The best events in Berlin in December 2019

Some cities may say they take the lead up to Christmas seriously, but there’s nowhere that does it quite like Berlin. We adore Christmas, and it shows when you come to visit our city at this time of year.

From market stalls dotted all around the city, to ice skating to tobogganing on the Teufelsberg, there truly is something for everyone no matter your reason for visiting Berlin at this time of year.

Here are some of the seasonal highlights in the city as well as some of the top events taking place across Berlin this December.

Christmas Markets in Berlin:

• Date: throughout December
• Venue: All across the city

We don’t just have one, or five or ten markets in the city in the lead up to Christmas. There are over 50 themed markets spread across the city with many having their own unique reasons for visiting. 

In terms of popularity, Gendarmenmarkt is considered the most renowned and perfectly encapsulates the authenticity of a local market for tourists. There’s also the old Christmas market at the Opernpalais that is supremely charming in the evenings and has some old-style amusement rides that are extremely popular for taking your picture by. 

Other Christmas markets in Berlin to check out include: 

• Advent Eco Market at Kollwitzplatz – a market that sells environmentally conscious products
• Advent market at Ökowerk – an alternative market with stalls selling non-traditional gifts
• Domäne Dahlem – If you love organic products, you’ll love this marke
• Children’s Christmas Market at FEZ-Berlin – the main market aimed at families with a focus on children’s activities
• Hohenschönhausen Castle – possibly one of the more ornate markets you’ll ever see
• Alt-Buckow Christmas Market – a good example of a neighbourhood market
• Artisan Christmas market at Mexikoplatz – a market made for craft lovers
• Christmas market at Klunkerkranich – it’s a bit out of town, but the views are great
• Danish Christmas market – usually in the first weekend of the month in Brienner Straße 12
• Fabelhafte Weihnachtswelt at Sony Center – it’s covered so better if it’s raining
• Holy S**t Shopping – a bit profane, but has trendier gifts to buy from hip shops around town all in one place
• Spandau Christmas market – it’s the biggest and busiest

On the off chance, you want to do a little more than market hop throughout the month, there is a lot you can get up to this December in Berlin. Here are our picks of the best events to take time out for.

Top events in Berlin in December 2019: 

• Herbie Hancock at Berlin Philharmonic – 2nd December
• Hot Chip at Columbia Halle – 3rd December
• White Lies at Tempordrom – 3rd December
• Midge Ure's Band Electronica at Columbia Theatre – 8th December
• The Stranglers at Huxley’s Neue Welt – 8th December
• Sasha at Admiralsplast – 10th December
• Loyle Carner at Astra Kulturhaus – 12th December
• TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin at Treptow Arena – 11th to 13th December
• Klassik Radio Live at Tempodrom – 13th December
• Blue Man Group at Stage Theater Bluemax – 21st December
• Royal Christmas Concerts at Great Orangery – 24th to 26th December
• NYE at Brandenburg Gate – 31st December

More information on some of the events in Berlin in December: 

Herbie Hancock

• Date: 2nd December
• Venue: Berlin Philharmonic

A great way to kick off the month with the American piano legend coming to town. Expect to hear classics like Rockit and Watermelon Men, as well as the possibility of a few Christmas tunes thrown in for good measure. 

Hot Chip

• Date: 3rd December
• Venue: Columbiahalle 

Some of the finest synth-pop to ever come from the UK, Hot Chip have been going for almost 20 years now; debut album The Warning was released back in 2006. Expect many pop-bangers and a lot of boogying. 

White Lies

• Date: 3rd December
• Venue: Tempordrom 

Coming fresh off the release of their fifth studio album Five (very aptly titled) White Lies make a brief stop in Berlin on their European winter tour.

Midge Ure’s Band Electronica

• Date: 8th December
• Venue: Columbia Theater 

This is a bit of an exciting one for lovers of Ure’s breakthrough Vienna album. It’s been 40 years since its release, and this show will see the alum performed in its entirety, along with choice cuts from Visage too.

The Stranglers

• Date: 8th December
• Venue: Huxley’s Neue Welt

There will be many coins tossed deciding whether to go to Midge Ure or The Stranglers when both take place on the same night. The gig at Huxley’s will be the third and final German stop on their European Tour so expect a lively show.

Sasha

• Date: 10th December
• Venue: Admiralsplast

What a dance treat to sneak up on us this month. It will feel very 90s all of a sudden with this midweek show. Expect nothing but 90s style house all night long.

Loyle Carner

• Date: 12th December
• Venue: Astra Kulturhaus

A bit of soothing hip-hop on a Thursday night sounds like a nice treat, and Loyle Carner can provide it by the bucketload. This will be Carner’s first time playing in the city since the release of second album Not Waving, but Drowning earlier in the year

TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin

• Date:11th to 13th December
• Venue: Treptow Arena

December isn’t usually a month to hold conferences, but TechCrunch is back again to hold another Disrupt Berlin. This year’s event puts a big focus on start-ups with talks galore as well from exhibits all industries including biotech, fintech, media, investing and eCommerce. 

Klassik Radio Live

• Date: 13th December
• Venue: Tempodrom

This is a great surprise event if you love your movie scores. Klassik Radio Live is a full orchestra experience that takes the German-based classical music station and brings it to a live audience. The shows are known for playing crowd-pleasers and lots of music from the movies. 

Blue Man Group 

• Date: 21st December
• Venue: Stage Bluemax Theater

The Blue Man Group are performing all month long, but this performance is one of the last just before Christmas. If you’ve never seen them before it’s an absolute must-do when in town.

Royal Christmas Concerts

• Date: 24th to 26th December
• Venue: Great Orangery

An institution over the Christmas holidays, these performances make for a very memorable experience, especially if you’re one of the people lucky enough to get tickets for the performance on Christmas Day.

NYE at Brandenburg Gate

• Date: 31st December
• Venue: Brandenburg Gate

You’ll always see it on the news every year as part of NYE celebrations around the world, and this could be your chance to join one of the biggest parties in Europe. 

The event is free, starting at 7 pm and going all the way through to 3 am. Fireworks are always on midnight. We recommend anyone going to make sure they wrap up as it will feel very cold no matter how much you move about and dance. 

Where to stay in Berlin in December?

Anyone coming to our fantastic city at this time of year should get in the festive mode and treat themselves to accommodation with something special. 

Here at Capri by Fraser Berlin, we have serviced apartments that give the feeling of living like a local with the comfort of a hotel. Choose from serviced studio apartments that have the perfect mixture of luxury and city living, or liv it up in a 4-star serviced one-bedroom apartment; ideal for putting your feet up after a day around the Christmas markets. 

And be sure to check out our latest offers to see if you can save a little extra when staying in Berlin.