Berlin In Summer

Berlin is a city that’s been marching to its own beat for decades now, earning it the reputation as one of the coolest cities in Europe, if not the world. There’s a freedom here that encourages people to be themselves, creating spaces where culture flourishes. And in summer, this spirit bursts to life. Follow the cool crowd to pop-up shows in one-of-a-kind venues, uncover contemporary artists breaking new ground and revel in Berlin’s underground music scene that rises to the surface every summer.

The time for Berlin is now, so treat yourself this summer and become ein Berliner on a sunny stay in this incredible city. Just leaving our Charlottenburg bolthole here for reference for your brilliant summer stay.

Art In The City

Berlin is powered by creativity. When the sun begins to shine, the city becomes an open air gallery with events all summer long. 

The city’s style is unmistakable. It’s one that’s heavily influenced by its techno music scene and nightclub culture, creating a look that’s unique to the city. While other major fashion shows focus on haute couture and designers that most could never dream of affording, Berlin Fashion Week goes against the flow and makes fashion accessible. Fashion forward visitors will find shows open to the public that celebrate emerging designers alongside established names in venues across the city from July 2nd to 5th.

Alongside our home of Charlottenburg, Neukölln is Berlin’s other must-visit neighbourhood, especially from July 3rd to 5th when 48 Stunden is on. This community-driven festival is one of the largest in the country and takes over the neighbourhood with large scale pieces in public parks and intimate showings in make-shift galleries – all with a hyperlocal influence.

Emerging Artists and Superstar Headliners

During Berlin’s snowy winters, its music scene lives in its famous nightclubs. But when the sun starts to shine, music begins to take over the city streets and outdoor venues. On the summer solstice on June 21st, the entire city turns into a free music venue for Fête de la Musique, where you can see a live gig at any of the almost 300 stages. Plan your day around some of the bigger acts or play it by ear and take a stroll through the city, discovering local artists as you go. Keep the party going into the night with Fête de la Nuit’s free gigs in bars and nightclubs after the sun sets.

If your summer music plans normally revolve around big name acts, then Citadel Music Festival needs to be on your radar. It’s a multi-genre event with dates dotted across the summer and headlined by acts like Massive Attack, Pixies and Mac de Marco. Held in Spandau Citadel, the venue is almost worth the ticket price by itself as you’ll dance to banging tunes in the Renaissance fortress built on an island where the Havel and Spree rivers meet.

There’s A Berlin Festival For You

Berlin is one of those energetic cities where the buzz is ever-present. Of course, you can take it handy here, but it’s very easy to spend all day and night out and about in the city, hopping from festival to event and back again. For bookworms, grab a coffee from Benedict in the lobby of The Dean Berlin and jump on the U-Bahn to Bebelplatz for a relaxed morning at the Berlin Book Festival on June 27th and 28th. This open air book fair is the ideal place to find your next page turner and hear authors speak about their works.

Openness and acceptance are two things that Berlin has in spades, which has seen the gay scene thrive here since the late 60s. It’s no surprise then to hear that their version of Pride is something special. Named Christopher Street Day after the street where New York’s Stonewall riots took place, the festival has events running from June 26th to July 27th. The highlights come towards the end of the festivities with the Christopher Street Day auf der Spree boat party on July 23rd and the parade following on the 25th.

Few cities embrace summer quite like Berlin; each neighbourhood takes on a new life and every interest and passion is indulged. Book a stay at The Dean Berlin and enter your Charlottenburg adventure. 

Cían Byrne is an award winning travel writer and author of the Moon Guide to Ireland. He splits his time between the mountains and cities, where he’s always on the lookout for a good pub and the next great place to eat.