1. Fünf Seen (Five Lakes) Film Festival Open Air, July 26th - August 15th, Starnberg and Wörthsee (Munich)
In the lead up to the 12th annual edition of this film festival, the organizers have turned the shores of two lakes just outside of Munich into open air cinemas. For the first half of August, visitors can make themselves comfortable in a deck chair, with a beer in hand, and taking in the magic of a shimmering expanse of water stretching out into the distance.
A great variety of films will be screened over the course of the three weeks, ranging from the second instalment of Mamma Mia, to Ladybird and Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Entry to any film costs €10, which even includes a €3 drinks voucher redeemable at the bar.
With the great weather here to stay for the rest of the summer this is an event truly not to be missed.
2. Sommer in Altona, July 27th - August 29th, Hamburg
Sommer in Altona will be heating up the streets of Hamburg yet again this August. This is not just any music festival - visitors are invited to a circus tent erected in the heart of the city's Altona district, where there'll be live music performances, dance acts, acrobatics to leave you in awe, and some very funny comedy sets.
Music acts will range from Canadian country band The Dead South to British alternative rock band Deaf Havana. Head over to their website to listen to a playlist of their line-up.
Be sure to take advantage of the popcorn and candyfloss from inside the circus tent and the numerous food trucks offering tasty snacks.
Entry costs between €16-27 depending on the event.
3. Young Euro Classic, August 2nd - 20th, Berlin
A young musician plays the violin at the Young Euro Classic. Photo:DPA
This August, Berlin’s Konzerthaus on Gendarmenmarkt will be taken over by the best young classical musicians and orchestras from all over the world. Combatting the “constant ageing of the audience” these talented young musicians have revolutionized classical music since the festival’s founding in 2000 and are proving year on year that classical music is still young and has a bright future.
This annual event is founded on the spirit of “encounter, exchange and peaceful coexistence” and is a place where bi- and multi-national orchestras share the stage in spite of real-life conflicts taking place in the world.
The festival will open with a gala concert to commemorate Nelson Mandela’s centennial - a promising start to the 17-day event.
4. International Berlin Beer Festival, August 3rd - 5th, Berlin
Enthusiastic visitors to the International Berlin Beer Festival. Photo:DPA
If you can’t make it to Munich this October, why not head to the 22nd International Berlin Beer Festival. Holding the record for the longest beer garden ever at 2.2km long, the International Beer Festival is definitely a must visit in its own right.
Around 800,000 visitors will flock to Karl-Marx-Allee in the trendy Friedrichshain neighbourhood, which will be shut off from Strausberger Platz U-Bahn station to Frankfurter Tor.
Over 350 breweries from 90 different countries will be represented along the “beer mile." It is a festival tradition that each year a different country or region takes centre stage and this year it’s New Zealand’s turn with the fitting motto “Beer from the other end of the world”.
This is your chance to sample the best from New Zealand, Japan and Vietnam and varieties a little closer to home, while enjoying live performances of traditional German music on stages interspersed between beer stands.
5. Pyro Games, 4th August, Cleebronn (Baden-Württemburg)
The Pyro Games light up the sky in Dresden. Photo:DPA
Head to Cleebronn to watch the night sky light up with the most fantastic firework displays imaginable. The Pyro Games, also know as the "duel of the pyrotechnicians", are a set of competitions where the best firework-makers battle it out to be crowned the champion of this national event. Only the most innovative and creative firework displays will be victorious.
The Pyro Games travel throughout Germany so if you can't make the show in Cleebronn check out their other dates including: August 11th in Lichterfeld, Berlin; August 18th in Soltau, Lower Saxony; and August 25th in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
6. Frankfurt Apple Wine Festival, 10th - 19th August, Frankfurt am Main
Pouring a glass of the region's famous apple wine. Photo:DPA
Apple wine is so popular in the city of Frankfurt that every year they hold a festival to celebrate it.
Locals and visitors alike can wander around the stands on Roßmarkt near Frankfurt’s old town and enjoy the best Apfelwein the region has to offer.
A highly entertaining stage programme will run throughout the festival which will include singing, dancing and poetry recitals. Or browse the vintage stalls and earthenware stalls before taking a sip of an unconventional apple wine cocktail.
7. Tanz im August, August 10th - September 2nd, Berlin
Tanz im August is back in the capital again this month. For three weeks, innovative choreographers and extraordinary dancers from around the world will be presenting their new works across three different locations in the city.
In addition to the dance performances, there will be the chance to attend conversation panels with the artists and choreographers, film showings and epic dance parties.
One thing definitely to look out for is Wayne McGregor’s company performing their new piece “Autobiography” which is based on the life of the company's founder, who had his DNA decoded as a starting point for the piece.
8. Night of the Palaces, August 17th - 18th, Potsdam
Actors dressed in 18th century dress to celebrate the Night of the Palaces in Potsdam. Photo:DPA
Every year Potsdam’s Sanssouci Palace puts on a majestic show of pomp and ceremony to look back at the Prussian kings and queens who ruled the country for nine centuries.
The palace doors are opened to the public, who can stroll the corridors imagining the lavish baroque lifestyle of Frederick the Great and his royal contemporaries.
Classical musicians will take to the stage and visitors will be wowed by dance and theatre performances. The events will culminate with a firework display at midnight on both Friday and Saturday nights.
9. Holi Festival of Colours, August 18th, Berlin
Visitors delight in a sea of colours at the Holi Festival in Berlin. Photo:DPA
The festival of colours takes on Berlin this August. Participants are invited to celebrate this summer in colour. DJ sets and live musicians from India will keep the party alive in between the hourly colour dives, when a count down will instruct participants to shower those around them in multi-coloured paints.
10. Museumsuferfest (Museum Bank Festival), August 24th - 26th, Frankfurt am Main
The bank of the Main packed with visitors for Frankfurt's Museumsuferfest. Photo:DPA
Head over to Frankfurt for Europe’s largest art and culture festival. On the last weekend of August the city welcomes its doors to over 3 million visitors who come to sample German and European culture.
A full music line-up is sure to please all tastes, performing on the banks of the river Main. The abundant food stands will not leave you hungry and the museums will hold various special events and exhibitions.
11. Vegan Summer Festival, August 24th - 26th, Berlin
Here are three days jam-packed full of a vast array of different events and activities which promote a vegan lifestyle. The organizers are transporting their positivity, relaxed vibes and optimism into the centre of Berlin and are bringing with them bouncy castles, children’s play areas, a music and slam poetry stage and even a tattoo tent.
Live cooking demonstrations will be open to attendees who wish to learn how to go about making their own vegan delicacies and other lectures and talks are on the programme to explore other discussion points in the vegan lifestyle movement.
12. Long Night of the Museums, August 25th, Berlin
Berlin's museums open throughout the night. Photo:DPA
Berlin is an epicentre of history, culture and art with significance both in the past and today. On the night of August 25th, Berlin’s museums are opening from 6pm until 2am.
This year’s motto is “80 museums, 800 events, one ticket.”
Exclusive guided tours around historic and cultural sights also feature on the programme and wandering through the wonders of Berlin in the dead of night is definitely not to be missed. Several museum foyers will transform into concert halls, with live music, readings and plays being performed.
Shuttle buses will connect participating museums to ensure visitors can get the most out of the night at the museums.
Comments (1)