Ascension Day bank holiday: What to do in Berlin, from BBQs to Berghain – EXBERLINER.com

It might have a weird name, but Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day) is actually one of Germanys merriest public holidays. Perched at the end of May when skies are blue and its warm enough to drink outside, it also happens to be Fathers Day so keep an eye out for tipsy dads trundling crates of beer around in the name of tradition.

But its not all about booze. We round up some of the events and activities taking place in Berlin on May 26, 2022.

This year, the CTM Festival for Adventurous Music and Art is split into two parts, with the second instalment falling over the long Ascension weekend.

From May 24 to 29, CTM offers not only avant-garde electro music in all-night clubs, but an extensive workshop programme where music-makers can exchange ideas.

A series of lectures will focus on the interaction between music and social change, before moving from theory to practice at Berghain, Morphine Raum, Heimathafen Neuklln or the closing party at SchwuZ.

Desertfest takes place in Arena Berlin from May 26 to 29, and pretty much anyone thats anyone in sludge, heavy metal, progressive and psychedelic rock will be there.

Berlin metal institution Kadavar, old-timers Orange Goblin from London, and Baroness, who stirred up a lot of dust in the genre in the 2010s, will lead the party.

The strong line-up also includes Electric Wizard, Witchcraft, Elder, Truckfighters and a host of others. Maybe just the right music to celebrate Fathers Day.

From May 24 to 29, Berlins Performing Arts Festival returns to multiple venues across the city.

For the seventh time, indie artists from the dance and theatre scene will present small and large stage productions at over 40 venues in the city.

The programme is as diverse as the artists themselves. A wide variety of performing arts genres such as performance art, theatre, dance, circus and childrens theatre, as well as installations, video works and audiowalks will cover current social issues with the theme togetherness.

On May 28, the Day of Open House(s), fifteen venues from the indie scene will open their doors to the public and offer a glimpse behind the scenes.

Under the name Revolting, Berghain is celebrating into Fathers Day on May 25 with a gender-fluid party at its famously anything-goes sex club Lab.oratory, which lures you into the Labyrinth on the night before Ascension Day with the dirtier edges of house music.

Expect homoerotic house from the likes of Denny Voltage, Kiwi and Snecker on the decks.

Following an extended pandemic pause, Berlins folk festivals are emerging from enforced hibernation with a spring in their step. The traditional Steglitzer Woche starts this spring on May 26 and runs until June 12.

Expect over 60 fairground rides and attractions, as well as a beer garden with live music in the pavilion. Theres also a wide range of the usual barbecued food, snacks and sweets to enjoy, but maybe have a go on one of the carnival rides before you tuck in.

After the adrenaline rush, test your skills on the coconut shy or try a spot of duck fishing. There are raffles aplenty.

On June 12, artists from the fields of music, dance, comedy, acrobatics, magic and juggling will compete for the loudest applause at the cabaret awards.

This years Brckentag will be held in Mitte on May 27. Confused? The Bridge Day street festival will be held on the Friday between the Ascension Day public holiday and the weekend, and is organised by the Alliance New Orphan Bridge initiative to remind people that there are still no concrete plans for a new bridge to replace the former Orphan Bridge, which used to connect the Klosterviertel and the Mrkisches Museum in Mitte.

In addition to historical childrens games and open-air shows, the organisers will provide extensive information about their proposals for a new bike- and pedestrian-friendly bridge. Wallstrae will be closed especially for the festival.

As Berlin emerges from its six-month perma-grey winter, theres no better way to prepare your dinner than under the sky and overcharcoal. Whether youre out with the boys or the kids, that (vegan) sausage just tastes so much better when its charred to a crisp.

Head to one of the citys designated barbecue areas from Tempelhofer Feld to Preuenpark to Monbijoupark for some communal finger-burning.

However long youve lived in Berlin, its never too late to indulge in a tourist trip along the Spree. Join the old timers in their sun hats and take in the citys historical sights from the relative comfort of a boat. Dont forget to wave enthusiastically at the stoney-faced locals.

On Ascension Day, Berlins museums and most cultural institutions are open. This is the best opportunity to visit the exhibition The Great Masters of the Renaissance, which runs until August 7 at the Parochialkirche.

Here, the world-famous paintings and frescoes of the Italian artists of the early and high Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Sandro Botticelli and Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino are exhibited.

If youre into gender stereotypes, nothing says Fathers Day more than a spot of familial laser tag. With a plastic gun and a glow-in-the-dark vest, youll look a bit like the hero in a sci-fi B-movie.

In Berlin there are plenty of places you can take aim:

Put the beer down and take in some high-brow culture instead. On May 26, Vienna-trained pianist Mitsuko Uchida will be at the Pierre Boulez Hall.

She interprets the great works of Mozart, Schumann and Kurtg in her own inimitably unpretentious way, for which she is so celebrated by the music world.

Connoisseurs will appreciate that she plays against the romantic patina of some of the pieces, all others will simply enjoy great music masterpieces interpreted by a virtuoso in her field.

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Ascension Day bank holiday: What to do in Berlin, from BBQs to Berghain - EXBERLINER.com