Events for Families in Berlin, November 6th - 8th

Winter World in Potsdamer Platz

With all of the excitement of Halloween, I have forgotten about it last week: The Winter World is a fair in Potsdamer Platz, that includes all kinds of winter sport rides (some like the ice rink, are for free if you bring your own skates). Of course there is Gluehwein and other delicacies. Open every day till January 3rd, excluding November 15th (Volkstrauertag) and November 22nd (Totensonntag).

Furthermore

• Saturday: Open day for families at the Klingendes Museum. Behmstraße 13 13357 Berlin-Gesundbrunnen 

• Sunday: Children opera, "Snow White and the 77 Dwarves", at the Komische Oper (details), for kids aged from 6 

Snow White and the 77 Dwarves

• Sunday in the Maerkisches Museum: Activity for the whole family following "Emil and the Detectives", from 11:00 

• Frog Prince in the Jagdschloss Grunewald, Sunday at 3 pm 

Jewish Cultural Events

Mitzvah Day 2015 will be marked by the Fraenkelufer Synagogue and Bambinim with a day filled with activities to help asylum seekers here in Berlin. On Sunday, the 8th, from 10 am, volunteers from the synagogue and Bambinim kids, coupled with kids and activists from the Morus14 Youth Centre, will travel to an asylum-seekers' residence in Wilmersdorf, where there will be activities for children (residents of the Home as well as "guest" children from Bambinim and Morus14) and assistance to adults. Further Details 

Also - a Hanukkah Bazaar (yes, more than a month before), at the Fasanenstr. 79 JCC, to benefit the Pestalozzistrasse Synagogue. Sunday, 12 - 6 pm

Meanwhile in Brandenburg...

The Klaistow Farm has a straw labyrinth. Daily until December 20th.

Spargelhof Klaistow, Glindower Straße 28 14547 Beelitz GT Klaistow, Take Regional RE7 to Beelitz Heilstätten and then bus 643 to Klaistow, Spargelhof. If you've missed to Regional (or took the S7 because of the works on the line right now), you can also take bus 643 from the Potsdam Hauptbahnhof. 

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. Contact Me. 

Events for Families in Berlin, October 30th - November 1st, including Halloween

Halloween 2015 in Berlin

So many places to celebrate, at least relative to the fact that Halloween is not native to Germany. 

• Activities are being offered in "Haus Natur und Umwelt" which is located in the Wuhlheide Park (same area with the FEZ). They will offer pumpkin carving and other autumn craft. Kürbisfest und Bastelspaß, Sat, 10 - 6 pm, Haus Natur und Umwelt, An der Wuhlheide 169, 12459 Berlin (Trams 27, 63 or 67 till Freizeit- und Erholungszentrum or S3 to Wuhlheide), EUR 1.5 for adults, EUR 1 for children under 5 

• Another place which will be celebrating is the Tierpark, which will have a large Halloween party from 4 pm on Saturday. 

Halloween in the Tierpark

• The Insel in Treptow will be offering children activities from 12am and from 11pm onwards there is a very adult party. 

• The Schönhauser Allee Arkaden will offer indoor activities from the 26th till the 31st, including of course sales of costumes and candies. Then, on Saturday, from 6 pm, there will be a parade with costumes and lampions, towards Helmholzplatz

• Another shopping centre to celebrate the spirit of Halloween (which is all about shopping for candy and costumes anyway), is the Forum Steglitz (Schlossstr. 1, near the Walther-Schreiber-Platz, U9). From 11:00 there will be stands with crafts, make-up, candies, etc. 

• The Zombie Walk is almost a Berlin tradition. It usually starts from the Rote Kloster in Mitte (near the Alexa Shopping Centre), beginning at 5pm

Zombie Walk

• A torchlight tour through the Park am Gleisdreieck will start from Cafe Eule at 6:30 pm (info)

Other Activities

• Snow White and the 77 Dwarves, a new children opera at the Komische Oper, for dwarves aged 6 and up (info) 

Snow White and the 77 Dwarves

• The 100 bus line celebrates 25 years this weekend and will conduct some "historical bus" tours as part of the anniversary. 

• Wildlife in the Tiergarten, a tour in German for families with children aged 5 and up, Sat 4-6 pm (info) 

• A guided tour in German in the "Marble Palace" ("Marmorpalais") in Potsdam for the whole family, under the title "Johann Ludwig von Fauch auf Reisen", Sunday 1:30 pm

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. Contact Me. 

Events for Families in Berlin, October 23 - 25th , 2015

Halloween is Coming!

Halloween is only next week, but there are already some events planned. 

• The Botanical Gardens invite children and their parents to a big Halloween festival on Sunday (11 - 6 pm) . There will be pumpkins, puppet theatre (in German), crafts, games, make-up etc. Admission fees apply. Further details here. 

• The FEZ is also getting ready for Halloween, with a "scary" weekend. Address: Straße zum FEZ 2, 12459 Berlin ; Transport: Tram 63, 27 or 67 to Freizeit- und Erholungszentrum or S3 Train to Wuhlheide. Admission applies. 

Halloween and Autumn Holiday in the FEZ

Other Events

• Guided Tour for kids in the Zoo Aquarium on Friday, 6:15 pm 

Guided Tour in the Zoo Aquarium

• Friday until 5 pm and Saturday 10 to 6 pm: musical instruments market at the Konzerhaus, part of the Early Music festival. Free entry for kids. 

• Family Day at Haus am Waldsee, Sat 2 - 5 pm , for kids aged 4 to 12 

• Autumn Tour (in German) for kids in the Britzer Gardens (details) 

• A Wine Festival in Pankow (in the intersection of Breite and Berliner Str., about 10 minutes walk from the Pankow Train Station), on Friday afternoon, Sat/Sun. Also: street food market at the Kulturbrauerei on Sunday

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. Contact Me. 

Events for Families in Berlin, 16 - 18 October, 2015

ID Festival

The ID Festival for Israeli art in Berlin is not designed for families, but could be very attractive for anyone interested in contemporary Israeli art, especially within the small Israeli Community here in Berlin.

ID Festival

In Radialsystems V

ID Festival

Other Events

• The FEZ prepares for Halloween, with a scary weekend for the whole family.  Address: Straße zum FEZ 2, 12459 Berlin ; Transport: Tram 63, 27 or 67 to Freizeit- und Erholungszentrum or S3 Train to Wuhlheide. Admission applies. 

FEZ scary weekend

• Guided Tour for kids in the Zoo Aquarium on Friday, 6:15 pm 





Guided Tour in the Zoo Aquarium

• Autumn festival in the Gardens of the World in Marzahn, Sunday 12-4pm (info)

Autumn Festival in the Gardens of the World

• Oktoberfest at the Zentraler Festplatz till Sunday the 18th 

• Breakfast market at Markthalle IX on Sunday, and a street food market in the Kulturbrauerei on Sunday

Breakfast Market, Markthalle IX 

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. Contact Me. 

Events for Families in Berlin, 9 - 11 October 2015

The Long Night of the Families

All over the city, family centres and providers of culture for children will offer interesting activities:

• http://www.familiennacht.de/ 

Some of the activities will be in parallel to - or together with - "Children Cultural Month": 

• http://kinderkulturmonat.de/de/programm-2015 

Other Interesting Events

• The Festival of Lights, will start this weekend (till October 18th) 

• Evening tour through the Aquarium, Friday from 6:15 pm

Guided Tour through the Aquarium

• Ninjago Days in the Legoland Discovery Centre in Sony Centre (info) 

• Model Transport Days at the FEZ, under the title  "Autos, Schiffe, Eisenbahnen – Alles rund um den Modellbau". Further info in their website.  Address: Straße zum FEZ 2, 12459 Berlin (Trams: 27, 63 or 67 or S3 to Wuhlheide. Admission: EUR 3 per person or EUR 10 per families (with discounts for welfare recipients) , in German. 

• Family day in Haus am Waldsee (Sat, 2-5 pm) 

• Philharmonie concerts for kids, Sunday 2:30 and 5 pm 

• Children's Day at the Musical Instruments Museum , Sunday from 12:00 

• Run from the Charlottenburg Palace , including a children run 

• Autumn festival at the Insel , Sunday from 12:00 

• Vegan market in the Treptow Arena 

שוק טבעוני בטרפטו

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. Contact Me. 

Events for Families in Berlin, 2 - 4 October 2015 including Simchat Tora

Day of German Unity

On October 3rd, 1990, the parliaments of East and West Germany voted for re-unification of the country. Since then, the date is a national holiday, symbilising this unity. 

• There is always a big free party in Brandenburger Tor and since this year marks the 25th anniversary, even more so. 

• The German Historical Museum (DHM) always opens for free on this day, with many activities (mostly in German)

• Another highlight of the day is the "Open Doors' Day", organised by the Sendung mit der Maus. All kinds of organisations, government offices, interesting private businesses present kids with their work. Most of the places are already overbooked, but you can find the listing here and perhaps try to squeeze yourself. Activity in German, details in: http://www.wdrmaus.de/tuer_oeffner_tag/2015/index.php5

Sukkoth and Simchat Torah in Berlin

If you're not Jewish (or into Jewish events in Berlin), feel free to skip further. This blog was supposed to be an English version of my private blog and given who I am, I will list Jewish events, even if the community here is small and most potential readers will skip this part :-)  

October 5th is Simchat Torah this year - the celebration of restarting the weekly Parasha from the beginning - Genesis, Bereshit. 

The holiday is adjecnt to Sukkoth, which is still happenning. On Friday, Oct 2nd, from 4pm, you can participate in a special Kabbalat Shabbat in the Sukkah at the Rykestrasse Synagogue. I could not understand if it is only donation based or you must register in advance.

On Sunday, Oct 4th, Rabbi Josh Spinner from the Kehal Adass Jisroel, will celebrate with Todanke (details and registration)

And finally, on Monday, October 5th. Bambinim will celebrate Simchat Torah in the Fraenkerufer. (info)

Picture: From the Todanke event

More Events

• A pumpkin festival (Kürbisfest) in Akazienstr in Schoeneberg on Saturday and Sunday

• Kite competition in Tempelhofer Feld, Friday through Sunday 11:00 am - 5:00 am (details) . On Sunday, there is also a "Potato Festival" in the community garden in the Neukoelln side. 

Kites in Tempelhof (picture: the organisers)

• FEZ organise an educational games festival (Sat 1 - 7 pm; Sun 12 am - 6 pm). Address: Straße zum FEZ 2, 12459 Berlin (Trams: 27, 63 or 67 or S3 to Wuhlheide. Free admission , in German. 

educational games in FEZ

• October is "KinderKulturMonat" and you can participate in a variety of events for kids in cultural institutions - full programme  , in German

Children Cultural Month

• Other cultural events include a guided tour for families in the Marble Palace in Potsdam (details) and in Charlottenburg Palace (details), both on Sunday , in German

With the dragon in the Marble Palace

• Also: Children activity in the Mondrian Exhibition in Martin Gropius  (in German), details 

• For transport fans: bike and vespa parade, Saturday, 12:00, in Winterfeldplatz

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. Contact Me. 

The High Holidays in Berlin: Activities, Feasts and More!

For those of you who feel the need to get an apology for me (Yom Kippur and all), there is one about the lack of time in the bottom of the page. Not really an interesting piece, so in small print... 

However, most of you are here because you're interested in celebrating the High Holidays of 2014 in Berlin, so here's the information. 

* * * 

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah will begin this year on the evening of September 24th and will end on September 26th. All of the synagogues and temples in Berlin will offer Rosh Hashanah services. Usually one does not have to coordinate the visit or pay for a seat, but it is going to be pretty tight. 

Before the holiday, there will be several activities, mostly for children. On September 21st, Bambinim will offer the show  "Liat empfängt das neue Jahr" (in German 3 pm, Fürstenwalder Str, for a fee); the same show will be offered in Hebrew on the 22nd in Brandenburgische Str (5 pm). 

The beginning of the year also marks the beginning of the activities of two Israeli youth movements in Berlin. HaShomer HaTzair will offer activities in German (with a little Hebrew); will the Hebrew Scouts (text in Hebrew) will offer activities in Hebrew. Both will lounch this Sunday with a respective Rosh Hashanah party and will continue to be active on Sundays throughout the year. Activities are for second graders and older kids. 

Hashomer Hatzair (click to enlarge and get the details)

Holiday Meals 

 From the Feinberg Invitation

There will also be some communal Rosh Hashanah dinners on September 24th

• Chabad Alexanderplatz (Hebrew) , 6:45 pm, limited space; registration closes on September 17th (registration form)

• Feinberg's will offer a meal at 7 pm with a variety of salats and meats in a buffet (information and registration via Facebook)

• Also at 7 pm, a meal at Shiloh, Keren Shachar's wonderful vegetarian on Torstr. (Facebook info)

• Milo in the Western Chabad House will offer the meal at 8 pm, details on the poster (click to enlarge) 

How lucky are Todanke? Rosh Hashanah is this year during their regular day, Thursday! They will offer a party for the kids that will include storytime, activities and the big attraction - Shofar blowing. Further information 

Bambinim in West Berlin (Brandenburgische Str) will also hold a Rosh Hashanah party, starting at 4 pm, on September 26th

from Bambinim

Yom Kippur 

Yom Kippur will take place between October 3rd in the evening and will end by the evening of October 4th. You can find services for Yom Kippur in all synagogues and temples in Berlin , expect it to be pretty tight. 

A break fast meal will be offered at the Milo kosher restaurant at the West Berlin Chabad House, at 7:45 pm. Details in the image (click to enlarge):

Bambinim (in Brandenburgische Str) will offer a Yom Kippur even for children and families on October 5th. 

Picture by Bambinim

Sukkot

On October 6th, Bambinim will start (in Brandenburgische Str) to decorate the Sukkah. Bambinim will also offer a summer camp to children who have a Sukkot holiday from school/kita. 

Bambinim will celebrate Sukkot and Simchat Torah on October 17th in Friedrichshain 

Picture : Bambinim

Due apology: I started to update this blog and translate what I publish in the Hebrew blog. This, however, is a mammoth task that I unfortunately cannot find the time to do every week! I hope I will have more time soon, once the tourist season will calm down. However, having said that - there are so many nice activities for the High Holidays, I decided to translate my Hebrew article on the subject. I hope this also means I will re-start to publish here as well as the Hebrew blog.