Feb 10-16: Berlinale, One Billion Rising, Valentine’s Run, and more!
Things to do in Berlin - Feb 10-16!
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What’s in store for you this week:
🎬 Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival
💃 Tanzolymp - International Dance Festival
✊ One Billion Rising
🎵 Special Concert - Music from distant radio days
🏃 Berlin Valentine’s Run
🧠 20% Berlin News Quiz
🍽️ Bertie - American Restaurant
📅 Spotlight - Sponsored
🎙️ Look Up Here: Bowie, 10 Years On: Authors Rory MacLean (Berlin: Imagine a City) and Demi Anter (Small Machine) celebrate Bowie's legacy during this one-of-a-kind storytelling event. Shakespeare & Sons Books - 12 Feb (Thu) - 19:00 - 21:00. More info.
🎭 A Taste of Improv: Connect with new people and unleash your creativity! Our improv workshop is a playful, supportive space to laugh, learn, and grow. No experience needed. Saturdays, 15:00-17:00 in Kreuzberg. More info.
Want to advertise your event? Email me.
🎫 This Week’s Giveaways
We’re giving away 2×2 free tickets to the 🎭 A Taste of Improv, for 2 subscribers to attend with +1. To enter, simply send an email with the keyword “IMPROV” to my email address.
⭐ Priority is given to Paid Supporters (please mention you are a paid supporter in the email). You can become a Paid Supporter for €2 per month.
1. Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) is one of the largest and most attended film festivals in the world. The 2026 edition screens hundreds of films across multiple sections and draws film professionals, critics, and audiences from over 120 countries. Screenings take place in cinemas across the city, with the closing gala held at the Berlinale Palast. Tickets will be released at 10 a.m. three days before each screening. The program.
⭐ Our friends The Next Day Berlin have published a guide for Berlinale. The guide.
💵 €15
📅 12 Feb (Thu) - 22 Feb (Sun)
📍 Various cinemas
2. Tanzolymp - International Dance Festival
Tanzolymp is an international youth dance competition for dancers aged 10 to 21, held in Berlin under the motto "Dance as a world language." The 23rd edition in 2026 brings together young talent from many countries. Six categories are offered: classical and neoclassical dance, modern and contemporary, character and folklore, jazz, pop, and tap. The closing gala on February 16 at the Fontane Haus showcases the best soloists, duets, and groups from the competition.. More info.
💵 €35+
📅 12 Feb (Thu) - 17 Feb (Tue)
3. One Billion Rising
One Billion Rising is a global movement that brings people together in public spaces to dance against violence against women and for respect and equality. Initiated in 2012 by artist and feminist Eve Ensler, the campaign highlights that one in three women worldwide will experience violence in their lifetime. In Berlin, participants gather each year on February 14 at the Brandenburg Gate and Alexanderplatz to dance and demand an end to violence against women and girls. The event is free and open to all. More info.
💵 Free
📅 14 Feb (Sat)
4. Special Concert - Music from distant radio days
The Staatskapelle Berlin and its chief conductor Christian Thielemann perform a special programme of music from the early radio era: light symphonic and jazz-inflected works that once filled the airwaves. The concert includes Shostakovich’s Suite for Variety Orchestra, Nico Dostal’s Spanish Sketches, Ernst Fischer’s Ferientage Suite, and Eduard Künneke’s Tanzzerische Suite for orchestra and jazz band. More info.
💵 €14-€77
📅 14 Feb (Sat) - 15 Feb (Sun)
5. Berlin Valentine's Run
The Berlin Valentine’s Run takes place in the Gardens of the World on flat asphalt paths. Runners can choose the 3 km, 5 km, or 10 km distance and take part as pairs, friends, or parent-child teams. All finishers receive a certificate and a commemorative medal, and mulled wine is served at the finish. Registration is available online. Registration.
💵 €21-€29
📅 15 Feb (Sun), from 10:35
Submitted Event
6. 20% Berlin News Quiz
Journalist Maurice Frank from the 20% Berlin newsletter hosts an entertaining evening at the fabulous Electric Social Arcade Bar and Restaurant, centrally located near Alexanderplatz. Test your knowledge of Berlin and German news, current affairs and trivia over drinks and food while mingling with other members of the 20% Berlin community ❤️. More info.
💵 €4
📅 15 Feb (Wed)
Restaurant Suggestion:
Restaurant suggestions are back, and I’ve got a good one for this week:
Bertie - American Restaurant (⭐5/5)
I'd heard good things about this restaurant, and whenever I passed by, there was always a queue. Finally got a chance to check it out, and it was a pleasant experience. First of all, there are no reservations, and there's usually some waiting time, even if you go for dinner at 6:30 pm on a Saturday (we waited 10 minutes for a table to free up). The food is sort of an elevated American fusion style, with attention to harmony of tastes. We tried the Stracciatella with persimmon and peanut chili oil (€16 - my favorite), Lettuce salad with Dijon dressing (€8 - nothing amazing but good), the grilled oyster mushroom with creamed corn (€22 - the BBQ'd mushrooms tasted like meat with spices, which was surprisingly pleasant), and the Beef on Weck (€18 - a Western New York State sandwich, particularly popular in Buffalo). Overall, it was worth the wait, the staff were nice, and the dishes were made to be shared. The average price per person is €45, including a drink, and they only accept cards. The menu rotates from time to time, so I will be back to try their new dishes.
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Thank you for sharing my Berlinale guide. ♥️♥️♥️