Posted by Berlin – Night Life is extensive. The best advice is buying one of the city magazines. They list everything that is going on in town. A few places we do want to recommend though. As a rule; whatever you feel like there most definitely will be a place for you.
Theatre and stage
If you do understand German give it a go. The theatre scene in Berlin is wicked. My personal favourite is the Volksbühneam Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Be prepared to see the things on stage you’ve never seen before (at least not in a decent theatre).
The Berliner Ensemble has a pretty good reputation. They mostly play Brecht but not only.
Wühlmäuse is a comedy theatre in Pommernallee 2-4. It is run by one of the most famous German comedians and well known to have the best stand up comedians on stage.
Friedrichstadtpalast is the largest revue theatre in Europe. If you like that kind of stuff here is your chance.
If you like opera, there are three of them in Berlin: Staatsoper unter den Linden, Deutsche Oper and Komische Oper. Other than that; you can also enjoy classical ballet. The best address to do so is the Staatsballett Berlin.
Jazz
B-Flat (Rosenthaler Straße) – they have live music on every night and are considered one of the first addresses for Jazz in Berlin.
Badenscher Hof – a small but really cool Jazz Club in a residential area Wilmersdorf. They’d normally have good acts on stage but check in advance.
A-Trane (Bleibtreustraße 1 / Ecke Pestalozzistraße) – live Jazz every night. A cosy night club not too far away from Zoologischer Garten.
Quasimodo – Berlins oldest Jazz Club. Check out their web site for the latest listings
Techno
Tresor – was one of the most famous Techno Clubs in Germany. It was opened in 1991 and had a huge impact on the German Techno scene. It was shut down in 2005 and since re-opened in a different location. (Tresor 2 / Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Mitte/Köpenicker Straße).
E-Werk – was one of the classic Techno clubs in Berlin. It was shut down in 1997 but re-opened in 2005 not as a dedicated Techno Club but they still have music events. (Mauerstraße/Wilhelmstraße)
KitKatClub – is a rather infamous club in the night life of Berlin but you might enjoy it. It is well known for it’s rather … let’s say explicit performances. Sad news is; their contract is running out so they are facing closure as well.
Bunker – another famous location that was shut down. The building now houses an art exhibition. The ROTOR was closed down as well. Don’t know what’s wrong with Berlin.
Live
If you get a chance check out the Waldbühne. It is an awesome location. During summer there are loads of live acts and they show movies as well. I’m not sure if that’s still going on but I watched “Pulp Fiction” there with another about 20.000 people.
Kulturbrauerei – a very arty location with stages, exhibitions and more. It’s located in a former brewery and an ultra cool location. Check it out. It’s in Schönhauser Allee 36.
Tempodrom – that used to be a tent in the Tiergarten that also had an outdoor stage. That’s gone but the new Tempodrom is not too bad either. It’s now in Möckernstraße.
Columbiahalle – is always good for a concert. There is room for up to 3500 people so it’s not too bad. Check out the listing.
FRANZZ Club – that used to be the hottest address in East Berlin. In 1997 it was shut down because the guy who ran the place refused to pay a bit more rent. It was turned into a Bavarian restaurant that – needless to say – didn’t do so well in Berlin. The good news is, the FRANZZ Club was recently re-opened. Give it a go.
KNAACK – another excellent location in Greifswalder Straße 224, live acts and DJ’s
Olympiastadion – on any normal day would host sport events but for bigger gigs – let’s say the Stones are in town – is the location of choice.
Tacheles – was a so called Art House in Oranienburger Straße. They had loads of stuff going on including cinema, live acts and performance art. Their Café Zapata is a pretty cool place to chill out and have a coffee or beer. Unfortunately Tacheles is the latest victim of the total lack of vision in local politics. I don’t know the exact argument but the place was shut down and from what I hear for good. It is a crying shame that this cultural monument is gone but unfortunately not all people appreciate how important places like the Tacheles are in order to keep Berlin the cultural Mekka it is. The Tacheles has reopened in Berlin Marzahn but personally I never bothered.
FACTS ABOUT BERLIN NIGHT LIFE:
- Night Life in Berlin is extensive
- There are city magazines that list all events by day and location.
- Most interesting is the semi underground cultural life.
- Locations change constantly especially when it comes to indie clubs.
- There is no curfew. The nights are long.
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