Spring 2025 Events in Berlin: Festivals, Exhibitions, and Seasonal Celebrations
Best Things to Do in Berlin Spring 2025
Berlin’s story is often told through the stories of its various districts. Come spring, the city’s boroughs celebrate its arrival in their unique ways – a testament to the patchwork cultural influences and historical backgrounds. Spring is one of the best times to visit Berlin, as the newly arrived warm weather enlivens many locals without being too hot to drive them out of the city. Keep reading for our recommendations for the best festivals, exhibitions and other events to attend in Berlin this spring.
Take a Tour with Insight Cities
If it’s your first time in Berlin, take advantage of the fine spring weather and allow us to introduce you. Our Berlin Introduction Tour takes you to all of Berlin’s major sites that represent an aspect of the city’s turbulent history, while an expert guide will share the dramatic stories behind them. All our guides not only have bona fides in relevant fields but also convey Berlin’s fascinating eras in a way you can relate to. Book with us today and we’ll match you with the perfect guide.
Easter in Berlin
Easter markets in Berlin haven’t quite caught on like they have in other Central European capitals, but each market that does pop up has its own seasonal charm: some spring up in conjunction with festivals, while others offer something special in terms of the treats on offer. Chocolate eggs, marzipan bunnies, and Easter bread add to the sweet scent of fresh-picked flowers, while smoke from sausages on the grill adds a hint of fatty fragrance.
At Alexanderplatz, you’ll find lots of crafts sellers, decorated eggs on display, a petting zoo, and an Easter house with over 5,800 unique crocheted Easter eggs on the walls both inside and outside. Potsdamer Platz is still trying out the Easter market idea, but its last iteration included a carousel, Easter egg decoration demonstrations, and live music.
In Berlin and throughout Germany, they treat their holidays like Sundays – which means, very seriously, so that all major shops must close. Germany observes Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday as national holidays – April 18, 20, and 21 in 2025 – so expect many shops and services to be closed these days. However, Easter markets will be operating
Easter Knights Festival at Zitadelle Spandau – April 19 to 21, 2025
Fans of Medieval Faires will find a lot to love about this festival – with historical live music, theater and acrobat shows on two stages, jousting tournaments, sword fights and fire shows to entertain and delight festivalgoers of all ages. There are also historical games to play, historical crafts, and Medieval meats to feast on at the Medieval Easter market.
Easter Fires
Much of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe are big on bonfires, but few build up a bonfire on Easter weekend as they do in Germany. Throughout Easter weekend, you may see plumes of smoke unfurling toward the sky, and flames dancing in Berliners’ backyards (or adopted ones in parks and beer gardens). You’re likely to have make a trek to the outskirts to experience this German spring tradition, but we can recommend a few that aren’t too far out from the city center.
In Prenzlauer-Berg, the Kulturbrauerei has a special Easter fire, while Plötzensee lido has a fire on Easter Sunday evening, with an Easter egg hunt and painting for little ones.
Festivals
Zentraler Festplatz at Kurt-Schumacher-Damm – March 29 to May 4, 2025
Pure fantastic fun for both adults and children is on offer at the annual Spring funfair near Tegel airport. Think rides, roller coasters, Ferris wheels, ring tosses, target shooting and all that you’d expect to see, along with all your favorite German snack food, such as bratwurst and potato pancakes, and live music. With firework displays on the weekends, what better spring event in Berlin could you ask for?
Kreuzberg Myfest May Day Celebration – May 1st, 2025
Developed as a reaction against protests that turned violent one May Day in 1987, Kreuzberg’s MyFest emphasizes peaceful celebrations and a focus on festive gatherings. Though the celebrations are more tame these days, you may still encounter an edge tinged with speeches and demonstrations. Watch Europe’s greatest – and rather raucous – street celebration unfold in front of you in the streets around Gorlitzer Strasse and Kotbusser Tor. Not for the faint-hearted, come prepared for some raging techno and, occasionally, police water cannons if the party combines with the anti-Fascist marches.
Art
EMOP Berlin – European Month of Photography 2025 at various locations, March 1 to 31, 2025
This month-long photography festival is Germany’s largest, with more than 100 exhibitions and featuring around 500 international artists, some of whom will be personally presenting their work and attend panels to discuss the art of photography and the themes they explore today. The theme of EMOP 2025 is “what stands between us” and focuses on the increasing threat to European democracy.
Gallery Weekend Berlin – May 2 to 4, 2025
With over 20,000 visitors, Gallery Weekend has quickly grown into the city’s premier art outing. Focused on contemporary art, the weekend showcases Berlin’s unique ability to stay ahead of the curve, and create and disperse an aesthetic that the rest of the world can only follow. On display will be works from some of the hottest young artists in town at over 50 galleries spread across the city. And best of all, it is completely free.
Berlin Design Week – May 15 – 18, 2025
As a major breeding ground for innovation, Berlin is often at the forefront of design – functionally, aesthetically, and sustainably. Berlin Design Week shows off the very best and most innovative of Berlin-based designers across various fields, including architecture, technology, and consumer goods. In the wake of a turbulent and divisive 2024, the theme of 2025’s Berlin Design Week is Common Sense, focusing on what brings us together.
Exhibitions
Käthe Kruse: It’s All Good Now at Berlinische Gallerie – opens March 7, 2025
Get to know the life and work of Berlin art scene mainstay Käthe Kruse, who’s been active since the city was still divided in the 1980s. With works that often cross disciplines and defy traditional notions of high art, Kruse transforms personal experiences and everyday objects into artistic expression. This exhibition marks the first comprehensive retrospective on Kruse’s work.
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind at Gropius Bau – opens April 11, 2025
With an illustrious career spanning seven decades, Yoko Ono has continually pushed the envelope and mixed art and activism in new and often thought-provoking ways. This exhibition puts together over 200 of Ono’s works, consisting of installations, films, music and photography, and explores her impact on contemporary art and culture.
Fotogaga: Max Ernst and Photography at Museum für Fotografie – closes April 27, 2025
While Dadaist and Surrealist Max Ernst was far from calling himself a photographer, the medium unmistakably had an influence on his work. This exhibition connects the art of photography to Max Ernst’s art, showing several of his photocollages, examining the innovative techniques the artist used that may have been inspired by developments in photographic technology, such as composition and production. Over 270 Ernst works, as well as photographs done by his Surrealist contemporaries, are featured.
Andrea Pichl: Values of Economy at Hamburger Banhof – closes May 4, 2025
This unique exhibitions combines art, architecture, history, and the politics of economy. Andrea Pichl’s architecture installation comments on the economic transfer that occurred between East and West Germany post-reunification. The exhibition features commonplace building components and objects in a completely new context to raise questions about the multifarious effects the transition had on the country and the trajectories of wealth and power.
Kandinsky’s Universe: Geometric abstraction in the 20th Century at Museum Barberini – closes May 18, 2025
The Cosmos of Der Blauer Reiter: From Kandinsky to Compendok at Kulturforum – Kupferstichkabinett – March 1 to June 15, 2025
This spring is a big one for fans of abstract expressionism in Berlin. Not one but two exhibitions explore the development of this facet of modern art, with artist Wassily Kandinsky at the center. At the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, over 70 other artists are featured, each experimenting with color, shape, and line to convey abstract themes. With more than 100 works on display, this exhibition serves as a comprehensive overview of this odd and influential artistic movement.
Kulturforum will exhibit 60 works by members of the Blauer Reiter (the Blue Rider) group, which included Kandinsky as a primary influence. The group experimented with color, style, and form, advancing the art of abstraction. Watercolors by Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and over a dozen other artists are on display.
Music
Seong-Jin Cho and the Berlin Philharmonic – March 13 to 15, 2025
Artist-in-residence and renowned pianist Seong-Jin Cho, with the Berlin philharmonic, performs works by some of Central Europe’s best composers: Beethoven, Bartok, and Janacek, making this concert a fantastic overview of Central European Classical music.
MaerzMusik 2025 – various venues, March 21 to 30, 2025
MaerzMusik is a festival celebrating the innovations and creativity in the art of sound, whether it’s music, theater, concerts, or artistic soundscapes. Across multiple venues, this festival does what Berlin does best: give a platform to artists and musicians pushing the boundaries of their craft. Opening the 24th edition is the multimedia musical theatre production MELENCOLIA at Haus der Berliner Festspeiele. The full program is available in February.
Ludovico Einaudi: Open Air – May 31, 2025
The open-air Waldbühne Berlin hosts famed Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi for a special musical evening. Einaudi has amassed a diverse ouevre over a career spanning 40 years, including ballet, cinema and theater scores. Performing a diverse selection of works from across his career, the pianist promises a special musical experience.
Markets and Food
Berlin Chili Fest – May 16 to 18, 2025
Chili lovers can put their spice tolerance to the test at Berlin’s semi-annual Chili Fest. Hot sauces concocted both locally and internationally will be up for sampling, with many chili-friendly foods to put them on. Hot sauce tasting, chili eating contests, and spicy cabarets will also take place. Those who’d rather go for beer can try craft beers from a number of breweries serving up beverages to cool attendees down.
Arminiusmarkthalle in Moabit – Open Monday to Saturday
Berlin is a city of market halls, and while there are other more prominent ones, including Kreuzberg’s Markthalle X (which we’ve covered in the past), we’ve taken a rather recent fancy to Moabit’s local market. Perhaps it’s the fact that Moabit doesn’t feel as gentrified and overrun as Mitte, Prezi or Kreuzberg, or the fact that the produce and food on offer are just really great. So, if you’re up for some adventure and want to explore a whole new district in the city, Arminiusmarkthalle is the place to start.
Theater
FESTTAGE at Staatsoper Unter den Linden – April 11 to 21, 2025
Each spring, the Berlin opera scene celebrates the staid genre with special performances and concerts, including a performance of a Wagner opera. This year, Parsifal is the featured Wagner opera, along with Bellini’s Norma, which was a favorite of Wagner’s. Other composers whose works will be featured in the 2025 edition include Gustav Mahler and Alban Berg.
Berliner Theatertreffen – May 2 – 18, 2025
Berlin’s most important theater festival brings all the varied theater arts together – dance, puppetry, musical theater, installations, and everything in between. Ten plays nominated by a jury for their remarkable performances will be shown.
Parks
As the weather warms, Berliners flock to local parks to relax, exercise, play, or just to get away from the city’s hustle and bustle. The most expansive and beautiful parks also have quirks that make them quintessentially Berlin. Here are our favorites:
Tempelhof
This former airfield has been transformed into an expansive recreational area, the largest of its kind, popular among sports enthusiasts. You’re likely to find dozens of cyclists, skateboarders, scooter users, in-line skaters cruising along the six kilometers of flat asphalt. Dog parks, barbecue areas, and urban gardens also populate the parks. If you want to also get around on wheels, you can rent pedal scooters and bicycles from the Mobilcenter Berlin by the hour or for the day.
Historic Viktoria Park holds the distinction of being at the highest elevation in Berlin, with unique views of the city and a monument commemorating the victory over Napoleon at the summit. The hill also has a waterfall cascading from the foot of the monument, adding to the peaceful atmosphere, as the rushing of the water washes away the urban noise.
Gorlitzer Park
Located just off the Gortliz U-Bahn station in Kreuzberg, Gorlitzer Park is a newer addition to Berlin parks and boasts the charm of urban renewal. The 14-hectare park contains a petting zoo, football fields, fruit tree orchards, and a small lake.
If you’d like to take a deeper dive into Berlin’s history and culture, contact us at Insight Cities to arrange your tour. We have guides who know Berlin’s rich multicultural heritage and turbulent history inside and out — and are fantastic storytellers on top of it all. Spring is when the touring season really starts heating up in Berlin, so get in touch with us to get your Berlin guide today!