, Sunday 3 pm 

• Throughout the week: The exhibition "Platz da! Kinder machen Stadt", at Labyrinth Museum ( Osloer Straße 12 13359 Berlin) ; Kaboom! Comics and Games, at the Computer Games Museum ( Karl-Marx Allee 93A 10243 Berlin )

• Music: 
• Workshop for children at the Klingendes Museum, Sat 2:30 (details)

• Ohrenbär - musical story in the Alte Schmiede ( Spittastraße 40, 10317 Berlin) , Sunday 10:00 (details)

• Viva Vivaldi! A children concert in Urania, Sunday, 3 (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, March 24th through 26th

The Sweet Spring

Spring has officially begun this week and even though it is a little chilly, there's no reason to stay indoors, there are springs festivals ! 

• First, you have to chase the winter away! The reconstructed medieval village, Museumsdorf Düppel (Clauertstraße 11 14163 Berlin) is doing it throughout the weekend, with ceremonies, pageants and events that are supposed to be traditional (details)

• Springs Festival at the Domaene Dahlem. The museum-farm will include stands with goodies, activities for the whole family, and more (Sat/Sun, details)

• The Spring Funfair begins this Friday in the Zentralen Festplatz ( Kurt-Schumacher-Damm) , will continue throughout until April 17th; fireworks on Saturday (March 25th) and on April 15th, at 10 pm . Closed only on Good Friday (April 14th). Arrival: U7 Jakob-Kaiser-Platz and from there, busses  X21 , M21 ; or U6 Kurt-Schumacher-Platz and from there, busses M21, X21 or 128

• Another funfair , near the Spandau Zitadelle, ending this weekend 

• Opening of the windmill in Britz for the whole family, on Saturday (details) 

• And another spring event at the Alte Fasanerie in Lubars, Sunday (details)

Nosh: Jewish Food Festival

Berlin's very first Jewish Food Festival is coming to an end this weekend. There are several events you might be still able to catch on, requiring pre-registration (details / tickets here), Friday, 7pm : 

• A Yemenite Feast with Israeli chef Gil Hovav,

• An Eastern European Friday meal with Itay Novik and Elements of Food (this one is already sold out, but you might be able to get on a waiting list) 

• A Jewish-Italian meal at Botanico,

• Persian Jewish feast from Fortuna's 

• Here comes my shameless self-promotion : We run culinary tours in Hebrew in Berlin, including in the upcoming Saturday, March 18th. The tours are not part of the festival, but we do include (regularly) explanations about the links between the Jewish and the Berliner cuisine. If you have a Hebrew speaking friend, please send them over, no pre-registration required (tour is of course available in English as a private tour, and here we can also focus only on Jewish food and influences in Berlin...).

Further food events at the weekend

• RohVolution is a fair on Raw Food, at the FEZ throughout the weekend 

• Green Market with vegan fare, at Agora, Rollbergstraße 26, 12053 Berlin , Sun/Sat

Furthermore

• Daylight saving time starts in the night between Saturday and Sunday. We "lose" one hour sleep. 

• Saturday is going to be a very political day and as usual in Berlin, demonstrations are a happening that includes concerts. At 11:45, "The March for Europe", a demonstration for European unity and against racism, will start in Bebelplatz and will convene in Brandenburg Gate ; in the evening, Earth Hour calls people to shut down the lights for an hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm - including several prominent public buildings 

• Museums and Casltes: 

• The Kunsthaus Dahlem offers guided tours for families followed by creative crafts/arts, Saturday 11:00 

• "Federal Astronomy Day" on Sunday is an opportunity for the Archenhold Planetarium to offer activities from 2pm for kids and from 7 pm, also actual exploration. 

• Workshop for children at Haus am Waldsee, Sat 2:30 

• Saturday afternoon: workshops for the whole family at the Museum of Technology, 3:30 

• Workshop for kids (aged 6 and up) around the Fredrick Kiesler exhibition in Martin Gripius, Sundat at 1 pm (details) 

• Guided tour for kids through the Marmorpalais in Potsdam, Sunday 2:30 

• Frog Prince in the Grunewald Estate, Sunday 3 pm (details)

• Throughout the week: The exhibition "Platz da! Kinder machen Stadt", at Labyrinth Museum ( Osloer Straße 12 13359 Berlin) ; Kaboom! Comics and Games, at the Computer Games Museum ( Karl-Marx Allee 93A 10243 Berlin ) 

• Concerts
• "Symphony with the whole family", at the Philharmonie, Sat 3:30 pm 

• How were Schumann's works composed? Shumann for kids in Karlshorst, Sunday 3 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

Weekend Events for the Whole Family in Berlin, March 17th through 19th

St. Patrick's Day in Berlin

There is not huge parade at the city centre this year, but there is an event on Sunday (from 12:00) at the Sochos Sportplatz, Lessingstraße 5-8, 12169 Berlin (walking distance from U/S Steglitz), home to Berlin's Gaelic Sport groups. The event will include entertainment (pipers included), Gaelic sports, etc. And a small parade (details here) 

Here are few other events worth mentioning outside the realm of Irish Pubs: 

• In pubs - music, drinking and lots of green stuff, e.g. at the The Castle in Wedding throughout the weekend (details ) 

• The UFA Fabrik offers an evening of Irish Music on the 17th; those interested in Irish culture can also find an Irish Film Festival in Moviemento at the weekend. 

• The Funkturm, Berlin's own mini-version of the Eiffel Tower, will be lit in Green Light on Friday , so says the Senate. 

Design from France, colour from Ireland

Nosh: Jewish Food Festival

This might be the most exciting Jewish heritage event of the whole year. OK, perhaps I am just a tiny bit exaggerating, but not too much: Organised by Lauren from Fine Bagels, the Berlin's very first Jewish Food Festival (hopefully not the last one) will start on Friday, March 17th and will continue throughout the week, until next weekend. Jewish Food does not immediately equal kosher food, and in the festival, you'll get to discover the huge variety of Jewish cuisine from around the globe. 

Some events for this weekend include: 

• The Kiddush Dinner Club will have a four-course Jewish dinner at Fine Bagels on Friday, March 17th (details/tickets EUR 38)

• The Breakfast Market in Markthalle IX will be a Jewish one on Sunday (19th) - a fine assortment of Jewish breakfast food (and brunch-y and even sort of lunch-y food), including Jachnun (Yemenite savoury bun), Injara (Ethiopian bread), Lox, and much more. This event, specifically, is also suitable for families. 

• On Sunday night, screening of Oma and Bella in Babylon, a documentary about memories, food, and Jewish life in Germany. 

• Further during the week: meetings with chefs and Jewish cooks, discussion (Wed, 6:30 pm) in the Fraenkelufer Synagogue on Judaism and Vegetarianism; and the Gefilte Ball party.

• And a preview for next weekend, where you'll have to choose between no less than four different private dinner clubs, all Jewish themed, all with different flavours/areas of the world. Full information on the website 

• Here comes my shameless self-promotion : We run culinary tours in Hebrew in Berlin, including in the upcoming Saturday, March 18th. The tours are not part of the festival, but we do include (regularly) explanations about the links between the Jewish and the Berliner cuisine. If you have Hebrew speaking friends, please send them over, no pre-registration required (tour is of course available in English as a private tour, and here we can also focus only on Jewish food and influences in Berlin...). 

Klangwelten Music Festival for Kids

The FEZ hosts this weekend the Klangwelten music festival, which includes dozens of workshops , shows and tryouts for kids with different musical instruments, genres, styles and settings. The festival has something for kids of all ages 

Klangwelten Festival

FEZ, on Straße zum FEZ 2, 12459 Berlin 

Public Transport: take the S3 to Wuhlheide or trams 27, 63 or 67 to Freizeit- und Erholungszentrum. Admission fees apply 

More music: 

• Tyring out instruments, at the Klingendes Museum for kids aged 6 and up  (Behmstr 13, 13357 Berlin near U/S Gesundbrunnen), Saturday, 3pm (details)

• Peter and the Wolf in Urania, Sunday 11:30 (details) 

Furthermore

• Fun run from the Spandau city hall (Rathaus Spandau), Sunday 11:00 ("Lauf der Sympathie") ; also Run for Refugees in the Tempelhofer Feld (10 km, details)

• Museums and Casltes: 

• Saturday afternoon: workshops for the whole family at the Museum of Technology, and on Sunday, demonstrations at the blacksmith's

• We're Building a Mars Rover! - activity for children at the Archenhold Planetarium, Saturday 2 pm 

• Workshop for families at the Communication Museum, Sunday 2 pm (details) 

• Fire! An Igniting Idea, workshop at the Neue Museum, Sunday 2 pm (details)

• "Family Sunday" at the DHM with a guided tour for children, Sunday 2 pm (details)

• Guided tour for children through the Charlottenburg Castle, Sun., 3 pm (details); Also at the same time - guided tour for children with Henrik the Swan in the Oranienburg Castle (details)

• The exhibition "Platz da! Kinder machen Stadt", at Labyrinth Museum ( Osloer Straße 12 13359 Berlin) 

• Music: children concert at Kulturhaus Karlshorst, Sunday 11:00 (details, and thank you Joshua for the tip - if you know about other cool children events, please let me know, preferably per Facebook)  

• Markets: A flea market of children stuff on Sunday at Helmholzplatz 

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, March 10th through 12th

ITB

The International Tourism Exhibition is not only of interest for trade visitors. The public days at the weekend will feature shows, demonstrations of different countries, food tasting and many small giveaways for the kids. 

ITB - Public days on Sat/Sun, 10:00 - 6:00 

Messe 

Shows at the ITB

Purim

The Jewish festival of masks offers many events this week, for kids and for adults

Religious activities

• Megilah Reading will take place in all Berlin synagogues, e.g: 

• Or Synagogue, Sat at 7pm and Sunday at 10:00 

• Sukkath Schalom (Herbartstr. 26 14057 Berlin), from 7:30 PM Megilah Reading 

• Yemenite Purim at Chabad Alexanderplatz starting on Saturday at 8 pm 

Parties for adults

• Purim Farbrengen III , at ACUD with free admission, Saturday 10 pm (details)

• The Jewish Monkeys will perform with DJ Yurij Gurzhy at the Roter Salon on Saturday, from 11 pm (details)

• And from midnight between Saturday and Sunday: Karneval de Purim in Ritter Butzke (details/tickets)

Karneval de Purim

Furthermore

• Shops will be open on this Sunday, between 1 amd 6 pm. 

• All about model building at the FEZ on Saturday and Sunday: with activities, crafts, competition and much more. 

• Museums and Casltes: 
• Saturday afternoon: workshops for the whole family at the Museum of Technology

• Crafts at the Oranienburger Castle, Sunday 12:00 (details) and at the Neue Palais in Potsdam, Sunday 11:00 and 2:30 (details)

• Guided tour for children at the Marmorpalais , Sunday 2:30 (details)

• Kids guide kids at the Charlottenburg Castle, Sunday 3:00 (details) 

• "Platz da! Kinder machen Stadt", exhibition at Labyrinth Museum ( Osloer Straße 12 13359 Berlin) 

• Music : 
• Above the Clouds, a children concert about air, Komische Oper, Sunday, 11:00

•  Special kids concert at the Deutsche Oper, Sunday 11:00 and again at 12:30 

• Peter and the Wolf, Philharmonie, Sunday 3:30 (tickets)

• 
  

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, March 3rd through 5th

Disney on Ice

The famous show is coming to Berlin this weekend and is due to fill your little skating-loving hearts with joy and empty your pockets at the same time. 

Disney on Ice 

At the Velodrom 

Thu through Sun, three shows a day (tickets)

By the way, later this week, Holiday on Ice will be in the Tempodrom, check the info here 

Stay for a while on the ice: There is also a motorcycle race on ice, at the Horst Dohm Stadion throughout the weekend, details

Jewish Heritage: Purim!

The German carnival is over, but wait with dressing off your clown costume, because Purim is around the corner. The weekend will offer numerous Purim activities: 

• The Clever Esther - the Bubales show is back, on Friday at 3:30 in the Fraenkelufer Synagogue (details) 

• Chabad will celebrate Purim with an excursion to Sea Life, Sunday 10 am (details)

•  There will be a pre-Purim Hashomer Hatzair activity (Peula) on Sunday afternoon, for children aged 7 and up (trilingual, details at dikla@hashomer.de  ) 

Furthermore

• The Britz fun run, with special routes for kids and teens, Sunday from 9:30 (details) 

• Museums and Casltes: 
• "Picture Thriller" , guided tour for kids (in German) in the Alte Nationalgalerie, Saturday 3 pm (details) 

• "What do robots do at night?", guided tour at the Museum of Communication, Saturday, 6:30 pm (details)

• Workshop for children (aged 6 and up) at the Martin Gropius Bau, Sunday 1pm (details) 

• "Secrets of the Pot", guided tour for children at the Ethnological Museum , Sunday 3 pm ; Also at 3 pm: a guided tour through the Charlottenburg Castle for kids 

• Saturday afternoon: workshops for the whole family at the Museum of Technology; on Sunday, 3:30 - guided tour in English in the museum (details)

• Sunday afternoon in the Museum of Natural History: Dinosaur afternoon (for kids aged 8 and up) ; and a "Family Sunday" at Villa Oppenheim 

• "Platz da! Kinder machen Stadt", exhibition at Labyrinth Museum ( Osloer Straße 12 13359 Berlin) 

• Music:
• Trying out instruments at the Klingendes Museum, Saturday (details) 

• Prelude concerts, also for kids, on Saturday 4pm , Prenzlauer Berg (details) 

• The Magic Flute for children, Sunday 3 pm at the Urania

• The Highnachtsmarkt in Sage on Sunday is not yet another street-food market / designer market / DJs. I mean, yes, it is all of those things, but also - all profits will go to Sage's Children Hospital in Senegal, so you can also shop in good conscience. Sage's Highnachtsmarkt, Sunday from 12:00, at  Köpenicker Str. 76, 10179 Berlin (Heinrich Heine or Jannowitzbrücke). 

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