Music

Christmas concert and concert hightlights around Christmas

Immerse yourself in the festive spirit at one of the most magnificent venues for a Christmas concert - the Berlin Cathedral. Its grandeur and impressive acoustics create a unique atmosphere, enhancing the joyous celebration of the season.

This year, the renowned Radio Choir 'Rundfunkchor Berlin' will be under the direction of Grete Pedersen. The Norwegian conductor will infuse the performance with a blend of cultural richness, combining works by Tallis and Respighi with traditinal Norwegian Christmas songs.

Nestled between the Museum Island and the new Belrin Palace, the Berlin Cathedral, or Berliner Dom, is a breathtaking sight both inside and out.

Save the date for this enchanting concert on December 22nd.

Other renowned ensembles, including the German Symphny Orchestra Berlin, the Radion Symphony Orchestra Berlin, and the RIAS Chamber Choir Berlin, present a diverse program at unique venues across the capital.

Highlights include the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin, conducted by Pekka Kuusisto, featuring works by Haydn, Clyne, Shaw and Beethoven on December 7, in the Philharmonie Berlin,

Fine chamber music with musicians from the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, prensented in Studio 14 of the rbb Television Center on December 20,

the same chamber concert as the previous day in Studio 14 but in an alternative and atmospheric location at Kühlhaus Berlin.

Don't miss the opportunity to witness the skill of these ensembles and experience Berlin in a musical way.

Information on concerts by the Radio Orchestras and Choirs is available here.

Tours

Christmas boat tours

Sightseeing in December can be challenging, the cold is no fun and Berlin tends to wrap itself in a very gray color scheme. Much cosier than a bus tour and definitely more glamorous and scenic is a boat tour, especially a Christmas boat tour.

Aside from being able to enjoy the sights of Berlin and the guides' explanations from the privileged persepctive of the Spree river, passengers can also have hot mulled wine in a festive atmosphere. Non-alcoholic punch for children of course. Alternatively or additionally, you can book a tour with a dinner experience, featuring a 3-course buffet where a plant-based menu is lso offered.

The tours start from the pier near Oberbaumbrücke - the stunning neo-Gothic red brick bridge, emblematic for Berlin and the separated Berlin - located next to one of the last remaining portions of the Berlin Wall: the East Side Gallery in Kreuzberg.
Further information can be found here.

Markets

Historic

One big favorite is the medieval-themed Christmas Market at RAW - an old industrial complex in the Friedrichshain district, now home of several socio-cultural initiatives and clubs. This historical Christmas market is particularly hard to miss for lovers of great street food, it is also a great spot to get hot mead and buy presents from skilled artisans like blackmiths and woodcarvers. There are also plenty of fun things to do for chrildren, like a handmade ferris wheel and carousel, archery and cross-bow stalls for bigger kids and grown-ups.

Alternative

Another exciting suggestion is to visit the LGBTIQ Christmas Market at Nollendorfplatz. Here there are stalls selling cool arts & crafts by local artisans and artists - another great spot for finding unique handmade gifts - , as well as fresh food and drinks. Aside from that, this market features live shows, music concerts of different genres, adn varied entertainment by local performers, drag bingo being one of the most popular ones.

Traditional

For expats spending the holidays away from home, or tourists eager to explore different Christmas traditions, there will also be international markets and bazaars around town, you'll find a Japanese Christmas Market, a Danish one, A Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and British one.

In terms of more traditional German Christmas market ideas, we would recommend either the one at Bebelplatz, between the State Opera House and the Law Faculty of Humboldt University; or the one in front of the 18th century palace of Charlottenburg. This last one is extra special, Christmas spirit amids baroque and rococo splendour.

More information on all the Christmas and winter markets is available on the official Berlin tourism portal.

Winter Fun

Ice, Ice, Baby

Eisstockschiessen or 'Bavarian Curling' is a beloved sport and a ficture in Christmas activities in Berlin. Two of the more beautiful location to play this winter team sport are Café am Neuen See, in Berlin's own central park - the Tiergarten - as well as the charming Nikolaiviertel - a bit of old Berlin in the narrow backstreets of the area around Alexanderplatz. While those are both terrific locations, they offer different experiences: in Nikolaiviertel, the track is outdoors, at Cafe am Neuen See, there are several indoor tracks in individual halls, inside tents.

Another classic around the festive season is ice skating, which can be done pretty much in every bis Christmas market around town. One such place is the Christmas Market in front of the iconic red municipal hall (Rotes Rathaus). The circular ice skating rink goes around the beautiful 19th century Neptune fountain, in front of St. Mary's Church, making it a particulary dynamic experience. Pros and newbies, kids and adults, strangers and families, everyone can rent skates and have fun under the colourful lights, the sound of music and people mingling, with a hot beverage or two. For those still starting out there are ice skating chairs as an alternative - these are pretty fun too.

Celebrate German holiday traditions

For those less inclined to do winter sports, there are also other fun activities, such as the small Winter-Film-Fest in Nikolaiviertel, where there is a stall selling the traditional Feuerzangenbowle - a mulled wine with a burning piece of sugar put on top - next to a small outdoor cinema screening the 1944 cult film "Die Feuerzangenbowle" by Helmut Weiss, a close adaptation of the humorous novel by the same name, by Heinrich Spoerl. The name literally means 'fire-tongs punch', the story is set in the Weimar Republic and centers around a group of friends drinking the punch while engaging in nostalgia over their academic life. The book and movie have, since then, become intimately connected to both academic and Christmas traditions in Germany. So - is it truly a German Christmas without the Feuerzangenbowle?

Miniloft Special: Christmas Time in Berlin