Gig tripping on trend: fans travelling to concerts in Berlin

Berlin, 29 July 2024 ‘Berlin, Berlin, we're going to Berlin’: this didn't just apply to footballers and fans for the UEFA EURO 2024 final. Music stars such as Justin Timberlake (30 and 31 July 24), Paul Kalkbrenner (14 September 24), Bob Dylan (10, 11 and 12 October 24), Usher (1 , 2 and 4 May 25) and - the big highlight - Billie Eilish (9 May 25) are also coming to Berlin and have a large fan base following them: Gig tripping is one of the big travelling trends.

Concerts in the capital are one of the most important reasons for day travellers to visit the city
Gig tripping not only fills concert halls, but also hotel beds and Berlin's coffers. Art and culture in general are among the top three reasons for visiting Berlin (Quality Monitor). Attending pop and rock concerts in particular accounts for around three per cent of overnight trips to Berlin. 
Concerts are also an important reason for visiting the German capital for day travellers: 16% of private day travellers - that is around 16.2 million visitors - come to Berlin for a special event such as a concert. This main reason for a day trip to Berlin ranks second after visiting relatives, friends or acquaintances. Of course, the event experience takes centre stage, but it is also about exploring the city. On average, day travellers spend 37.90 euros per person in Berlin in restaurants, retail outlets and on services. More than half of private day trips to Berlin (54%) take place at the weekend (15% Friday, 24% Saturday, 15% Sunday). Most day travellers are between 20 and 40 years old.

Berlin's special venues
For decades, Berlin clubs have made the city a place of longing - and a magnet for night owls from all over the world. Not least since Berlin techno, the soundtrack to reunification, has been recognised as a UNESCO cultural heritage site and the city's famous nightlife attracts millions of international and German guests every year, Berlin has become a popular concert, club and cultural metropolis. In addition to the artists who choose Berlin, this is also due to the exclusive venues on offer, from small underground clubs to legendary venues and large halls: The Uber Arena (up to 17,000 people per event) and the Olympiastadion Berlin (over 74,000 spectators per event) both celebrated attendance records with 1.5 million visitors last year. The Waldbühne (space for 22,290 people) registered over 350,000 visitors. Up to 17,000 spectators attend open-air concerts at the Parkbühne Wuhlheide. The Velodrom and the Max-Schmeling-Halle have space for up to 12,000 people; the Uber Eats Music Hall (formerly Verti Music Hall) for 4,400 people and the Zitadelle Spandau with its historic backdrop can hold 6,000 visitors. What makes events in Berlin special are the striking locations, such as the Tempodrom in the form of a circus tent for up to 4,200 people, the versatile Columbiahalle for 3,500 people or the gigantic hangar building and the airport apron of the former Tempelhof Airport at Berlin's oasis, Tempelhofer Feld. The Festsaal Kreuzberg (1,500 people) regularly hosts concerts and other exciting events. The Astra Kulturhaus can accommodate up to 2,000 people. SO36 (up to 800 people) is a Kreuzberg cult venue for unusual concerts. Medium-sized venues include the Gretchen, a cool live club for up to 500 people, the Frannz Club (350 people) on the grounds of the Kulturbrauerei or the Heimathafen Neukölln, a cultural space on Karl-Marx-Straße (450 people). The Cassiopeia club (400 people) is a concert venue on the R.A.W. site, the Lido (400 people) is Kreuzberg's rock-indie-electro-pop living room, and the FluxBau has a large Spree terrace and capacity for around 300 people.

Which music icons will be performing in Berlin in 2024 and 2025?

•  26, 27 + 29 July 2024: Peter Fox sings about big city life at the Parkbühne Wuhlheide.
• 30 + 31 July 2024: Star Justin Timberlake performs at the Uber Arena as part of his ‘The Forget Tomorrow World Tour’.
• 10 August 2024: Tom Jones, Mr Sexbomb, comes to Berlin.
• 23, 24 + 25 August 2024: Die Ärzte (from Berlin!) play at Tempelhofer Feld.
• 24 August 2024: Deichkind at the Parkbühne Wuhlheide.
• 6 September 2024: Jan Delay and his band Disko No.1 go on a big ‘Best of 25 Years’ summer tour and play at Berlin's Uber Eats Music Hall.
• 7 + 8 September: The music festival with megastars Lollapalooza Berlin is one of the hottest festivals in Germany and takes place on the grounds of the Olympiastadion and Olympiapark.
• 14 September 2024: Germany's biggest techno artist Paul Kalkbrenner performs at the Wuhlheide.
• 22 September: Moby returns to the stage after more than a decade and plays at the Velodrom.
• 8 October 2024: Five-time Grammy Award winner Janet Jackson brings her ‘Together Again’ tour to the Uber Arena in Berlin.
• 9 October 2024: Alice Cooper comes to Berlin.
• 10, 11 +12 October 2024: Rock star Bob Dylan comes to the Uber Eats Arena in Berlin.
• 18 December 2024: The Fantastischen Vier play at the Berlin Uber Arena.
• 15 February 2025: The legendary Dropkick Murphys come to Berlin's Max-Schmeling-Halle.
• 21 February 2025: 50 years of Kool Savas: a milestone in rap history! Kool Savas in the Max-Schmeling-Halle.
• 25 February 2025: ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour’ - the legendary Cyndi Lauper comes to Berlin's Uber Arena.
• 14 March + 22 August 2025: The trio K.I.Z dedicate their new album to Görlitzer Park in Berlin-Kreuzberg and play in the Max-Schmeling-Halle as well as additional concerts on 22 and 23 August 2025 in the Wuhlheide.
• 27 March 2025: Tokio Hotel perform in Berlin at the Uber Eats Music Hall (formerly Verti Music Hall).
• 29 March 2025: During his ‘Millennium Symphony Live Tour 2025’, star violinist David Garrett plays Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Apache 207, among others, in Berlin.
• 1, 2 +4 May 2025: Usher comes to Berlin in 2025 with his ‘Past Present Future’ world tour, causing a sensation among his fans.
• 9 May 2025: US superstar Billie Eilish performs at Berlin's Uber Arena as part of her tour ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour’.
• 31 May. 2025: For fans of film music, Ludovico Einaudi is the open-air summer event of 2025 at the Waldbühne.
• 26 + 27 November 2025: Kontra K, one of Germany's most successful musicians, performs at Berlin's Uber Arena.
• 6 December 2025: Berlin rapper Luciano is one of the most successful rappers in Germany and comes to the Uber Arena.

It's not just the superstars of pop, rock and rap, the classical music scene also attracts a large audience to Berlin, for example to the operas and Konzerthaus Berlin, the Musikfest Berlin with top international orchestras and choirs (24 August to 18 September 2024), the Young Euro Classicfestival with youth orchestras from all over the world (9 to 25 August 2024), the Staatsoper Berlin Festival (11 to 21 April 2025) and the Staatsoper für alleclassical open-air festival (22 June 2025). The Philharmoniker's end-of-season concertat the Waldbühne (28 June 2025) is always a highlight of the year.
The visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office's Meeting Guide Berlin offers planners the right venue for every event with just a few clicks. Events and tickets at visitBerlin.de.