It’s a packed weekend! We’ve got our picks for Berlin Art Week, a brand-new design festival, Renate’s 19th birthday, Open Monument Day and much more.

It’s one of my favorite times of year! Berlin Art Week is back with a packed schedule. Check out all my picks here on the blog or get a shorter version over on TikTok.

Currents is Berlin’s brand-new community-oriented design festival. Their intention is to shine a light on Berlin’s vibrant design scene, through free events and talks all over the city. Not sure where to go? Hansaviertel is the main hub with the historic Eternithaus functioning as the Currents Bar and several options to visit nearby. (Personally, I wish this wasn’t happening at the same time as Art Week but perhaps they designed it that way!)

There are loads of amazing art events happening this week but one series in particular is a stand out. Perform! is back at Neue Nationalgalerie with free performances of Trisha Brown's "Walking on the Wall" on the windows of the building.

Transgressive Memory Festival takes over silent green this weekend. Presented by the Körber Foundation in collaboration with platforms like CTM Festival, transmediale, and VideoClub, the festival explores the idea that memory is not simply a static historical record, but an active, evolving space. Through digital elements (such as loops, glitches, networks, and databases), artists and thinkers such as Forensic Architecture, Dania, and Gabriel Massa, question technology's role in shaping collective awareness and archives.

The courtyard of a theater in Wedding comes alive this weekend as Berlin artist Viron Erol Vert along with students of Kunsthochschule Weißensee present Under the Table: a multidimensional installation that reimagines Eastern Mediterranean table cultures as a fragile, cyclical space of destruction, purification, and renewal.

The berlin modern museum is still under construction, but that’s not stopping it from joining in the Berlin Art Week fun this weekend. Five select works from Gordon Matta-Clark are being presented in dialogue with the museum’s architecture. Matta-Clark is well-known for his radical “building cuts” which transform buildings by cutting directly into their structures.

One year ago, no one would have thought this moment would happen. But here it is! Celebrate Renate’s 19th birthday this weekend with a suitably-stacked 66-hour party featuring residents and guests like Daniel Avery, DJ Pete, Mary Lake and more.

If you’re feeling torn between art and the club this weekend, this is the one. The Soft Power Festival returns to Haus der Visionäre this weekend for its second edition. To coincide with Berlin Art Week, it's one part party and one part exhibition, featuring about 40 visual artists, performers and food creators each exploring themes around diversity and social cohesion. There will also be a multi-day radio broadcast from Refuge Worldwide as well as a continuous dance floor in Sonnenraum with loads of your favorite DJs.

Tickets (€45) here.

As part of their Berlin Art Week programming, Laraaji will perform live at the Reethaus. The concert is part of "The Ear is the Eye of the Soul," a project by the Holy See for the Venice Biennale, which is curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with the Soundwalk Collective. Laraaji will improvise on piano, zither, and gong in response to compositions by Hildegard von Bingen.

Modeselektor comes home to their roots in Köpenick with their “Family & Friends” daytime rave. They will be playing vinyl only with Anna Z as a special guest. This is a child-friendly event, with more than just dancing to entertain you. There will also be a food court, as well as a skatepark, street art, basketball and even beach volleyball.

The usual karaoke Thursday night at Tipsy Bear gets an emotional makeover with a dual celebration for queer icons Dolly Parton & Tim Curry. Here's your big chance to dress up like Dr. Frank-N-Furter and sing 9 to 5—a downright GOATed combo if you ask me. If that wasn't enticing enough, €2 from every ticket goes to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Aussie punk band Nancy and the Jam Fancys takes over the Kantine am Berghain on Thursday with support from local Schwindel. Bring your earplugs!

Klub Verboten is celebrating their tenth birthday with a party at the new kink-focused venue, Rosa. The DJ line-up is being kept secret but you know the drill.

Brammibals teams up with Oatly on Saturday for a morning of dancing, coffee and Franzbrötchen-inspired donuts. Pop-in for a caffeinated boogie to kick off your day.

If you’ve ever looked at up at a random building in Berlin and wondered what it looked like inside, here’s your chance. Open Monument Day shines a light on many buildings in Berlin that usually aren’t open to the public. There are also guided tours and talks from architects. My picks are the Hansaviertel tour and the architectural history of the Bauhaus Archiv.

As part of Currents, Deoron transforms Monopol into design heaven. Grab your free ticket and swing by to check out this temporary home for the objects, furniture and ideas they’ve curated from designers, studios and brands around the world.

It’s a strong weekend for sports in Berlin, with the semifinals and finals of the FIBA women’s basketball. Go cheer on the German team!

Polish-born Berlin-based designer Kasia Ku holds a rare studio sale this weekend. Pop by to pick up one of her signature 3D-printed latex pieces.