The first day of May has been an important date in Germany since before World War II. And still after the war, 1 May remained a state holiday in both East and West Germany. In former East Germany workers were required to take part in large state-organized parades on May Day.
Today, May Day is simply called Labor Day (Tag der Arbeit) and in Berlin you will find that the city is most vibrant on that day. There are numerous demonstrations and celebrations by independent workers’ associations. Since the 1980s, this day is also a day where you will witness many demonstrations by political parties and the far left.
The day itself can be spent in any park in Berlin – with Görlitzer Park in Kreuzberg being the most well-known one to hang out on May Day.
Many district offer street fairs and the city with its people generally seems very open and welcoming.
The riots and violent demonstrations that have occurred in the past, have died down a little bit. The night before 1 May and the evening of May 1 can get a little loud and there are still some events happening organized by both the far left and the far right that you will want to avoid.
In general, this day is one of Berlin’s finest though and if the weather is nice and sunny, you’ll have one of the best days of your life.
A compilation of the events happening in Berlin in the first week of May, you can find HERE.
