Hey Berliners!

Two things end this week, and the weather turns.

DURCHLÜFTEN plays its last three nights at the Humboldt Forum — Thursday to Saturday, free, no ticket, then gone till next summer. The Volksfestsommer fires the summer's last fireworks on Friday. And it ends hot: 32°C Thursday, 33°C Friday — either a problem or an instruction, depending on how close you live to a lake.

One thing begins: the Schlussverkauf — the high street finally catches up with what online's been doing since June.

— 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.

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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.

The Schlussverkauf has started, and MediaMarkt/Saturn are running their weekend deals. Confirm the price on the product page before you buy.

📺 TVs

Samsung GQ65 S90F OLED (65″) — €1,259
A saving on one of 2025's best OLEDs. The 77″ is also available for €1,799. Extra 20% off with a free customer account.
📍 MediaMarkt / Saturn · ⏰ Home delivery from July 29, 2026
🔗 View at MediaMarkt

LG OLED48 G5 (48″) — €791
Half off LG's premium OLED — smaller, good for flats.
📍 MediaMarkt / Saturn · ⏰ Home delivery from July 29, 2026
🔗 View at MediaMarkt

📱 Smartphones

Google Pixel 10a (128GB) — €399
Amazon's #1 bestselling phone, ~€150 below launch. 7 years of updates.
📍 Amazon · ⏰ While stocks last
🔗 View at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB) — €819
€180 below RRP. Also as an o2 bundle: €79 + €29.99/month.
📍 MediaMarkt · ⏰ Home delivery from July 28, 2026
🔗 View at MediaMarkt

⌚ Smartwatches

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (44mm) — €159
📍 MediaMarkt / Saturn · ⏰ Home delivery from July 28, 2026
🔗 View at MediaMarkt

Google Pixel Watch 4 — €299
📍 MediaMarkt · ⏰ limited stock
🔗 View at MediaMarkt

🤖 Robot Vacuums

Roborock Qrevo S5V — €399.99
Self-cleaning, self-drying mop dock.
📍 Amazon · ⏰ while stocks last
🔗 View at Amazon

Roborock Q7 L5+ Set — €189.99
Entry-level with auto-empty station.
📍 Amazon · ⏰ while stocks last
🔗 View at Amazon

💨 Air Purifiers

Rowenta Pure Air Compact — €79.99
Rooms to 52m²; clears a 20m² room in 15 min.
📍 various retailers · ⏰ July sale
🔗 View at Otto

🔋 Power Banks

Anker 20,000mAh (65W) — €39.89
Laptop-capable. Lowest since Jan 2026.
📍 Amazon · ⏰ limited-time
🔗 View at Amazon

Anker 3-for-2 at MediaMarkt — buy 2, get 1 free (myMediaMarkt members).
📍 MediaMarkt · ⏰ limited-time
🔗 View at MediaMarkt

👕 Schlussverkauf — up to 70% off
No fixed start date in Germany, but summer sales are on. Zalando, COS, H&M, BestSecret on summer stock. Adidas & Nike clearances up to 50% off.
🔗 Zalando · COS · Adidas

👶 For Kids & Family

3 Tonies for €37 — flat price for three selected figures (20 Jul–10 Aug).
📍 Saturn · 🔗 View at Saturn

€5 for a good report card — Thalia gives €5 for a "1" in German or a full-grade improvement (to 30 Sept); MediaMarkt/Saturn give €1 off per "1" or "2" at the till.
📍 Thalia, MediaMarkt, Saturn · 🔗 More info

DURCHLÜFTEN's final three nights, a citywide street-theatre festival — the last big weekend of the summer.

🌍 DURCHLÜFTEN — Humboldt Forum · Thu 30–Sat 1 Aug · FREE ⭐
Two concerts and a DJ set nightly in the Schlüterhof courtyard (19:00 / 20:30 / 22:00). No ticket, no booking. Saturday's finale: Tamara Flores 19:45, Renata Flores (Quechua rap) 20:40, DJ Fania Brava ft. Lionza 22:00. Limited capacity — Saturdays and big names can mean queues and entry stops, so come early.
📍 Schloßplatz — U5 Museumsinsel / S Hackescher Markt
🔗 Programme here

🎪 Berlin lacht! — Washingtonplatz · daily · FREE
Street theatre, circus, comedy, magic. Beer garden, food trucks. Market 11:00–22:00, shows 15:00–22:00. At Hauptbahnhof to 23 Aug, then Potsdamer Platz.
📍 Washingtonplatz — S+U Hauptbahnhof
🔗 More info here

Starts mild, then heat builds to the low 30s Thursday and Friday. Saturday cools a touch, with possible thunderstorms; watch the skies.

Sun 26 · 15–26 °C · light rain
Mon 27 · 12–20 °C · light rain
Tue 28 · 14–23 °C · cloudy
Wed 29 · 16–27 °C · cloudy
Thu 30 · 20–32 °C · cloudy
Fri 31 · 19–33 °C · rain
Sat 1 · 17–30 °C · rain possible

🔗 Full forecast here

🇩🇪 Klopp is Germany's new coach — signed through 2030, starts 15 Aug. See Sport.

🏠 The city's cracking down on high rents. Berlin's new automated Mietenscan flagged 46% of June's listings as suspected of breaking rent limits, and the Senate is writing to those landlords monthly. A new rent register (Mietenkataster) will catalogue ~1.8 million flats from 2027. Think you're overpaying? Report it to your Bezirksamt — 20%+ over the limit can cost a landlord up to €50,000.
🔗 Report high rent here

🏊 Pool spots are gold this week. In the heat, Berlin's Freibäder fill fast and hit ticket stops. Check the live occupancy map before you set off.
🔗 Check pool capacity here

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

🌫️ Fujiko Nakaya: Fog Sculpture — Neue Nationalgalerie · Free ⭐
Step into a cloud. Fog fills the sculpture garden through the day, 11:00–17:00 (Thu to 19:00). Free, to 25 Oct. Best on a still day.
📍 Potsdamer Str. 50 — U/S Potsdamer Platz
🔗 More info

🏛️ Schwerbelastungskörper — Tempelhof · Free
12,650 tonnes of Nazi concrete, sunk in 1941 to test if Berlin's sand could bear Speer's planned triumphal arch. It sank; the arch was never built; it's too close to nearby buildings to remove. Built with forced labour. Tue–Thu, Sat–Sun 13:00–18:00; free tour first Sunday monthly, 15:00 (next 2 Aug).
📍 General-Pape-Str. — S1 Julius-Leber-Brücke
🔗 More info

🎵 SummerSounds Festival — Britzer Garten · Thu 30 Jul–Sun 2 Aug
Four days of music by the water: Thursday's headphone Silent Session (register ahead), Friday electro, Saturday Brazilian samba, Sunday's Klassik, Pop & Poesie finale at 14:00. A former Bundesgartenschau site — open lawns, a big lake, room to breathe. Bring a blanket.
📍 Britzer Garten, Neukölln (Buckower Damm) — U6 Alt-Mariendorf or U7, then bus · €5 entry
🔗 More info here

SUN 26 · Today
👨‍👩‍👧 Family Sundays · Uber Platz · Free — water play, crafts, yoga, bouncy castle. Runs 12:00–16:00 . Today (26 July) is one of 9 Sundays in the series.
📍 Uber Platz, Friedrichshain — S+U Ostbahnhof
🔗 More info (visitBerlin) · More info (Uber Platz)

🛒 Flohmarkt Mauerpark · 10:00–18:00 · Free — 500+ stalls, karaoke from 15:00, cash only .
📍 Bernauer Str. 63–64 — U8 Bernauer Str.
🔗 Official website

🛒 Flohmarkt Boxhagener Platz · 10:00–18:00 · Free — calmer than Mauerpark, playground on site .
📍 Boxhagener Platz 1, 10245 Berlin — U5 Frankfurter Tor
🔗 More info

MON 27
🏷️ Schlussverkauf begins
🎷 ZigZag Jazz: Al Di Meola · 20:30 · Gasometer Schöneberg · Ticketed · 📍 S Schöneberg · 🔗 More info here
🎸 Lenny Kravitz · 20:00 · Uber Arena · from €80.40 · 📍 S+U Ostbahnhof · 🔗 More info here

TUE 28
🌿 Türkenmarkt · 11–18:30 · Free — prices drop after 17:30 · 📍 U8 Schönleinstr.
🗣️ Language Exchange · 19:00 · Free — Travolta Bar, no sign-up · 📍 U1 Görlitzer Bhf

WED 29
🎡 Volksfestsommer · Family + gaming/pop-culture day — free entry, reduced rides · 📍 U6/U7 Kurt-Schumacher-Platz · 🔗 More info here
🏊 Müggelsee lake day — Berlin's largest lake, beer gardens on the water · 📍 S3 Friedrichshagen

THU 30
🌍 DURCHLÜFTEN · 19:00 · FREE — final weekend opens; two concerts + DJ set · 📍 U5 Museumsinsel · 🔗 More info here
🎵 SummerSounds: Silent Session · 19:00 · Britzer Garten — headphones, register ahead · 📍 U6/U7 + bus · 🔗 More info here
🍜 Street Food Thursday · 17–22 · Free entry — Markthalle Neun · 📍 U1 Görlitzer Bhf · 🔗 More info here
🎪 Gaswerk Music Days · Lichtenberg · Ticketed — to 2 Aug · 📍 Tram M13/M21 · 🔗 More info here

FRI 31
🌍 DURCHLÜFTEN · 19:00 · FREE — two concerts + DJ set · 📍 U5 Museumsinsel · 🔗 More info here
🎆 Volksfestsommer FIREWORKS · ~22:00 · FREE — summer's last · 📍 U6/U7 Kurt-Schumacher-Platz · 🔗 More info here
🎵 SummerSounds: Electro Beats · 17:00 · Britzer Garten · 📍 U6/U7 + bus · 🔗 More info here
🌿 Türkenmarkt · 11–18:30 · Free · 📍 U8 Schönleinstr.

SAT 1 AUG
🌍 DURCHLÜFTEN · FINAL NIGHT · 19:00 · FREE — Tamara Flores 19:45, Renata Flores 20:40, DJ Fania Brava ft. Lionza 22:00 · 📍 U5 Museumsinsel · 🔗 More info here
🎵 SummerSounds: Samba & Brazilian Vibes · 14:00 · Britzer Garten · 📍 U6/U7 + bus · 🔗 More info here
🏃 Parkrun Hasenheide · 09:00 · Free 5km — early slot beats the heat · 📍 U8 Boddinstr. · 🔗 More info here

The heat lands this week and 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 — and the only Freiluftkino in the city showing every film in its original language with subtitles. Deck chairs, blankets, a beer, and the film starts when it's properly dark (~21:30). A different film daily, so check the night's listing before you go. €10 (€6 reduced). Season runs to 6 Sept.
📍 Mariannenplatz 2, Kreuzberg — U1/U8 Kottbusser Tor
🔗 Programme here

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

How to read the listings: OmeU = original language + English subtitles (what you want) · OmU = original + German subtitles · OV = original, no subtitles · DF = dubbed into German. Berlin has 20+ open-air cinemas.
🔗 All open-air cinemas here

🎪 Berlin lacht! — International Street Theatre Festival · daily · FREE ⭐
Washingtonplatz by Hauptbahnhof turns into an open-air stage: theatre, circus, comedy, clowning, magic, dance and music, with 100+ artists rotating through the run. Food trucks and a beer garden alongside — family-friendly and free, no ticket. Market from 11:00, shows 15:00–22:00. At Hauptbahnhof to 23 Aug, then it moves to Potsdamer Platz.
📍 Washingtonplatz, Europaplatz 1, Mitte — S+U Hauptbahnhof
🔗 More info here

🎷 ZigZag Jazz Festival — Gasometer Schöneberg · to 1 Aug · Ticketed ⭐
Final week of the EUREF-Campus jazz festival — world-class names in the Forum hall, rooftop Sky Sessions over the city, food trucks below. Al Di Meola plays this week (check the programme for the night).
📍 EUREF-Campus 17 — S Schöneberg / U7 Eisenacher Str.
🔗 Tickets here

🎪 Gaswerk Music Days — Lichtenberg · to 2 Aug · Ticketed
30+ acts across experimental electronic, dub, avant-pop, krautrock and jazz, in gardens, studios and an open-air stage. Sat 1 Aug: Burnt Friedman & João Pais Filipe, Maurice Louca Quartet, Rabih Beaini.
📍 Gaswerksiedlung — Tram M13/M21
🔗 More info here

🎸 Lenny Kravitz — Uber Arena · Mon 27 · 20:00, doors 18:00 · from €80.40
📍 Mühlenstr. 12–30 — S+U Ostbahnhof
🔗 Tickets here

Two weekends left for Brancusi

🏛️ Brancusi — Neue Nationalgalerie · to 9 Aug · €16/€8 ⭐
150+ sculptures from the Centre Pompidou — 'The Kiss', 'Sleeping Muse', 'Bird in Space'. His first major German show in 50 years. After 9 Aug the loan returns to Paris. Timed slots; weekday mornings quieter, Thursdays to 20:00. Air-conditioned.
📍 Potsdamer Str. 50 — U/S Potsdamer Platz
🔗 Tickets & info

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

🧵 Sofie Dawo: Textile Experimente — Kunstgewerbemuseum · to 17 Jan 2027 · €10/€5
New this month. Dawo pulled textile work out of craft into sculpture — weaving as structure, not decoration.
📍 Matthäikirchplatz — U2/S Potsdamer Platz
🔗 More info

🎨 Monira Al Qadiri: Hero — Berlinische Galerie · to 17 Aug · €10
Oil as material and metaphor — a large-format mural, objects and video. Free for under-18s.
📍 Alte Jakobstr. 124–128 — U1/U3 Hallesches Tor
🔗 More info

🛒 Flohmarkt Mauerpark — Sun 26 · 10:00–18:00 · Free
500+ stalls: vinyl, vintage, GDR oddities. Bearpit Karaoke from 15:00. Cash only — go before 11:00.
📍 Bernauer Str. 63–64 — U8 Bernauer Str. / Tram M10
🔗 More info

🛒 Flohmarkt Boxhagener Platz — Sun 26 · 10:00–18:00 · Free
Calmer than Mauerpark; books, records, and a playground on site — good with kids.
📍 Boxhagener Platz — U5 Frankfurter Tor

🥢 Dong Xuan Center — daily exc. Tue · 10:00–20:00 · Free
Berlin's "Little Vietnam": six halls in Lichtenberg, 250+ traders, and some of the city's best pho.
📍 Herzbergstr. 128–139 — Tram M8/M21
🔗 More info

🌿 Türkenmarkt — Tue 28 + Fri 31 · 11:00–18:30 · Free
Up to 180 stalls: fresh produce, Turkish & Middle Eastern food. Cash preferred; prices drop after 17:30.
📍 Maybachufer — U8 Schönleinstr.
🔗 More info

🍜 Street Food Thursday — Thu 30 · 17:00–22:00 · Free entry
30+ vendors at Markthalle Neun — Germany's first street food market, since 2013.
📍 Eisenbahnstr. 42/43 — U1 Görlitzer Bhf
🔗 More info

🏆 🇩🇪 Klopp is Germany's new coach — it's official ⭐
Jürgen Klopp signs a four-year deal to the 2030 World Cup, takes charge 15 August, and brings Peter Krawietz, Pepijn Lijnders and Sven Bender. He replaces Nagelsmann, who stepped down after Germany's round-of-32 exit to Paraguay on penalties. Autumn fixtures TBC.
🔗 DFB announcement

⚫ Hertha finally sign someone
After 11 departures and €23m banked, Hertha have their first arrival: Oluwaseun Adewumi, a 21-year-old attacker on a season loan from Burnley (shirt 19). Stefan Leitl still needs a keeper — Tjark Ernst left for Feyenoord, and target Florian Kastenmeier is heading abroad. Bright spot: Julian Eitschberger extended to 2029.
🔗 Hertha transfers

🔵 John Brooks drops to the fourth tier
45 US caps and 300+ games for Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim and Hertha — now with VSG Altglienicke in the Regionalliga Nordost. A Berlin-to-Berlin move; he says it's about enjoying football again.

📅 Football returns 28 August
Bundesliga opens Bayern v Stuttgart, Friday 28 August, 20:30. Union Berlin start at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, Saturday 29 August.

🏃 Parkrun Hasenheide — Sat 1 Aug · 09:00 · Free
Free timed 5km; register once.
📍 Columbiadamm 160 — U8 Boddinstr.
🔗 Register

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

🎤 Cosmic Comedy — Thursdays · 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

🚢 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. Tables by language, all levels, no sign-up — just buy a drink. (Wiener Str. 14b — U1 Görlitzer Bhf)
🔗 More info

🍻 Expat Stammtisch — 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

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

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

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

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

👨‍👩‍👧 Family Sundays — Uber Platz · Today · Free
Water play, crafts, outdoor bowling, yoga, and a bouncy castle. Today is one of 9 Sundays in the series.
📍 Mühlenstr. — S+U Ostbahnhof
🔗 More info

🎡 Volksfestsommer — final week, ends Sun 2 Aug · Free entry
60+ rides; you pay only for what you ride. Wednesday's Family Day has reduced prices — and Wed 29 is a gaming & pop-culture day with walking acts. Friday, the 31st, brings the summer's last fireworks, ~22:00. Open Wed–Thu 14–22, Fri–Sat 14–23, and Sun 13–22.
📍 Kurt-Schumacher-Damm 207 — U7 Jakob-Kaiser-Platz / U6 Kurt-Schumacher-Platz
🔗 More info here

🍝 La Bolognina — Neukölln
Small, family-run spot on Donaustraße. Pasta made fresh daily — you taste it in the texture. The sausage tagliatelle is legendary; the pistachio pesto version with burrata has its own following. Start with the tortino alla crema di parmigiano. Short menu, big flavours.
Dinner only, closed Mondays — Tue–Sat, 17:00–23:00. Small and popular — go at 17:00 when it opens or expect to wait. Spritz around €5, house wine €3.50. Klunkerkranich is ten minutes away for a rooftop afterwards.
📍 Donaustr. 107, 12043 Neukölln — U7 Rathaus Neukölln / U8 Boddinstr.
🔗 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

💶 Under €800/mo warm — Reinickendorf
Studio, 20.8 m², €451 warm · new-build 2026 · lift, step-free · students/trainees only, WBS needed · from 16 Aug
🔗 View this flat

💶 Under €800/mo warm — Treptow-Köpenick
2 rooms, 57 m², €599 warm · new-build 2026 · balcony, step-free · WBS needed · from 1 Oct
🔗 View this flat

💶 €800–1,500/mo warm — Lichtenberg
4 rooms, 83 m², €857 warm · balcony · no WBS needed · available now
🔗 View this flat

💶 €1,500+ — Tempelhof-Schöneberg
5 rooms, 122 m², €1,532 warm · Altbau 1931 · balcony, cellar · no WBS · available now
🔗 View this flat

👨‍💻 Senior iOS Engineer — Tandem (Swift, Kotlin Multiplatform)
Build and scale the iOS app for a global language-learning community of 30M+ members. 5+ years iOS experience. Berlin-Mitte, hybrid, relocation help.
🔗 Apply here

⚙️ Senior Backend Developer, Go & Kubernetes — DATATRONiQ (Industrial IoT / Edge AI)
Build Go microservices for industrial telemetry and ML pipelines. 3+ years Go, Kubernetes. Mostly on-site Stuttgart/Ulm/Berlin.
🔗 Apply here

💻 Full Stack Developer — Pandata (Next.js, TypeScript, AI agents)
Full-stack web and desktop apps for data-driven businesses.
🔗 Apply here

🚀 Founding Engineer, Golang — GlassFlow (VC-backed, $4.8m)
Shape core tech for open-source data-streaming infra. Deep Go, high-ownership.
🔗 Apply here

🏠 Senior Software Engineer — Buena (GV-backed proptech)
Build for Germany's second-largest property manager. TypeScript, React, Node.js.
🔗 Apply here

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— Yassir