Apr 28-May 04: May Day, Gallery Weekend, Exhibitions, Free Live Music, and more!
Things to do in Berlin - April 28-May 04!
May Day (May 1st) is an international holiday honoring workers and their rights. It traces back to 1886, when laborers across the U.S. struck for an eight-hour workday, sparking a movement that changed history. Today, it’s celebrated worldwide with rallies and parades, and Berlin is no exception. Here are two guides to help you make the most of this long weekend, whether you’re into parties or more laid-back events:
What’s in store for you this week:
📸 Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic
📜 Paper Positions
🏛️ CHANEL Commission: Lina Lapelytė
🖼️ Gallery Weekend Berlin
🎭 Berliner Theatertreffen
🎵 Live Performances: Hamburger Bahnhof
🎶 Sanctum of Sound
🥯 Budapest Bagel Berlin
📅 Spotlight - Sponsored
Kink Compass: A Guide for the Curious Explorer - April 30 at SPNKD Berlin
A solo workshop for the curious — understand the kink landscape and find your footing before you step in. More info.
🎫 This Week’s Giveaways
We have 4 tickets to Sanctum of Sound at Mahalla, for two subscriber to go with a +1. To enter the raffle, hit the ❤️ button (top or bottom of this email/post) and send an email to this email address with the subject line “SOUND”.
⭐ Winner will be selected from those who both liked this post and sent an email, and will be notified directly via email by Wednesday evening.
1. Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic
Gropius Bau is showing Marina Abramović's long-running project on Balkan folklore and rituals from mid-April through August. The exhibition combines video, sculpture, and live performance to explore how regional tales use the body and eroticism as shared, civic forces rather than private matters. Rooted in early footage shot in Serbia, the work looks at how communities use physical endurance and touch to process life, death, and nature. More info.
💵 €15
📅 Until 23 Aug (Sun)
2. Paper Positions
For five days at Tempelhof, Paper Positions turns a former airport hall into a fair where paper is the main subject. Fifty-six international galleries set up in Deutsche Telekom’s building with drawings, collage, text, photos, and books, and the fair closes the week with three small prizes for the best artist, best booth, and a single standout. More info.
💵 €25
📅 30 Apr (Thu) - 04 May (Mon)
3. CHANEL Commission: Lina Lapelytė. We Make Years Out of Hours
Hamburger Bahnhof opens a new performance piece by Lina Lapelytė in its Historic Hall starting the first of May. The work relies on sound, shared tasks, and song to create a changing environment that visitors can walk through and revisit as it develops over the months. Timed with Gallery Weekend and the museum's thirtieth anniversary, the project treats the large hall as a public gathering space rather than a traditional stage. More info.
💵 €16
📅 01 May (Fri) - 10 Jan 2027 (Sun)
4. Gallery Weekend Berlin
Fifty Berlin galleries open their doors simultaneously for a three-day run of coordinated exhibitions during Gallery Weekend. The citywide event features new work from over eighty artists, letting you map out your own route between different neighborhoods and venues. This year introduces a Perspectives section that highlights specific local projects alongside established international names. The map.
💵 Free
📅 01 May (Fri) - 03 May (Sun)
📍 Various Venues
5. Berliner Theatertreffen
The Berliner Theatertreffen is Germany’s most prestigious theatre festival, bringing together actors, theatre professionals, journalists, and visitors from around the world. Now in its 62nd edition, the 2026 festival showcases the full spectrum of theatrical arts, from dance and puppetry to music theatre and immersive installations. Most shows are sold out online, but tickets are still available at the box office. The program.
💵 Varies
📅 May (Fri) - 17 May (Sun)
📍 Various locations
6. Live Performances: Hamburger Bahnhof
Hamburger Bahnhof hosts a free Saturday night concert during Gallery Weekend, bringing the Kuboraum music series into the museum. The evening runs from 19:00 to 22:00 and features back-to-back sets from Miriam Adefris, Canzonieri, and Buttechno, moving from vocal pieces into hardware-driven electronic and beat-heavy music. More info.
💵 Free
📅 02 May (Sat), 19:00 - 22:00
⭐ partnership
7. Sanctum of Sound
MaHalla runs an eight-hour Sunday listening session in its main hall, focusing on ambient and experimental live sets from afternoon until night. The May lineup features a six-speaker guitar performance by Força do Sol, quiet keyboard and musical saw pieces from Vargkvint and Jakob Lindhagen, Chinese string instruments mixed with club electronics by Temple Rat, and deep electronic storytelling from The Allegorist. The setup encourages the crowd to settle into one room for deep listening rather than moving around. More info.
💵 €16
📅 03 May (Sun), 14:00 - 22:00
📍 MaHalla
Restaurant Suggestion:
Budapest Bagel Berlin (⭐4/5)
Recently back from New York, where bagels are taken seriously, I was craving something similar in Berlin and came across this spot not far from home, so I gave it a try. It’s a cute local place with very friendly staff. They serve bagel sandwiches with different fillings like omelette, cream cheese, and veggies, along with decent coffee. We tried two options: an omelette bagel with avocado, and a cream cheese one with cucumber. Both tasted good and hit the spot. One limitation is that there’s only one type of bagel available, poppy seed. It works, but having more variety would make a difference. We went on a Saturday morning right at opening, and within 30 minutes the place filled up quickly. They seemed a bit overwhelmed, so the food took a while, and there was a small mistake with our order. That said, the staff handled it really well, quickly correcting it and apologizing. That kind of attitude goes a long way. Overall, if you’re in the neighborhood and in the mood for a bagel, it’s a solid option, especially in good weather when you can sit outside. Expect to pay around €10 -12 for a bagel and a small coffee.
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