Berlin: 2024 will be a year full of highlights

Berlin, September 2023 Berlin has plenty of highlights in store this year - be it the Festival of Lights from 6 to 15 October, during which numerous buildings in Berlin will be showcased in spectacular fashion with elaborate light installations, or the big New Year's Eve show at the Brandenburg Gate. It is, however, already about time to catch a glimpse of the new year. After all, in 2024, there will be many events in the capital that will make a trip to the German capital well worth the while. In the summer, for instance, Berlin will host the UFEA Euro 2024, and come autumn, the world will once again be turning its gaze to Berlin when the fall of the Berlin Wall is commemorated on its 35th anniversary. And a multitude of art and cultural events will make the city a centre of attraction for national and international guests in the coming year as well.

Four weeks of football fever - and the finals in Berlin

The undisputed highlight of the 2024 sporting year is the UEFA Euro 2024 European Football Championship taking place from 14 June to 14 July. Under the motto "United by Football - United in the Heart of Europe", 24 nations will play to win the title, which is awarded every four years. There are a total of ten venues throughout Germany. Among them, Berlin bears a special significance: In addition to three group matches and one round of 16 and one quarter-final, the Olympic Stadium will also be the venue for the finals. The world is well aware that Berlin is not only a place to watch football, but also a place to celebrate, at least since the 2006 Summer World Cup. At UEFA Euro 2024, there will of course again be a Fan-Fest on the Straße des 17. Juni, and the Brandenburg Gate will be transformed into the largest football goal in the world.

35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall - Berlin writes world history

The fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 was one of the most important events in recent history. It marked the end of the division of Berlin - and the entire world - into East and West, and saw the end of the Cold War that had lasted for decades. At the same time, the fall of the Wall was also the starting point for reunification just under a year later. In 2024, Berlin celebrates the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A whole series of events and ceremonial events with high-ranking international guests are planned to celebrate the anniversary in a way that befits the occasion.

Distinguished painters in Berlin museums

One of the cultural highlights to be held in the coming year is the exhibition "Caspar David Friedrich - Infinite Landscapes" from 19 April to 4 August in the Alte Nationalgalerie. The show in Berlin includes about 60 paintings and 50 drawings by Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), the most eminent painter of German Romanticism. It is part of a series of thematically independent exhibitions on the 250th birth anniversary of the artist, together with the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

Another outstanding exhibition awaits visitors from 17 July to 3 November in the Gemäldegalerie. It shows around 70 works by the Dutch artist Frans Hals (1582/83-1666), one of the greatest portrait painters of all time. The exhibition was previously shown at the National Gallery in London and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Arts and cultural events of the year 2024

And of course, there are also events scheduled for next year, some of which have a decades-old tradition. In February, the city will once again be the hub of the film world on the occasion of the 74th Berlinale (from 15 to 24 February 2024). At the Carnival of Cultures (from 17 to 20 May 2024), visitors can explore Berlin with all its creative influences from all over the globe. There will be a range of culinary delights, arts and crafts, music and live performances in the capital, all of which have a global, cosmopolitan and diverse flavour. At the Fête de la Musique on 21 June 2024, music in all its glory will be talk of the town. Amateurs and professionals alike will make music all over the city, at over 200 venues, always free of charge. The great festival of music was invented in Paris in the year 1982, was brought to Berlin in 1995 and is now celebrated in over 500 cities worldwide. And of course, we cannot do without Christopher Street Day on 27 July 2024. Every year, the demonstration procession and the big closing party around the Victory Column set a lively example for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Up to one million people are expected to attend the CSD in Berlin again in 2024.

More of the highlights in the visitBerlin events calendar

One of the best and easiest ways to get an overview of Berlin's huge range of events is to check out visitBerlin's events calendar. Those interested can search and sort the events there by date, district and type of event. The editorial team at visitBerlin also shares daily tips on particularly special highlights.