Hey Berliners!

Lollapalooza is done, and the World Cup ends tonight. So here's the good news: this week, Berlin's best stuff costs nothing.

There's free live music almost every night. DURCHLÜFTEN runs nightly at the Humboldt Forum, and a reader who went last year says you don't need to rush; there's plenty of space. Berlin Beats brings MARRØN to the Hamburger Bahnhof garden on Thursday, free; no ticket is needed. Friday night the Volksfestsommer lights up the sky with fireworks. And the summer sales have finally started for real — up to 70% off before the official Schlussverkauf even begins on the 27th.

One thing that isn't free and isn't coming back: Göbeklitepe closes today, and Brancusi leaves on 9 August. If you've been meaning to go, this is the week.

— Dr Yassir A Shuaib

No shoutout this week; be the first in next week's issue. Refer three friends and you're in the next issue.

Want a shoutout? Here's how it works:

Forward this email to someone who lives in Berlin or friends anywhere in Germany who want direct links to the best deals. If they subscribe, it counts.

👨 For Him
👟 Nike summer sale — Pegasus from ~€126 (down from €180); ~€98 at SportScheck (set region to Germany)
🔗 Browse Nike sale

🥾 Clarks sale — leather shoes from ~€45
🔗 Browse Clarks sale
🧳 Samsonite — up to 30% off cases
🔗 Browse Samsonite sale

👩 For Her
👗 COS sale — up to 70% off
🔗 Browse COS sale
🛍️ Bershka sale — deep cuts on summer stock
🔗 Browse Bershka sale

🧒 For Kids & Family
🍔 Burger King app coupons — check the in-app dates before ordering
🔗 Browse Burger King coupons

Berlin's best week this summer costs nothing. Here's the run.

🌍 DURCHLÜFTEN — Humboldt Forum · to 1 Aug · FREE ⭐
Open-air stage every festival evening: two concerts + a DJ set (19:00 / 20:30 / 22:00). 24 acts, 12 DJs, no ticket. This week: Thu 23, Yalla Miku · Fri 24: Humazapas · Sat 25 Loma Reqs.
📍 Schloßplatz, Mitte — U5 Museumsinsel / S Hackescher Markt
🔗 Programme here

🎧 Berlin Beats: MARRØN — Thu 23 · 19:00–22:00 · FREE ⭐
Afro-deep techno in the Hamburger Bahnhof garden. Street food + bar; exhibitions open till 20:00. The bar and food queues are the real wait — get a drink early.
📍 Invalidenstr. 50–51 — S Hauptbahnhof
🔗 More info here

🎆 Volksfestsommer FIREWORKS — Fri 24 · ~22:00 · FREE
63rd year, 60+ rides. Free entry — pay only for rides and food. Wed is Family Day (reduced prices).
📍 Kurt-Schumacher-Damm 207 — U6/U7
🔗 More info here

🎤 Seal — Thu 23 · 19:00 · from €87.90 · Ticketed
30 years of Seal I and II – 'Kiss from a Rose' and 'Crazy' – in a Renaissance fortress. No bags bigger than A4.
📍 Zitadelle Spandau, Am Juliusturm 64 — U7 Zitadelle
🔗 Tickets here

A cooler, wetter week ahead — perfect for indoor events and museums.

Sun 19: 12–20°C · light rain
Mon 20: 11–19°C · light rain
Tue 21: 12–23°C · cloudy
Wed 22: 12–21°C · light rain
Thu 23: 13–22°C · light rain
Fri 24: 13–22°C · cloudy (fireworks night — take a jacket)
Sat 25: 15–25°C · cloudy, turning to rain

🔗 Full forecast here

⚽ World Cup final tonight — Spain vs Argentina, 21:00
Germany's drama: Nagelsmann out, Klopp in talks. See Sport.

🏛️ Göbeklitepe closes today
12,000-year-old finds from Türkiye — older than Stonehenge. Last day at the James Simon Gallery until 18:00. €14/€7.

🚇 S-Bahn still cut through the holidays
No S1, S8, S25, S26 or S85 between Bornholmer Str. and Schönholz until 17 Aug. S1 is rerouted via Pankow; a replacement bus via Wollankstraße.
🔗 Check S-Bahn changes here

🎨 UdK Rundgang — final day today
The University of the Arts opens its studios until 19:00. Free, no ticket. Hardenbergstr. 33.
🔗 More info here

🏛️ Göbeklitepe — James Simon Gallery · CLOSES TODAY until 18:00 · €14/€7 ⭐
12,000-year-old monumental structures — older than Stonehenge, older than writing. Six-metre T-pillars and colossal carved figures archaeologists still can't fully explain. Last day — doors close at 18:00.
📍 Am Lustgarten, Museum Island — S Hackescher Markt
🔗 More info

🎨 THE DARK ROOMS: VEINS · to 26 Jul · Thu–Sun · Ticketed
An abandoned cinema complex — with hidden tunnels and dark chambers — filled with installations by 10 international light and sound artists. Location revealed 48h before your slot. Welcome cocktail included. Final week.
📍 Secret location—revealed 48 h before
🔗 Book tickets

🌫️ Fujiko Nakaya: Fog Sculpture — Neue Nationalgalerie · Free
A cloud you can walk into in the sculpture garden—the coolest thing in Berlin, heatwave or not. Fires on the hour, 11am–5pm (Thu to 7). Runs to 25 October.
📍 Potsdamer Str. 50—U/S Potsdamer Platz
🔗 More info

🏮 Water Lantern Festival — Britzer Garten · Fri 24 & Sat 25 · 18:00 · Ticketed ⭐
Germany's first. Hundreds of lanterns released onto the boating lake at sunset — you get sunset—youate and write on your own, then launch it around 21:00. Live music, food trucks, and local crafts. Everything is biodegradable and collected afterwards. The ticket includes park entry.
📍 Sangerhauser Weg 1, Britzer Garten, Neukölln — U6 + bus
🔗 Tickets here

🎨 UdK Rundgang—17–19 July · Free ⭐

Once a year, at the end of the academic year, Berlin's University of the Arts throws open every door—studios, workshops, practice rooms, and rehearsal spaces—across its campuses for three days. Fine art, design, music, and performing arts: you walk in on students' final projects before anyone else sees them.

It's free, it's citywide (the main campus is on Hardenbergstraße in Charlottenburg), and it's one of the best weekends Berlin gives away.

📍 Hardenbergstr. 33+ venues citywide — U2 Ernst-Reuter-Platz
🔗 More info here

SUN 19 · today
⚽ WORLD CUP FINAL · 21:00 — Spain v Argentina; see Sport
🔗 Fixtures here
🏛️ Göbeklitepe · FINAL DAY — until 18:00; see Berlin Picks · 📍 Museum Island — S Hackescher Markt
🛒 Flohmarkt Mauerpark · 10:00–18:00 · Free — 500+ stalls · Bearpit Karaoke from 15:00 · cash only · 📍 U8 Bernauer Str.
🔗 More info
🛒 Flohmarkt Boxhagener Platz · 10:00–18:00 · Free — calmer; playground on-site · 📍 U5 Frankfurter Tor
🔗 More info

TUE 21
🌿 Türkenmarkt · 11:00–18:30 · Free — prices drop after 17:30 · 📍 Maybachufer — U8 Schönleinstr.
🔗 More info
🗣️ Language Exchange · 19:00 · Free — Travolta Bar, all levels, no sign-up · 📍 Wiener Str. 14b — U1 Görlitzer Bhf
🔗 More info

WED 22
🎡 Volksfestsommer — Family Day — reduced rides · free entry · 📍 Kurt-Schumacher-Damm 207 — U6/U7
🔗 More info
🏊 Lake day at Schlachtensee — swim, then beer at the Fischerhütte; make a day of it (see Restaurant Pick) · 📍 S1 Schlachtensee
🏊 Lake day at Plötzensee — a proper city dip in Wedding, no journey needed · 📍 U9/S Beusselstr.
🔗 Water quality

THU 23
🎤 Seal · 19:00 · from €87.90 — 30 years of Seal I + II · Zitadelle Spandau · 📍 U7 Zitadelle
🔗 Tickets here
🎧 Berlin Beats: MARRØN · 19:00–22:00 · FREE — Hamburger Bahnhof garden; see Lead · 📍 Invalidenstr. 50–51 — S Hauptbahnhof
🔗 More info
🌍 DURCHLÜFTEN · from 19:00 · FREE — Yalla Miku; Humboldt Forum courtyard · 📍 Schloßplatz — U5 Museumsinsel
🔗 Programme
🎨 THE DARK ROOMS: VEINS · Thu–Sun to 26 Jul · Ticketed — see Berlin Picks · 📍 secret location
🔗 Book tickets
🍜 Street Food Thursday · 17:00–22:00 · Free entry — 30+ vendors, Markthalle Neun · 📍 U1 Görlitzer Bhf
🔗 More info

FRI 24
🎆 Volksfestsommer FIREWORKS · ~22:00 · FREE — see Lead · 📍 Kurt-Schumacher-Damm 207 — U6/U7
🌍 DURCHLÜFTEN · from 19:00 · FREE — Humazapas; Humboldt Forum courtyard · 📍 Schloßplatz
🌿 Türkenmarkt · 11:00–18:30 · Free — 📍 Maybachufer
🏮 Water Lantern Festival · 18:00 · Ticketed — lantern launch ~21:00, Britzer Garten; see Berlin Picks · 📍 Sangerhauser Weg 1
🔗 Tickets here
🎤 Wincent Weiss · 19:00 · Ticketed — Sommertour 2026, Zitadelle Spandau · 📍 U7 Zitadelle
🔗 Tickets here

SAT 25
👨‍👩‍👧 GEOLINO Family Festival · from €30/person · Gärten der Welt — with UNICEF; music from 15:00; see Family Pick · 📍 U5 Kienberg
🔗 More info
🎡 Treptower Park Fest · Fri–Sun · FREE — two stages, rides, street food on the Spree · 📍 S Treptower Park ·
🔗 More info
🌍 DURCHLÜFTEN · from 19:00 · FREE — Loma Reqs; Humboldt Forum courtyard · 📍 Schloßplatz
🏃 Parkrun Hasenheide · 09:00 · Free 5km — register once · 📍 Columbiadamm 160 — U8 Boddinstr.
🔗 Register here
🏮 Water Lantern Festival · 18:00 · Ticketed — second and final night · 📍 Britzer Garten
🔗 Tickets here

⚠️ Saturday 25 July: expect road closures and very busy trains in Mitte. Plan around the centre if you're crossing town.

The heat breaks this week, but the lakes are still the move. Berlin has ~50 swimmable lakes inside the city; most are free and are under 45 minutes away.

🌊 Schlachtensee · Free — the classic. Forest-ringed, clear, 5.5km loop; swim from grassy banks. Get there mid-morning on weekends. (S1 — southern branch, unaffected by the northern closures)
🌊 Krumme Lanke · Free — Schlachtensee's quieter neighbour, same S1.
🌊 Müggelsee · Free — Berlin's largest lake. Wooded shore, lakeside beer gardens. (S3 Friedrichshagen)
🌊 Plötzensee · Free — a proper city dip in Wedding, no journey needed. (U9/S Beusselstr.)
🏖️ Strandbad Wannsee · €7.50 (€5.50 reduced, €4.50 under-16) — Europe's largest inland lido: 1.2km of Baltic sand, beach chairs, lifeguards. Book online for up to 20% off and skip the queue. (S1/S7 Nikolassee, then bus 218)
🔗 Book tickets here · 🔗 Live occupancy here

🌅 Freiluftkino Kreuzberg — the only one that shows everything in the original language ⭐
Berlin's oldest open-air cinema, in the Bethanien courtyard. Every film in its original language with German or English subtitles — the only Freiluftkino in the city that does this. Deck chairs, blankets, a beer, and the film starts when it's properly dark (~21:45). The programme changes daily — check the night's film before you go; look for OmU (original with subtitles).
📍 Mariannenplatz 2, Kreuzberg — U1/U8 Kottbusser Tor
🔗 Programme here

🎪 Freiluftkino Friedrichshain — the big one — 2,000 seats in the Volkspark. Mixes Hollywood, indie and local films; look for "Engl. with Germ. subs" in the listings. (Tram M8)
🔗 Programme here

How to read the listings: OmU = original language with subtitles. DF = dubbed into German — avoid unless you speak it. Berlin has 20+ open-air cinemas; the full programme is here.
🔗 All open-air cinemas here

🎪 Berlin lacht! — International Street Theatre Festival · Fri 24–Sun 26 · FREE ⭐

Washingtonplatz, by Hauptbahnhof, turns into an open-air stage: theatre, circus, comedy, clowning, magic, dance and music. Food trucks and a beer garden: family-friendly and free. Opening weekend of a run to 13 September. Fri–Sun, 16:45–21:30.
📍 Washingtonplatz, Europaplatz 1, Mitte — S+U Hauptbahnhof
🔗 More info here

🎷 ZigZag Jazz Festival — Gasometer Schöneberg · 20 Jul–1 Aug · Ticketed ⭐
A new festival is bringing the international jazz scene to the historic Gasometer on the EUREF Campus – featuring Till Brönner, Al Di Meola, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ledisi and more, plus food trucks and rooftop "Sky Sessions" over the city. This week: Tue 22, Fri 24, Sat 25.
📍 EUREF-Campus 17, Schöneberg — S Schöneberg / U7 Eisenacher Str.
🔗 Tickets here

🎪 Gaswerk Music Days — Gaswerksiedlung · 24 Jul–2 Aug · Ticketed
Independent festival across gardens, studios and an open-air stage: 30+ acts spanning experimental electronic, African sounds, dub, avant-pop, krautrock and jazz.
📍 Gaswerksiedlung, Lichtenberg — Tram M13/M21
🔗 More info here

🪘 Sonic Pluriverse — HKW rooftop · to 1 Aug
Moroccan Gnawa music meets flamenco, tarantella and desert blues on the rooftop terrace. DJ sets, films, talks and workshops are FREE. Concerts: €24/€20 (under-10s free).
📍 HKW, Tiergarten — S+U Hauptbahnhof
🔗 Programme here

Two world-class shows of French art, a fifteen-minute walk apart, for one summer only. Brâncuși goes first — 9 August.

🏛️ Brancusi — Neue Nationalgalerie · until 9 Aug · €16/€8 ⭐
150+ sculptures from the Centre Pompidou — 'The Kiss', 'Sleeping Muse', and 'Bird in Space' — are his first major German show in 50 years. After 9 Aug the loan returns to Paris. Timed slots; weekday mornings are quieter (late Thursdays open to 8pm). Air-conditioned.
📍 Potsdamer Str. 50 — U/S Potsdamer Platz
🔗 Tickets & info

🖼️ Cassirer & the Breakthrough of Impressionism — Alte Nationalgalerie · until 27 Sep · €16/€8
~100 Impressionist works – Monet, Degas, Cézanne, and van Gogh – were built around the Berlin dealer who first brought French painting to Germany.
📍 Bodestr. 1–3 — S Hackescher Markt
🔗 Tickets & info

🎨 Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic — Gropius Bau · until 23 Aug · €15
Film, sculpture and live performance. Explicit. Closed Tue. Book ahead — the opening drew a 400 m queue.
📍 Niederkirchnerstr. 7 — U/S Potsdamer Platz
🔗 Tickets & info

⛪ Hohenzollern Crypt — Berlin Cathedral — reopened
Closed for six years, now open: 1,500 m² holding 91 coffins of the family that ruled Prussia and then Germany. If you're climbing the Dom for the view, the crypt is now the better half of the ticket.
📍 Am Lustgarten — S Hackescher Markt
🔗 More info

🛒 Flohmarkt Mauerpark — Sun 19 · 10:00–18:00 · Free. 500+ stalls: vinyl, vintage, and GDR oddities. Bearpit Karaoke from 15:00. Cash only.
📍 Bernauer Str. 63 — U8 Bernauer Str. / Tram M10
🔗 More info

🛒 Flohmarkt Boxhagener Platz — Sun 19 · 10:00–18:00 · Free. Calmer than Mauerpark, with books, records and a playground on site – best for kids.
📍 Boxhagener Platz — U5 Frankfurter Tor
🔗 More info

🥢 Dong Xuan Center — daily exc. Tue · 10:00–20:00 · Free. Berlin's "Little Vietnam": six halls, 250+ traders. Asian produce, spices, textiles — plus the city's best pho.
📍 Herzbergstr. 128–139 — Tram M8/21
🔗 More info

🌿 Türkenmarkt — Tue 21 + Fri 24 · 11:00–18:30 · Free. Produce, Turkish & Middle Eastern food. Cash preferred; prices drop after 17:30.
📍 Maybachufer — U8 Schönleinstr.
🔗 More info

🍜 Street Food Thursday — Thu 23 · 17:00–22:00 · Free entry. 30+ vendors, Markthalle Neun.
📍 Eisenbahnstr. 42 — U1 Görlitzer Bhf
🔗 More info

🏆 WORLD CUP FINAL — Spain vs Argentina · tonight, 21:00 CEST ⭐
It ends tonight. Spain beat France 2–0, and Argentina beat England 2–1, and now the two meet at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey – the first final with a live half-time show. Kick-off is at 21:00 Berlin time.
🔗 Fixtures & results

📺 Where to watch it free. The Kulturbrauerei courtyard (Prenzlauer Berg) shows every match on a 36m² screen, with indoor backup if it rains. Berlin has official screens at Potsdamer Platz, Tempelhof and ~14 more. Get there early — it'll fill up.
🔗 Find a screen

🇩🇪Germany has no coach. Nagelsmann resigned after the Paraguay exit; the DFB is in talks with Jürgen Klopp, who's confirmed the talks but is still under contract at Red Bull. Nothing signed yet.
🔗 Full story

⚫ Hertha's clear-out continues. Fabian Reese → Wolfsburg (~€8m, to 2030), Cuisance → RC Lens (~€5m), Eichhorn → Leverkusen. Keeper Tjark Ernst is next — Feyenoord, Celtic and Wolfsburg are circling. The window shuts 31 August.
🔗 Hertha transfers

🏃 Parkrun Hasenheide — Sat 25 · 09:00 · Free. Timed 5km; register once.
📍 Columbiadamm 160 — U8 Boddinstr.
🔗 Register

Berlin has English stand-up almost every night. The regulars, by day.

🎤 Cosmic Comedy — every Thursday · Prenzlauer Berg — The city's best-known English open mic. Hosted by Dharmander Singh; free pizza slices at your seat before the show. Ends ~23:00.
🔗 Tickets here

🌙 Dark Comedy Open Mic — Fridays · Karakas — English stand-up, trigger warning, free shots. Bad thoughts, great jokes. Running 245+ shows.
🔗 Tickets here

🍸 Top Shelf — Saturdays, 19:00 · Schöneberg — English stand-up, weekly.
🔗 Tickets here

🌇 After Party Comedy — Sundays, 18:00 · The Wall — English stand-up to end the weekend. Tonight.
🔗 Tickets here

🚢 Laughing Spree — comedy on a boat · Sun, Tue, Fri — Berlin's only Spree comedy show. 6 comedians, free shot. (Mühlenstr. 73 — S+U Warschauer Str.)
🔗 Tickets here

Berlin is a hard city to make friends in. These make it easier — most are free.

🗣️ German-English Language Exchange — Tuesdays · 19:00 · Free — The classic. Travolta Bar, Kreuzberg. Separate tables by language, all levels, no sign-up. Just buy a drink. (Wiener Str. 14b — U1 Görlitzer Bhf)
🔗 More info here

🍻 Expat Stammtisch — regular · Neukölln — For anyone three days or three years in. Ä Stube: dim lights, no shouting to be heard. The antidote to the expat bubble.
🔗 More info here

🌍 Berlin Expats — weekly — Pub crawls, hikes, BBQs, game nights, wine tastings. The biggest and most active group genuinely does things, not just drinks.
🔗 More info here

🗨️ Berlin Language Exchange & Social Group — regular · Free — Multi-language: you speak yours, help someone with theirs, switch tables freely. Explicitly a safe space for all backgrounds.
🔗 More info here

🎭 International & Social Events Berlin — regular — Comedy, mixers, trips, exhibitions, nights out. Good if you want events, not just a bar.
🔗 More info here

🌐 InterNations Berlin — monthly socials — The biggest network, but membership required. Better for professional networking than casual friends.
🔗 More info here

🧩 Casual Sunday Board Games — 14:00 · Free — Codenames, Dixit, and Coup in the beer garden at Berliner Berg Brewery, Neukölln. (U8 Boddinstr.)
🔗 More info here

🎡 Kinder Rave: Midsummer Daydream — 12:00–16:00 · Free entry — Family rooftop party at Klunkerkranich. Music, dancing, kids welcome. (U7/U8 Rathaus Neukölln)
🔗 More info here

🎪 GEOLINO Family Festival — Sat 25 · from €30/person · Gärten der Welt ⭐
GEOlino's 30th-birthday festival: live music (LEONY, Volker Rosin, Senta, Nilsen, plus Bibi & Tina – Das Musical), craft stations, face painting and walking acts, with UNICEF around children's rights. Arena opens 13:00, music 15:00–18:00. Tickets are €30 per person — everyone needs one, any age, so a family of four is €120 — but each includes a full-day pass to the Gärten der Welt, so make a day of the gardens too.
📍 Main entrance: Blumberger Damm 44 — U5 Kienberg
🔗 Tickets & info

🎡 Volksfestsommer — Family Day, Wed 22 · Free entry
60+ rides at reduced prices on Wednesdays. Free entry all week — you pay only for rides and food. Fireworks Friday ~22:00. Open Wed–Thu 14–22, Fri–Sat 14–23, Sun 13–22.
📍 Kurt-Schumacher-Damm 207 — U6/U7
🔗 More info

🍺 Fischerhütte am Schlachtensee — Zehlendorf
A historic 1723 gasthaus on the Schlachtensee is now an Augustiner Wirtshaus with a sprawling self-service beer garden running down to the water, a playground, and a loop around the lake.

The beer garden is open daily from 10:00, and the kitchen from 12:00.
📍 Fischerhüttenstr. 136, Zehlendorf — S1 Schlachtensee, ~10 min walk
🔗 More info

July is Schlussverkauf — Germany's summer sale. 30–70% off at mainstream retailers right now.

👕 Humana, Frankfurter Tor — five floors of second-hand, thousands of items, from €2 t-shirts to curated leather jackets. Berlin's biggest thrift store, and the one patient diggers swear by. (U5 Frankfurter Tor)
🔗 More info here

⚖️ Pick'n'Weight — vintage sold by the kilo. Coloured tags weigh at checkout. Sorted by colour and style, so it's browsable rather than a dig. (Alte Schönhauser Str. 30, Mitte)
🔗 More info here

Berlin software engineers typically earn €77k–112k; on €80k gross, that's roughly €4,000–4,400 net a month. English is the working language at most VC-backed startups.

Hiring in Berlin right now:

⚙️ Senior Software Engineer — Buena (proptech)
🔗 Apply here

🔧 Senior Backend Developer, Go & Kubernetes — DATATRONiQ (industrial AI)
🔗 Apply here

📊 Senior Data Scientist, Python & ML — DATATRONiQ
🔗 Apply here

🚀 Founding Platform Engineer — CEF AI (early-stage)
🔗 Apply here

💬 Senior Backend Engineer — Superchat (messaging SaaS)
🔗 Apply here

💰 GTM Sales Associate — up to €100K OTE — Andercore
🔗 Apply here

Make Berlin yours

Forward this to someone who needs it. Berlin Brief is always free.

Home | Berlin Brief

See you next time. Same time. Same Kiez.

— Yassir