Spring can be a tricky season when you’re travelling with carry-on only. If you’re heading from north to south (ideally the only direction any of us should be planning right now) you’ll need warmer layers for the journey than for your destination. But you also can’t think too summery: even the Mediterranean cools down at night. In February and March, you might be blessed with blue skies and enough sunshine to crave your first gelato of the year … or greeted by heavy rain and a wind straight from hell.

So how do you pack light and still look good wandering through palazzos and picturesque city centres, or heading out for dinner?

As I’m leaving for a short trip to Bologna and Milan on Saturday (where temperatures hover around 13 degrees instead of Berlin’s current sub-zero reality), it feels like the perfect moment for this piece. Here are my non-negotiable carry-on essentials for your next city trip, tried and tested on multiple trips during the last years to Florence, Naples, Palermo, Madrid and Paris in early spring.

Plus: a few non-fashion essentials I never travel without.

Pack smart, not heavy

The goal is simple: take pieces with you that layer well, work in multiple combinations and earn their place in your bag. If you, like me, are a fan of mostly wearing black, blue, grey and white, it will become even easier to pack, as you won’t have any trouble with colour combinations.

The non-negotiables

• 2-3 lightweight thermal long sleeves
  Those are my holy grail: super lightweight, which means you can easily pack a bunch of them but they make such a huge difference on cooler days. I wear them as a basic nearly every day

• A lightweight thermal leggings
  They take up nearly no space in your carry-on but adds an invisible extra layer of warmth

• A lightweight down jacket
  … the kind that folds into a tiny pouch. It is not fashionable but you can easily layer it under nearly every other jacket thus wear it on your way to the airport and during the flight.

• One pair of jeans, one pair of tailored trousers
  Wear the jeans on the flight, as they are heavier. Choose a really nice pair of tailored trousers that are loose enough to work well with thermal leggings.

• A thin wool layer

  … such as a very thin cardigan or a fine cashmere knit, pieces you can wear on their own or together and easily combine with a thermal shirt

• An oversized shirt and an oversized button-down
  Pieces that work perfectly on warmer days by themselves or layered with knits and thermals.

• A nice top
  … you can combine with the above pieces (layering, again!)

• What about skirts and dresses?
  If you wear dresses or skirts, choose styles you can wear during the day and at night, layer over trousers, combine with wool pieces or simply wear on their own. And don’t forget to bring at least two pairs of tights (mine always get runs!)

What stays at home

• Bulky sweaters that take up half your luggage and might never get worn

• Blazers, which are surprisingly hard to layer and always heavier than they look

• The one statement outfit you want to wear for a night-out (you won’t)

Two pairs of shoes does it all

Spring is the best season for city trips because one comfortable yet elegant pair of simple black boots really does the job for almost everything. They work for long days of walking just as well as for dinner or drinks at night. As a backup, I usually pack lightweight sneakers, often an older pair I would not mind replacing if I happen to stumble across something better while travelling. I never pack heels on city trips unless I’m absolutely certain I’ll need them. Most European cities just aren’t heel-friendly (think cobblestones) and they take up far too much space in a suitcase.

The tricky part

For me, one of the hardest decisions is always which coat or jacket to choose. I’m a sucker for leather jackets, but there’s no way I can leave Berlin in one at this time of year. Even layered over a down jacket, I’d probably get sick before leaving German airspace. That’s more of a mid-March to early May move at best – though if you’re travelling from a milder city, a good leather jacket is easily the chicest option.

This time, I will stick to my reliable go-to: a thin black wool coat. If you own a nice oversized bomber jacket, that will do well. Both are easy to layer over a down jacket, thermal shirt, or hoodie, but they work just as well with a simple shirt on a sunny day. It really depends on your style and your itinerary.

Small things, big impact

• A cap

• Sunglasses

• A thin scarf

• Statement jewellery

Especially by the sea, it tends to get windy, and a scarf which you can quickly wrap around your neck or head is a lifesaver. It also instantly elevates even the simplest outfit. A cap or beanie works wonders on colder days, plus it saves you on bad hair days when there is no hairdryer or your hair doesn’t appreciate the Italian tap water chlorine. Win-win.

Sunglasses are essential for me because after winter, our eyes are simply not ready for spring sunlight, and whenever you forget a pair, you somehow never find the right model, even in the most fashionable cities.

I also like to bring a few statement pieces such as a bold brooch, a chunky faux pearl necklace or oversized sparkling earrings. Easy costume jewellery that turns a basic daytime look into something evening-ready without taking up any real space in your hand luggage.

The right handbag is everything

Choosing the right handbag size can be one of the most difficult decisions on short trips. You don’t want something so small that nothing fits, but you also don’t want a heavy, oversized bag that you end up dragging around all day.

My rule of thumb is simple. It should fit my iPhone, my camera, a little notebook, sunglasses, a few little essentials like hand sanitiser and lip oil and ideally one of those thermal tops (if it is sunny in the morning and I opt for an outfit which makes me freeze later but do not want to spend any time running back to the accommodation). Anything bigger becomes a burden. Anything smaller means you will not have your hands free. Bonus points if it has an adjustable strap so I can wear it multiple ways – as a clutch, under-arm bag, or, in a real emergency, even as a crossbody, which I usually don’t find very chic.

Non-fashion essentials I never travel without:

The real game changer

Nothing has improved my travel comfort more than this small habit: I always bring a hot water bottle, even in my carry-on.

Many Airbnbs in southern Europe simply do not have proper heating, and I refuse to fall asleep with cold feet or catch a cold on holiday. It is also incredibly comforting if you have PMS or feel slightly under the weather. A warm bed makes everything cozier and sleep comes much easier. And there is almost always a kettle, even in the most questionable budget hotels.

Sleep is non-negotiable

This is partly a reminder to myself, but earplugs and an eye mask are absolute essentials. Hotels and Airbnbs can be surprisingly noisy and bright.

In Istanbul I once spent two sleepless nights because of cats fighting and calls to prayer right outside. In Athens it was construction at dawn. In Vietnam it was the couple next door. In Italy people reheating food late at night. In Thailand someone’s TV. In Singapore a roaring toilet flush. In Malaysia fireworks.

And then there is the light from air conditioners, televisions, exit signs, the gap under the door or the streetlamp right outside your window. You can tolerate it, but you really do not have to.

For long hair only

One last thing. Hotels and Airbnbs never seem to have enough towels. Those tiny microfiber hair turbans from the drugstore, the ones you would never wear outside your bathroom, are absolute game changers on trips and easy to squeeze into any carry-on.

Now I’m curious: what are your must-haves for short trips?

As I’m travelling this weekend, there won’t be any weekly picks for Berlin. If you’re looking for inspiration though, revisit my latest guides for tips on current exhibitions. I’m also working on a series of timeless neighbourhood guides to some of my favourite areas — keep an eye out for those.

I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin or another travel destination, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com)! 💌

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  I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
  Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

14th of February is around the corner and it feels like every café, bistro and restaurant in Berlin is suddenly offering a special Valentine’s or Galentine’s menu:

Three to five courses, usually starting with the city’s unavoidable sourdough bread, served with some kind of special butter, preferably decorated with flowers or tinted a soft shade of pink. Then come the supposedly aphrodisiac oysters, a rather forgettable main course, and for dessert something involving mascarpone and, somehow very important, raspberries.

And yes, yes, Berlin’s gastronomic evolution over the past few years is fascinating. Going from 3.50 € Döner Kebab capital to Valentine’s menus for 60 to 150 euros per person is quite a shift. What does surprise me, though, is just how heavily Valentine’s Day is being marketed this year?

I somehow struggle to picture all these kitschy, lovey-dovey couples in this city of loneliness, spooning raspberry soufflé together in a way that feels distinctly un-Berlin.

Don’t get me wrong, I honestly find it kind of sweet. I think this city could use a little more American cheesiness, Italian romance or soft French pastels. More couples kissing in public, holding hands, staring at each other like they’re the only two people in the room. Please, bring it on! I’m with Bad Bunny on this one. Love above all.

YES, BERLINALE IS HAPPENING

The upside of Berlin’s general absence of romance? If you’re not into Valentine’s Day and have zero interest in spending money on an overpriced couples menu, you probably won’t even notice it’s happening. What you can’t avoid, though, is the Berlinale, which kicked of Thursday.

I have to admit I’m completely overwhelmed by it this year. As much as I’d love to catch a few films, I honestly have no idea where to start. There are plenty carefully curated festival guides online, so please don’t expect that level of service from me this week. If you’re looking for recommendations, Tagesspiegel put together a list of the editors’ 25 favourite films for German speakers, and The Berliner has a great must-see roundup for this year’s festival in English.

LAST CHANCE: RIVIERA AT HELMUT NEWTON FOUNDATION

The Helmut Newton Foundation in Charlottenburg is one of my favorite museums, and this weekend is your last chance to catch its Riviera exhibition, which instantly transports you straight to the south of France. I went to the press preview when it first opened and am considering stopping by again this weekend. The photos are, as always, sexy and simply very, very summery.

Newton wasn’t just a big fan of the French Riviera. He actually lived there, his villa right next to Karl Lagerfeld’s, and shot many of his fashion editorials on location, which feels like a bit of a no-brainer given the scenery. If you’re in the mood to drift off into a world of luxury, glamour and another era for an hour or two, this is your go-to spot for the weekend.

Until Feb 15 | Museum für Fotografie | more info

POTT x CAFÉ TIERGARTEN

If you’re looking for a low-key Sunday plan that involves good food and a tiny bit of design nerdiness, this might be for you. On Sunday, cutlery brand Pott and Café Tiergarten are hosting a special tasting event where the menu and the tableware go hand in hand. While ordering your food, you can try your way through 17 classic Pott cutlery designs and pick your personal favourite, essentially test-driving your fork and knife along the way.

They’re serving a traditional Hessian dish called Grüne Sauce that day, which I’m absolutely obsessed with. It’s a green herb sauce made with seven specific herbs and traditionally served with eggs and potatoes. It’s usually very hard to find in Berlin – even getting all seven herbs to make it at home can be tricky. Of course, there will also be apple wine, another staple from the region. For dessert, they’re making Frankfurter Kranz, an old-school Hessian cake, inspired by the home region of the Café Tiergarten team. And if you couldn’t already tell from my excitement, it’s also where a big part of my family lives.

FEB 15 | 10:00 - 18:00 | more info

GRACIELA ITURBIDE | C/O Berlin

I already recommended the retrospective of Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide last week, but after visiting it for myself, I feel the need to do so again: Iturbide’s black and white photographs are documentary in nature, yet at first glance they often feel like cinematic stills. They are poetic and soft, while always remaining deeply focused on the subject.

Iturbide seems like an incredibly sensitive photographer and, as the curator mentioned during the press tour, she always made sure the people she photographed felt comfortable and truly agreed to being photographed. You can sense that respect for whatever unfolds in front of her camera. At the same time, her gaze is never shy, and neither are the themes she has explored over the past decades. Death, for example, has been a recurring and important subject in her work. Through her images, she confronts it directly and fearlessly, meeting it with a clear and steady gaze.

Ongoing | C/O Berlin | more info

NEXT WEEK: SPOTLIGHT ON BLACK CREATIVITY POP-UP

From February 17, PLATTE.Berlin is hosting a pop-up exhibition celebrating Black designers and visual artists who use fashion and art as mediums for memory, resistance and contemporary expression. If I understand it correctly, you can visit the pop-up during Platte’s regular opening hours. The exhibition was curated together with rosa mag, a lifestyle magazine for Black FLINTA* people in German-speaking countries. As an opening to the multi-day curated programme, there will also be an artist talk on Tuesday evening. If you’re eager to learn more about filmmaking, head over to Platte for a conversation with filmmaker Sandulela Asanda. Originally from the Eastern Cape and now based in Cape Town, she’s an award-winning director whose work has screened at international festivals.She’s currently presenting her feature film debut Black Burns Fast at the Berlinale 2026.

Artist Talk | FEB 17 | 6 PM | RSVP Link (entry is free)

An observation: I finally visited the fashion exhibition at the Gemäldegalerie last week. Watching the crowd, I started noticing a few recurring personas. First, the older white men who very earnestly try to ignore the fashion altogether because they’re only interested in the Catholic symbolism in the paintings.

Then the middle-aged women in what feels like a bespoke uniform: trekking shoes, skinny jeans, some kind of sweater, a crossbody bag hanging low on the hip. They say things like “I would wear that,” standing in front of a stunning robe with a six-meter-long veil and neckline down to the navel. And I always think, in what life? At the same time, I TOTALLY respect them. They allow themselves to dream, which is what fashion is all about. Mind you, I was there with my 60-year-old mum, who loves fashion exhibitions but still can’t help commenting on how practical or impractical something is, or how the shorts Jonathan Anderson designed for Dior SS25 looked just plain funny to her.

The most boring group are girls dressed like a budget version of Blair Waldorf academia-core, headbands and colourful socks included, mostly trying to take cute photos without ever looking at the art. And then there are the ones you immediately recognise as fashion people, moving almost silently through the 72 rooms and cabinets like little vampires with a gaze that’s intensely focused, bordering on slightly unhealthy.

An Obsession: I read a lot of novels. Lately, even more than usual, because reading calms me down in unsteady times. The more different they are from each other, the better. I jump between eras, genres and countries, picking up well-known authors as well as ones I’ve never heard of before. All of this simply because I finally renewed my public library card last week. It still feels like a small miracle to me that, for just ten euros a year, I can borrow and read as many new books as I want, whenever I want. If you don’t have a library card yet, I can only recommend it. To me, it’s one of life’s greatest little luxuries. And Berlin really does have an amazing number of public libraries.

And that’s it for the week!

P.S. If you like this week’s selection of events, please share the newsletter, hit subscribe, and consider becoming a paid supporter. It’s almost impossible to sustain an ad-free newsletter like this as an independent creative, so I truly appreciate every reader — and I hope it makes your weekends a little sweeter. <3

I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin or another travel destination, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys, I hope you’re doing well. Berlin Fashion Week is behind us and the Berlinale is right around the corner (it starts on Feb 12, and as of today, you can check the full program online). This week feels like a nice transitional buffer between the two events: fewer visitors, fewer crowds, a bit more breathing room.

Although the weather still makes it hard to leave the house, I’m pretty excited for the next few days. My mom is visiting, and when she’s in town, she’s not joking around. She basically called me two weeks ago to make sure I had a proper weekend plan, including: museums! spa! a movie! dinner!

Fortunately, there’s a lot happening this weekend to keep both of us busy, so I put together a full itinerary, including a few pop-ups I don’t want to miss and three promising exhibitions.

P.S. If you like this week’s selection of events, please share the newsletter, hit subscribe, and consider becoming a paid supporter. It’s almost impossible to sustain an ad-free newsletter like this as an independent creative, so I truly appreciate every reader — and I hope it makes your weekends a little sweeter. <3

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WEDNESDAY TO SATURDAY

ARCHIVE MARKET

If you’re into archive fashion, make sure to step by this pop-up market: Innsbruck based Mirou is all about rare pieces by Japanese brands such as Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Junya Watanabe or Comme Des Garçons. This week, their archive sale takes place at ruuum studio in Mitte. Expect curated pre-loved pieces by above mentioned brands as well as Prada, Rick Owens and much more for 50-70% off.

FEB 2 -7, ruuum studio, Kastanienallee 43, noon – 7 PM | more info

TASCHEN WAREHOUSE SALE

It’s that time again: the legendary Taschen Warehouse Sale is back in Berlin (aka heaven for anyone who loves photography books a little too much). From architecture to fashion photography and pop culture gems, there’s a curated selection of top titles waiting to be discovered, with discounts of up to 75%. Yes, dangerous territory for both your tote bag and your bank account.

If you want first dibs, stop by the Preview Party on Wednesday (5–8 PM): drinks, relaxed beats, and plenty of time to flip through the best finds before the big rush starts. After that, the sale continues in-store for a few more days and online, too.

FEB 4 - 7 | Preview Party 5–8 PM | TASCHEN Store Berlin
Schlüterstraße 39

PHOTO BOOK LAUNCH

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ve probably come across my regular recommendations for the Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie exhibitions. This one is a little different. Instead of photographers, it spotlights the work of the photo editing class, aka the people shaping the stories behind the images.

The book release and exhibition EDITED 2025 brings together 14 selected photo series by graduates of the Ostkreuzschule in Berlin and the International Center of Photography in New York. The projects range from Ukraine to the US, from intimate personal narratives to broader political realities.

FEB 7 | 7 PM | erstererster | Pappelallee 69 | more info

GRACIELA ITURBIDE | C/O Berlin

I can’t wait for the major retrospective of Graciela Iturbide, opening to the public on Friday night. I’ll already be visiting the exhibition Friday morning on a press tour, but I’m sure the opening night will be fun. The show offers an in-depth look at the oeuvre of the Mexican artist, born in 1942, whose photographic practice has shaped how we see Mexico and its people for over five decades — poetic, political, and deeply human, with a strong focus on women and their role in society.

Opening FEB 6 | 8 PM to Midnight | Sat and Sund | 11 AM to 8 PM | C/O Berlin | more info

Where to take a break afterwards:

If you visit Saturday or Sunday, and C/O’s café is crowded (which is usually the case on weekends), I recommend heading to 1990 Café in Charlottenburg instead. Their freshly baked cakes (think German Käsekuchen and apple crumble) are to die for, and the cozy space has become a little ritual during my mom’s visits. It’s right at Savignyplatz, just one S-Bahn stop from Zoologischer Garten, where C/O is located, perfect for an easy post-exhibition coffee break. Another Berlin staple, way more traditional than your usual Mitte matcha spots, is Der Kuchenladen on Kantstraße. They have the kitschiest display case, packed with opulent cakes, and everything is homemade.

THE SCHARF COLLECTION | Alte Nationalgalerie

Also on my bucket list this week: The Scharf Collection is one of Germany’s most significant private art collections, mostly featuring 19th- and 20th-century French art as well as international contemporary artworks. The current exhibition at Alte Nationalgalerie includes around 150 works, with highlights by Auguste Renoir, Pierre Bonnard, Edgar Degas, and Claude Monet. I tried to visit two weeks ago, but it was crowded af! The exhibition’s last day for the public is Sunday, 15 February 2026 and it has extended opening hours this weekend.

Until Feb 15 | Alte Nationalgalerie | more info

Where we take a lunch or coffee break:

My mom is obsessed with La Femme, the Turkish breakfast chain with seven locations across Berlin. If I let her, she’d have breakfast (and multiple coffee breaks) there every day. As much as I love a freshly baked Simit, I also see it as my responsibility to show her more of Berlin’s gastronomy … and I definitely can’t keep up with all the baked goods she orders before 9 a.m.!

This weekend, I’ll offer breakfast at home and bring her to some of my favorite lunch spots. On Saturday, we’ll go to Ishin, because she loves Japanese food, and it’s much cheaper here than where she lives. Their Take Set for €12? A bargain, a blessing, and one of the reasons I still love Berlin. Plus, it’s close to Museumsinsel, making it the perfect pit stop after the museum visit.

GALLERY LOOKS | Gemäldegalerie

For anyone who is into art and couture: Gallery Looks, on view at the Gemäldegalerie, explores the intersection of Old Masters and contemporary fashion. It opened Tuesday and you might have seen some snippets on Insta, as many fashion people ended their fashion week trip with a visit of the exhibition. Through films, photography, and designer pieces, the show traces how fabrics, cuts, colours, and histories echo across mediums and come together in vivid new narratives (Remember the Dior show last summer that took inspiration from Gemäldegalerie?) It features creations by Anne Bernecker, Plaid-à-Porter (Estelle Adeline Trasoglu), Karen Jessen, and Alexander Gigl.

It’s on view until May 31, but I’m definitely dragging my mom there Saturday morning.

Until May 31 | Gemäldegalerie | more info

Where we take a lunch or coffee break:

There’s basically nothing near the Gemäldegalerie that I’d recommend, so just grab the U-Bahn or S-Bahn and get the hell out of Potsdamer Platz. When I have family visiting, we usually skip the super fancy places. Instead, we stick to restaurants and cafés my mom loves and that are easy to reach between museum visits. She usually craves Turkish or Persian food (last time we went to Mercan in Kreuzberg and Aftab in Prenzlauer Berg, none of which is close by), but from the Gemäldegalerie, you can easily hop on a bus to Kreuzberg or Schöneberg for a quick lunch or coffee break.

What else to do?

A few more things I recommend doing this weekend in Berlin (or any winter weekend when a family member or friend thinks it’s a good idea to visit the city at its absolute worst).

• Visit a hamam: When it’s –10 degrees, all I want to do is stay warm. I’m not the biggest fan of Berlin’s spas, but there are two beautiful hamams in Kreuzberg and Schöneberg that do the job even better.

• Grab last-minute tickets at Deutsche Oper, Volksbühne, or one of the many theaters. I know opera tickets can be pricey, but if you’re in the mood to dress up and escape the grey for a bit, this is the way to do it. I’m still a sucker for live performances — and there are so many to choose from at the moment.

• Go to the movies: My mom and I are planning to watch Hamnet this weekend! Yes, groundbreaking. I know, a movie night in winter isn’t the most creative tip, but you can always make it special by choosing one of the older cinemas instead of … Cinemaxx. There aren’t many cities with cinemas as beautiful as ours, okay? By the way: Kino International, the stunning cinema on Karl-Marx-Allee, is finally reopening end of February. The GDR-era building is an iconic Berlin landmark, and it hosted countless international premieres before closing for renovation.

And that’s it for the week!

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I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin or another travel destination, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys, I hope you eased into the new year gently.

Berlin Fashion Week kicks off on Friday and will, fingers crossed, pull the city out of its eternally gray depressive mode at least until Monday. If you work in fashion, your schedule for the next few days is probably already packed. But even if fashion isn’t usually your thing, there are some fantastic public events happening this weekend. I did some cherry-picking for you (including RSVP links!), in case you’re not sure where to go.

If you’re new here: Hi, I’m Kate, a freelance culture and fashion editor based in Berlin. Through agenda – got plans? I share curated city guides and event tips for people who care about fashion, design and art and prefer thoughtful recommendations over endless scrolling. Make sure to subscribe to stay in the loop!

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What you should know about Berlin Fashion Week (the short version)

I have been following Berlin Fashion Week since I attended my first shows as a fashion student, and over the years, quite a lot has changed. Some people say the glory days are over: the euphoric parties where champagne and money flowed freely are gone as are the nights when tequila shots were shared with Alexa Chung and Facehunter at the party of some wildly successful denim brand. Others would argue that the event has become less commercial, and that this is precisely why it feels much more interesting today than it did a few years ago.

For a long time, Berlin Fashion Week was a predominantly B2B event, shaped by major trade fairs such as Bread & Butter and Premium, where brands presented their new collections to an audience largely made up of buyers. The fashion shows (mainly held by long-established German labels like Escada and Hugo Boss), were scheduled according to a fixed timetable in a large white tent close to Brandenburger Tor – sponsored by Mercedes Benz.

Considerable sums were repeatedly spent on flying in international celebrities, who would appear briefly in the front row before heading to Borchardt for a famous German Schnitzel or checking into Hotel de Rome, the five-star hotel at Gendarmenmarkt, under assumed names.

The attempt to gain international relevance through this strategy, perhaps even to one day compete with fashion weeks such as London or New York (which were still thriving at the time) never really worked. After a few unsteady years, Berlin Fashion Week has since repositioned itself, largely thanks to the tireless efforts of the German Fashion Council, as a platform that primarily gives space to young, Berlin-based labels. It is cooler and more alternative than it used to be, but also, inevitably, far less commercial.

For those who care about fashion for fashion’s sake, this shift is a welcome one. Labels like Laura Gerte, Sia Arnika, Balletshofer or RichertBeil bring a sense of cool the event previously lacked. More editorial, less department-store assortment, if you will. BFW now feels less like a polished industry machine and more like a labor of love, carried by a fiercely professional scene that shows up, season after season, keeping both the event and the idea of Berlin as a fashion city alive. But you can’t talk fashion without business, and as talented as our local designers are, economically speaking, the business is made somewhere else.

For now, the event is publicly funded by the city. How fragile that support can be becomes clear when you look at Berlin Art Week, which lost its entire funding of the Berliner Senate this year despite being a major audience magnet. In that light, the fact that BFW still exists feels less like a given and more like an invitation: to show up, to participate, and to support the people who are keeping it alive.

The fashion shows and many of the events on the official Fashion Week calendar are invite-only, but throughout all four days there are genuinely great side events happening from morning to night. Here are my favorites this weekend:

FRIDAY

THE FASHION ARCHIVES PODCAST LISTENING PARTY

I’m a huge fan of fashion podcasts, and this one is right down my alley: The Fashion Archives is a fashion commentary podcast by Berlin-based Italian content creator and archive fashion stan Amelie Stanescu. Hosted by Fräulein Magazine, this live event feels like a chill way to ease into fashion week.
Friday | Jan 30 | 6:30 PM – 9 PM | schlachter 151 | more info | RSVP here

SATURDAY

VIOLET PAPERS LAUNCH NIGHT

I’m very excited about this one—and equally sad I definitely can’t make it: Violet Papers issue 04, “CHANGES,” is launching at Voo. If you’re into independent fashion magazines, you should definitely stop by and try to get your hands on a copy. I’ve been following founder and editor-in-chief Lara Violetta since her TikTok beginnings. In my opinion, she’s one of the chicest and best-dressed creatives in the industry, with a flair for bold make-up looks. Her genuine joy for fashion and beauty is contagious—and inspiring.

JAN 31 | 7:30 PM – 9 PM | Voo Store | RSVP here

HADERLUMP AFTER SHOW PARTY

While the Haderlump fashion show is invite only, you can join them at their aftershow party BERLIN SELECTORS VOL. II on Saturday night at Haus der Visionäre. Expect electronic music, an ambient live show as well as a cabaret performance.

JAN 31 | 8 PM | Haus der Visionäre | more info | tickets via RA

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY

There are multiple fashion presentations and exhibitions happening throughout the city this weekend:

RAUM.BERLIN

A curated showcase celebrating Berlin-based designers and emerging talent in an immersive space. I’m particularly excited for the new collections by Clara Colette Miramon and Lueder!

JAN 30 – Feb 2 | Eichhornstraße 3, 10785 Berlin | Register here

NEXT GEN POP-UP at PLATTE

Definitely not a hidden gem, but an event you can easily fit into your weekend on the go: at Platte, Sven Marquardt has curated an installation focusing on the identities of five emerging designers. The opening is on Friday evening (RSVP already closed), but if that feels too stressful, the installation will be on view for the next few weeks as well.

JAN 30 - FEB 14 | Platte | more info

Rico Reframed | New Perspectives on Rico Puhlmann’s Fashion Photography

Right next to the major retrospective Rico Puhlmann: Fashion Photography 50s–90s at the Museum für Fotografie, Lette Verein Berlin is showing new photographic and film works by 15 photography students. The exhibition sees them engaging with Puhlmann’s legacy in very different ways.

Haus der Fotografie | ongoing exhibition | more info

MONDAY

TEDxBerlin TALKS

If you have time on Monday morning and are in the mood for some brain food, grab a coffee to go and head over to Kraftwerk. From 9–11 AM, TEDxBerlin TALKS will bring together leading voices from Berlin’s fashion scene, including Benjamin Alexander Huseby and Serhat Işık, founders of GmbH, artist Dozie Kanu, and consultant Zainab Jama. The event is part of Reference Studio’s Event Intervention, one of BFW’s most impactful and internationally approved events—thanks to Berlin fashion godfather Mumu Haiati, who basically rules everything cool that happens in this city with his creative PR agency.

The talk is structured as a conversational format, inviting guests into a series of thoughtfully curated interviews and dialogues. Rather than focusing on products, trends, or promotion, the discussions center on insight: how creative decisions are made, how cultural meaning is produced, and how the fashion ecosystem is evolving.

FEB 2 |  Kraftwerk Berlin | tickets and more info

PDF Magazine x Oxi

A party for fashion heads: Head over to Oxi for the PDF Magazine Launch and some some bass-driven techno! The magazine is a Berlin/Athens-based independent living document of pop culture, design, and fashion, intentionally highlight communities and regions that exist outside the status quo. To celebrate the debut, there will be sets by Issue 01 stars OLDYUNGMAYN, DJ KILLING, & SAD GAY with special guest appearances by OXI regulars HANABY & SOFTCHAOS.

FEB 2, 7 PM – 4 AM, Oxi, tickets via RA, more info

Want more?

STUDIO 1111 has, over the past two years, positioned itself as an artsy hotspot for all kinds of launch events (despite its rather unimpressive cocktails and the lack of an actual exhibition space). Over the course of the full weekend, the venue will be hosting several Fashion Week side events. It’s hard to say how crowded things will get, given that the space is fairly small and at least some of the events are likely invite-only, but here’s the schedule:

THURSDAY 29 JAN - Hotline Magazine launch issue 5 & fashion presentation
FRIDAY 30 JAN - Fashion Week Opening Party with COLRS X Mutter
SATURDAY 31 JAN - SF1OG Aftershow Party with Takt
SUNDAY 1 FEB - Chez Bad Boy Zine - exhibition & magazine launch
MONDAY 2 FEB - Fashion Week Closing Party with Deadhype x Reebok

If fashion isn’t really your thing, here some other events worth checking out this weekend:

A few gallery openings happening this Friday:

• Gili Tal: Soft and Bouncy | Galerie Buchholz | Friday | 6 – 8 PM

• Georgie Nettell | Lars Friedrich | Friday | 6 – 8 PM

• Jeehye Song | Wentrup | Friday | 6 – 8 PM

… and a Finissage on Saturday:

• Marc Nagtzaam: Sidetracked | Galerie kajetan | Saturday | noon – 6 PM | the artist will be present

And that’s it for now!

P.S. I’m thinking about switching my Substack to German – how do you feel about that? Are you a native speaker, or do you prefer English? Let me know in the comments.

P.P.S. Thank you so much for subscribing to this newsletter. If you like what you’re reading, feel free to forward it to a few friends.

I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic week .。.:*♡
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys, I hope you’re well. 2025 is nearly over and I guess your social calendars are already packed with Christmas parties, festive dinners and all that jazz. Some of you will probably leave the city soon to travel home for the holidays too.

Is it just me or is everything even more aggressively Christmassy this year than usual? Ku’damm is literally wrapped in lights, as some sponsors really threw money at illuminating the West’s biggest shopping street (while Berlin in December usually looks like a city running on emergency lighting).

I kind of love it, even though the Christmas market at Europaplatz gives me the creeps. Like every commercial Berlin Christmas market, to be fair. Bad music, tipsy office people, the smell of deep-fried everything. Not my vibe.

That’s why, instead of sending out my usual weekly picks, I put together a list of events happening throughout December which are (mostly) not Christmas-themed but all about fashion and art hehe. Consider them my answer to German Christmas markets and a way to meet people without warming your hands on sticky sugar-laced Glühwein.

WILLIAM FAN SAMPLE SALE

Start your weekend in a very relaxed way with the William Fan sample sale, which is happening again at Château Royal. I think I’ve mentioned it here before, but I still find it kind of sad that as Berliners we rarely get to enjoy the truly beautiful hotels in this city. This weekend you can do exactly that, without any pressure, and you can shop leftover pieces from William’s previous collections at the same time, if your budget allows it.

For me, his sale is one of the best in Berlin, because there is always a nice selection of accessories, shoes, print-shirts and actual fashion pieces. The sample sale takes place Fri 12 pm to 8 pm, Sat 10 am to 8 pm, and Sun 10 am to 6 pm. Discounts are up to 80 percent off, plus an extra 10 percent for students with a valid student ID card.

Fri to Sun | Dec 5 – 7 | Château Royal Berlin | more info

SSR** LIBRARY

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about third spaces in Berlin. Third spaces are places separate from home (the first place) and work (the second place). And yes, Berlin has plenty of them in the form of cafés, restaurants, clubs and shops, but in my opinion there are very few where you can actually exist for a longer period of time without immediately having to buy something (unless you’re super interested in art – then you have tons of free gallery spaces to explore).

Starting this week, a new and exciting temporary third space is opening in Mitte, which you can check out until next Thursday: SSR LIBRARY is a self study room by NISM, a temporary space for research and knowledge. I love that! Reading is sexy, libraries are sexy, so I’m totally here for this kind of space. The SSR** library is open daily to everyone from the 4th to 11th of December and features selected zines and books you can read on site.

Dec 4 – 11 | BEINGHUNTED, Wallstrasse 4 | more info

OPEN STUDIOS GLOGAUAIR

As a very curious girl, I always enjoy a good open studio event because it gives you a beautiful glimpse into the working environments of artists.

That’s why I’m really looking forward to the Open Studios at GlogauAIR, featuring the work of 13 on-site artists and 10 online artists (all listed here) on 12 and 13 December (Friday 6 – 9 pm, Saturday 3 – 9 pm). And if you’re in the mood for a curatorial tour, make sure to be there on Saturday at 4 pm.

Friday and Saturday | Dec 12 & 13 | GlogauAIR | more info

50TH ISSUE OF ACHTUNG MAGAZINE

Two weeks ago I recommended the Viscose Journal launch, and in the same Schöneberg location, the celebration for the 50th issue of Achtung Mode is happening next Thursday. From 6 to 9 pm there will be a screening of the fashion film Come as You Are and a live DJ set by Iga Drobisz. No RSVP required.

For those who don’t know the magazine: Achtung is one of the few German independent fashion publications that actually takes fashion seriously. By the way, it also makes a very cute Christmas gift for anyone interested in fashion or for people who want to read more print again. A yearly subscription (two print issues) costs only €17 and supports exactly the kind of publication we all want to keep alive.

Thursday | Dec 11 | 6 pm – 9 pm | Rosegarden | more info

LAST CHANCE BOROS COLLECTION #4

One of my absolute favourite art spaces in Berlin is the Bunker in Mitte, where Karen and Christian Boros present the Boros Collection. Every few years a new exhibition cycle opens with selected works from their private collection. This January the current cycle will close, and I’m already excited to see what comes next.

Which also means: December is your last chance to see the current presentation, featuring works by some of my favourite contemporary artists, including Klára Hosnedlová, Anne Imhof, Bunny Rogers, Anna Uddenberg and many more.

You can only visit the collection as part of a guided tour in a small group (in English or German). Entry is only possible with a prebooked time slot and tickets are always limited and sell out quickly. But good news: in December the opening hours are extended until 10 pm Perfect after-work activity if you ask me.

Until Jan 11, 2026 | Bunker, Reinhardtstr. 20 | more info + tickets

+++ ALSO HAPPENING +++

• Exhibition Opening: A place never fully held
  Dec 5 | 7 pm – 10 pm | KW | more info

• Vintage Revivals Archive Sale
  Selected designer pieces | Dec 5–13 | 11 am – 7 pm | Münzstraße 5

• Xmas Market by Wanda Berlin
  All gluten-free | Dec 7 | Starting at noon | Oshione Atelier | more info

• Backhouse Projects December Markets
  Three weeks, three pop-ups | Dec 1 – 21⁠ | more info

And that’s it for now! Wishing you a great December <3

P.S. If you like what you read, you can now tip me via Ko-fi. It’s an easy way to support independent writers like me without a paid Substack subscription (Glad if you want to become a paid subscriber though!)

I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic December .。.:*♡
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys, November is nearly behind us, which means we’ve survived the first month of Berlin winter. Only four or five more to go. And honestly, this week it doesn’t even feel that bad, because starting Wednesday there is so much going on in the city that I was genuinely a bit overwhelmed while putting this newsletter together. You might think it’s quickly written, but I actually spend several hours each time researching the best events and gathering all the info for you.

That said, I hope you are not fully booked over the next few days, because between archive sales, exhibition openings, art walks, sample sales and readings there is basically no room left for anything else, sorry.

P.S. If you like this week’s selection of events, please share the newsletter with your friends, hit subscribe and consider becoming a paid supporter or hopping over to Ko-fi. Without support, newsletters like this are almost impossible to sustain for independent creatives like me. That said, I appreciate every single reader and hope that my newsletter makes your weekends a little sweeter <3

VERNISSAGE + READING | ZWISCHEN TÜR UND ZUKUNFT

On Thursday I’m genuinely excited about this exhibition opening at Spore Initiative. “Between Door and Future” invites us to pause, listen and rethink. It centers on migration, belonging and the question of how we can imagine a future beyond polarization. The artistic work of Arin Ismail and Kim D. Vu forms the core of the installation.

I am also especially looking forward to the poetry reading and Q&A with author and poet Ozan Zakariya Keskinkılıç. In 2023 I interviewed Ozan myself for a podcast episode on queerness as a Muslim (if you’re interested; the episode is available in German here). Ozan’s new novel Hundesohn is at the very top of my reading list.

There is also going to be great music, with a performance by London-based pop artist Lie Ning and jazz pianist Wolle. I wouldn’t miss it!

Thursday | Spore Initiative | 7 pm – 10:30 pm | more info

PLATTE FEIERABEND

Platte is hosting the next edition of their monthly event Platte Feierabend on Thursday. What to expect?

At the center of the evening is the new collection from Selva Huygens, the Berlin based label by Cristian Huygens and Natalia Golubenko. If you’re even slightly interested in Berlin fashion, you’ve definitely seen their pieces around: They mostly look like something straight out of an avant garde Transformers spin off or Lady Gaga music video. There will also be a performance by Josefina Maro, who explores the relationship between the human and robotic body (looks pretty dope), an art installation by KPNC, and a techno/ house set by DJ Akuntsu.

Thursday | 27.11 | 5:30 pm – 8:30 | more info + RSVP

ESTHER PERBANDT BLACK FRIDAY

I am not a fan of Black Friday sales. At this point we all know that in most cases it is kind of a scam, right? But for no label does a black Friday make more sense than for the all black brand identity of Esther Perbandt. She is one of the Berlin designers who already had a name in the city more than twelve years ago. I still remember how we, as fashion journalism students, tried to get into her shows. And to this day she designs in Berlin and produces in small manufactories across the EU. On Friday you will have the chance to stop by the Esther Perbandt store in Berlin Mitte for afternoon drinks, special deals of up to 70 percent off selected styles and unique samples.

Friday | 26.11 | Esther Perbandt store | Almstadtstraße 3 | noon - 8 pm

NOT YOUR AVERAGE CHRISTMAS MARKETS

This week is pretty wild when it comes to pop-up markets, and to be honest I’m always debating how many of them you’re actually interested in or whether you prefer cultural recommendations instead. But hey, I’m assuming at least some of you are still looking for Christmas gifts for yourselves or your loved ones, and pop-ups like these always come in handy.

On Friday and Saturday, for example, there’s one happening at Forma Gallery. There isn’t much information out there, but you can check out the participating labels on Instagram. It looks like a mix of high-quality glassware and ceramics, some jewelry and the kind of refined, design-driven pieces you usually find around Berlin Mitte.

Forma Gallery Market |  Friday 4 pm – 8 pm and Saturday noon – 8 pm | more info

… and if that’s still not enough for you, Studio Maison is also throwing a pop-up market, called La Boum Xmas Kiosk, where Berlin labels will be selling beautiful jewelry, ceramics, bags, candles, hair accessories, pickles and more.

To me, these pop-ups just before Christmas always feel like members-only Christmas markets. You know the drill: there are the basic, run-of-the-mill Christmas markets where nobody with a brain actually buys anything. Then there’s the “hipper” version, like the Scandinavian or Japanese Christmas markets, where everyone who reads Mit Vergnügen spends way too much on meatballs or matcha cheesecake instead of crepes and sausages, and maybe buys a bit of “craft” that’s more interesting than the hundredth made-in-China Christmas tealight or salat cutlery made of olive wood.

And then a few PR-fashion-lifestyle girlies figured out that they could create even more exclusive, mini Christmas-market-style events to showcase their brands … and here we are. I mean this in the nicest way as the products are all super beautiful, it’s purely a cultural observation of the Christmas chaos in our city.

La Boum Xmas Kiosk | 29.11 | 11 am – 6 pm | Lindower Str. 20 | more info

HADERLUMP STORE OPENING

Haderlump has moved and will celebrate the opening of their new store on Saturday. If I am not mistaken, the new space is the same shop they used for one of their pop-ups this summer. It is right next to Akkurat Café and within walking distance of Berlinische Galerie, which makes a pretty ideal Saturday itinerary, no?

I personally am not a big fan of the area, since it is a strange in-between zone somewhere between Kreuzberg and Mitte and a bit too close to the Axel Springer headquarters and Checkpoint Charlie in my opinion (which always give me really bad vibes). But hey, other than that, the area has real potential to become something cooler in the near future.

Saturday | 29.11 | 12PM - 7PM | Besselstraße 14 | more info

GALLERY WALK CHARLOTTENBURG

If you’re a loyal reader, you already know how much I love to stroll from gallery to gallery, hehe. Charlottenburg always delivers the most when it comes to this concept: During Charlottenwalk you even get a cute little map that lists all participating galleries, and you can literally just walk your way through the route and easily visit tons of amazing spaces in one afternoon.

A little personal tip: in the past I was sometimes running a bit late, so I’d recommend starting earlier rather than later, especially if you want to take it slow and maybe add in a break or two. The galleries aren’t exactly next to each other. Yes, some are two minutes apart, some are fifteen, and sometimes there are even a few bus or train stops in between. After all, there are forty one galleries taking part and Charlottenburg is definitely not a small neighborhood.

For a little coffee and cake break in between (my favorite part), I can highly recommend Café 1990: Not trendy at all, but cozy af and their homemade cakes are to die for. Every time my Mom is in the city, she requests to go there. It might be busy as it is a local’s favorite. In case you need a plan B: I haven’t been myself yet, but I keep getting recommendations for Roberts Café and Giro Coffee Bar.

Saturday | 29.11 | noon – 6pm | more info

A busy Sunday afternoon at Soho House

Head over to Soho House on Sunday for their archive market: ten vintage designer curators from Berlin and Brussels will be selling a selection of vintage and archival pieces as well as winter garments. Some well-known Berlin names will be there, including endyma (not kidding about their archival fashion pieces), Archangels Berlin (a celebrity favorite in the city, with customers like Gabriette) and Copmeifyoucan (seriously good finds). Other vendors include amiata_archive, cortege.store, dirtypradadream, j_adorable_shop, radiotirana_archive, velvetknife.archive and 2die4_archive.

Sunday, 30.11 | Soho House Berlin | noon - 6pm | more info

Film Screening 雪水消融的季節 After the Snowmelt

If that is not your thing, or if you are more in the mood for relaxation than a wild clothing party: on Sunday at noon, Impression Taiwan e.V. is screening the award-winning documentary After the Snowmelt 雪水消融的季節 by Taiwanese independent filmmaker Yi-Shan Lo, a poetic coming-of-age story about grief, survival and friendship that stretches from Taiwan to the mountains of Nepal. Entry is € 5 (be early to secure a spot).

Film Screening | Prinzenallee 60 | 12:15 – 3 pm | more info

And that’s it for the week!

P.S. If you like what you read, you can now tip me via Ko-fi. It’s an easy way to support independent writers like me without a paid Substack subscription.

I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys, I hope you’re doing great. I’m hyper nervous because I’m getting Lasik on Thursday, and of course I made the terrible mistake of spending hours on TikTok watching every possible thing that could go wrong. Very bad idea. I’ll mostly be at home recovering this weekend, but for everyone who isn’t: there are a few cute little events worth checking out this week.

Other than that, it feels like not much is happening in the city right now. Everyone is complaining about the weather and the early darkness, a true Berlin classic. What is happening though are endless PR events, since every beauty brand is trying to push their holiday fragrances and products. Every second day I see photos of dinner parties with the same twenty influencers promoting a perfume in Berlin, but I get it, it’s the season for it.

How are you spending November in Berlin? Are you part of the stay at home club, a PR baddie, or out and about clubbing?

PHOTOBOOK PRESENTATION: POK CHI LAU AT ENCOUNTERS BOOKSTORE

On Wednesday, Encounters Bookspace on Prinzenstraße in Wedding is hosting an exciting photobook presentation featuring Barrio Chino and Sentient Beings by Pok Chi Lau.

Born in British Hong Kong in 1950, the photographer has spent decades documenting the Chinese diaspora and global migration. Both projects presented here focus on the lives of Cuban Chinese people: Barrio Chino shows Cuban Chinese homes, livelihoods, associations and more across the island. Sentient Beings is a portrait series spanning four generations of Cuban Chinese families.

Did I mention there will be Hong Kong pineapple buns and milk tea? Sounds like a perfect cozy mid-week evening.

Random side note: Pok Chi Lau may be an accredited Asian American photographer and Professor Emeritus of PhotoMedia at the University of Kansas, but his Instagram is full of fishing selfies that are absolutely hilarious, and I’m completely here for it:

Wednesday | 19.11 | 7-9 pm | Encounters Bookstore | more info

POP-UP 12047 SALÓ NÚMERO DOS

On Thursday and Friday, Gastrobar and art space Van Hofen in Neukölln is hosting a small pop-up designer showcase featuring a handful of independent brands, including Acceptance Letter, Halo Labels, Kisses with Salvia and more.

Thursday to Friday | 20. – 21.11 | Van Hofen | more info

MADLY AWAKE POETRY NIGHT

Another cozy midweek event: the Madly Awake poetry night at Ori on Thursday. I’ve never been, but I feel like a little more poetry would do all of us good right now. And honestly, I love bar nights where something is happening beyond shouting at each other over loud background music.

Thursday | 20.11 | 7pm – 11pm | ORi Berlin | more info

VOOFÜNFZEHN

Berlin’s most well known concept store is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Together with the interdisciplinary platform Creamcake, Voo is throwing a small in store party. LIA LIA, Lauren Auder, Dinamarca, Beaks, THE NARRATOR and Francos Pain are all part of the lineup. Could be a cute little see and be seen moment if you are into that.

I personally am not the biggest Voo fan anymore, because I feel like the selection has gone downhill quite a bit and the atmosphere used to feel a lot cooler, but hey, there are not many concept stores left in the city, so maybe at this point it is more about taking what you can get?

Saturday | 22.11 | Voo Store | 4 pm – 10 pm | RSVP here

EXHIBITION OPENING DAVID HORVITZ & ALI EYAL AT CHERTLÜDDE

If you’re in the mood for an early-weekend art moment, ChertLüdde is opening two new exhibitions on Saturday evening. From 6 to 9 pm you can stop by and see the latest shows by David Horvitz and Ali Eyal.

David Horvitz’ exhibition At the limits of the city brings a touch of Los Angeles to Berlin. He recreates elements from his garden project in LA, creating a quiet dialogue between both cities and their social and cultural fringes. Throughout the run of the show there will also be a series of public events and readings.

Ali Eyal’s Let Them Say Something focuses on his family’s farm near Baghdad. The exhibition brings together two sculptural installations that explore memory, myth and personal history. The works feel both intimate and distant at the same time, and circle around themes of displacement and how memory stays with us.

Saturday | 22.11 | 6–9 pm | ChertLüdde | more info

TOP MODEL BERLIN LAUNCH

If I weren’t getting eye surgery this week, this is the party I’d be at on Saturday: The launch of Top Model Berlin at Metropol. What is Top Model Berlin you ask? As strange as the name sounds, it is not a new casting show, it is a new platform for live music.

It’s launch party comes with a live concert by Yves Tumor (you heard them on Rosalía’s Berghain), who will present an exclusive new solo live set. Apparently it is their first and only live show of 2025. Support comes from London’s Coucou Chloe and Suuto.

I love the location they chose for the launch. If you have never been to Metropol before, it is a legendary Art Nouveau theatre and concert hall in Schöneberg that is usually unused these days. Once the heart of West Berlin’s nightlife in the 1980s, it now only opens occasionally for concerts.

Saturday | 22.11 | 6–9 pm | Monopol | more info

And that’s it for the week!

P.S. If you like what you read, you can now tip me via Ko-fi. It’s an easy way to support independent writers like me without a paid Substack subscription (Glad if you want to become a paid subscriber though!)

I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

I hope you’ve all had a good week so far! I’m still a bit in limbo with my planned eye surgery and the pre-checks for it, which somehow made the week fly by faster than I’d expected. Not the worst thing, though, since there are a few lovely things happening this weekend that I’m really looking forward to.

AN UNOFFICIAL GALLERY NIGHT

The official Gallery Night was a little while ago, but if you’re in the mood for a similar vibe on Friday evening: Around 25 galleries and project spaces are hosting exhibition openings this Friday (yes, I counted them during my research):

• The main hotspot, as always, is the Potsdamer/Kurfürstenstraße area: Here you can stroll from opening to opening, including Tanya Leighton, Heidi, Tanja Wagner, Esther Schipper, Galerie Judin, Schiefe Zähne, and Barbara Wien.
  

@galeriejudin

Galerie Judin on Instagram: "II UPCOMING EXHIBITION II
A sense …

• Scherben on Leipziger Straße in Mitte is also opening a new group exhibition, Lesbian Legacies #3: The Butch is Here to Stay

• In Charlottenburg/Wilmersdorf, Viktor Petrov’s Don’t Feed the Fetish at Nadan looks intriguing, and Eleanor Swordy’s Say Less opens at Galerie Max Hetzler I.

• If you’re in Kreuzberg, Soy Capitán is launching an Anniversary Show featuring almost 20 artists!

Friday | Various openings around the city | Openings between 5-8 and 6-9 pm

ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN 2025

Sometimes I wonder if there’s any other city with as many film festivals as Berlin?

Besides the Berlinale, it feels like there’s a new film festival almost every week (especially in autumn!), from Taiwanese Film Festival to Cilents (Sinophone & Asian Cinema in Berlin) to numerous shortfilm festivals, the Fashion Film Festival, and this week’s Italian Film Festival.

If you’re in the mood for a cozy movie night featuring recent Italian classics or German premieres, you can check out the full program here.

Tuesday to Sunday | Kulturbrauerei | more info

VISCOSE JOURNAL LAUNCH

For all my fashion magazine lovers out there: On Saturday, Viscose Journal is hosting the launch of its eighth edition at the gallery space Rosegarten in Berlin-Schöneberg.

I’m personally a big fan of Viscose’s single-theme approach: the last issue was titled Scent, and the new issue of Viscose, Sound, examines the sonic dimensions of fashion, and how music and sound shape, reflect, and expand fashion’s field.

Hardly anything is as intertwined as music and fashion these days as one is a muse for the other. I’d even go as far as to say that the cultural impact of music on fashion is one of the biggest drivers of a brand’s or designer’s success today.

Viscose explores various aspects of the relationship between music and fashion, from the soundtracks of fashion shows to the music that creates atmosphere in stores. Or, as the magazine puts it: “SOUND explores fashion’s presence as something heard as much as it is seen.”

The launch event on Saturday promises a multisensory experience: Valentina Triet’s reworking of archival runway footage transforms fashion’s visual excess into a field of pulsing light and color. A sound installation featuring a previously unreleased piece by Seth Price further expands the issue’s dialogue between fashion, sound, and atmosphere. Here, you can flip through the new issue (and buy it!) and meet the Viscose editorial team in person. Count me in!

Saturday | Rosegarten | 5-9 pm | more info

BOOK BOOK BEYOND BERLIN

Another event this week focusing on independent print publications: During the BookBook Festival, you can check out a collection of more than forty Asian art books at Common Imprint on Zionskirchstraße, open until Sunday.

The festival, originally held in Seoul and now extending to Berlin, explores how ideas, aesthetics, and narratives travel across Asia through independent publishing. Perfect for anyone interested in Asian culture, or if you are already on the hunt for some literary gift inspiration for the holidays. Although I’m not entirely sure whether it’s purely an exhibition or if the books and zines are also available for purchase.

Exhibition until Sunday | Common Imprint | 11am–5pm | Zionskirchstr. 16

FINISSAGE & PERFORMANCE ON SUNDAY

Wednesday night I went to an exhibition and art performance I can highly recommend for your Sunday afternoon: Tension Orchestra – The Acoustification of Skill by artist Lisa Premke, taking place at Kleiner Wasserspeicher in Prenzlauer Berg.

If you’re visiting the finissage on Sunday, make sure to arrive a few minutes before 4 pm to get a good spot for the ten-minute performance, during which female bodybuilders become string instruments played by musicians in a live composition. I loved it!

Sunday | performance at 4pm | finissage from 12-8pm | free entry!

P.S: If you’ve also fallen down the Rosalía | LUX hole ...

Has anyone actually managed to escape this album release? Berghain regulars are annoyed that their favorite club is getting even more international attention (first Drake, now this!), Classic Girlies are reviewing the album on TikTok, and pop critics are weighing in too.

Of course, I’ve also had the album on repeat by now, and I’ve been a big fan of it as well as of all the hints Rosalía (or the smart minds behind her marketing strategy) came up with in the weeks leading up to the release.

Since I love diving deep into a topic myself (hello, hyperfocus), here are three pieces born out of the massive PR machine surrounding the album I enjoyed listening/reading:

• Rosalía featured on Fashion Neurosis, one of my all-time favorite podcasts (available on YouTube and Spotify)

• A critical Substack essay I came across, examining the colonial dimensions of Rosalía’s work (and teaching me a lot about the roots of flamenco).

  Leftie Jane

  Rosalía's new album, LUX, is a deeply disappointing Eurocentric fever dream

  According to the English-speaking side of the internet, Rosalía just released the album of the year, if not the decade. Critics, music commentators, and influencers in the White English-speaking world and in Europe are lauding the album, called LUX, for how it plays with sound and language, for it’s originality, and for it’s modernization of classical m…

  Read more

  5 months ago · 156 likes · 71 comments · leftiejane

  And last but not least: The Zane Lowe Interview (Apple Music) filmed in a stunning location in Madrid, Spain.

… And that’s it for this week. I hope you find something you like!

P.S. If you like what you read, you can now tip me via Ko-fi. It’s an easy way to support independent writers like me without a paid Substack subscription.

I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys, I hope you’re doing well. I’m having a bit of a rough week because I have a pre-exam for eye laser surgery on Monday and now have to wear glasses for a whole week. For someone like me, who usually wears contact lenses 24/7 (flashbacks to my school days and the comments that came with wearing glasses, thanks), this is quite the challenge. Maybe some of you can relate: sunglasses, totally fine. But regular glasses? It feels like a full-on identity shift. Suddenly your clothes don’t go with your frames, your earrings clash, and my personal nightmare is foggy lenses every time you step inside from the cold.

Anyway, this weekend will be pretty quiet on the social side for me. I’ll mostly be going to yoga (I’ve gotten quite good at asanas basically blind), attending my Ikebana class on Saturday, and otherwise sticking to home-based activities. Partying in glasses? Hell no. Still, I’ve rounded up a few nice events I’d recommend for this weekend and early next week.

P.S. I’m a bit late with this week’s edition since I’ve been working on a few bigger projects with tight deadlines. As agenda – got plans? is still a small, independent newsletter without ads, I don’t get paid to write it. That said, if you like what you read, you can now tip me via Ko-fi. It’s an easy way to support independent writers like me without a paid Substack subscription.

For the spontaneous ones: there are two nice events happening tonight that are definitely worth stopping by.

CHRISTIAN STEMMLER | BOOK LAUNCH AT VOO STORE

Fashion photographer, freelance stylist and fashion consultant Christian Stemmler, who shoots campaigns for brands like Diesel, Gentle Monster, and Trussardi, is celebrating the launch of the second edition of his book ANFANG / BEGINNING Berlin 1994–99 at Voo Store tonight.

The book features, surprise, photographs from the 1990s Berlin. Since it is happening at Voo, it is safe to expect a crowd, plenty of well-dressed people, and of course, beautiful imagery.

Thursday | 7pm | Voo Store | more info

ART ON TEZOS | OPENING PARTY AT SCHLACHTER 151

At Schlachter 151, the gallery run by OOR Studio (the publishing house behind Numéro and Fräulein), the exhibition Art on Tezos opens tonight. Over 200 artists from around the world will transform the space into a vibrant hub of creativity, technology, and imagination. How exactly that is going to fit into the rather small space, I am curious to see but I will check it out later. Oh, and there will be free drinks by the way.

Thursday | Schlachter 151 | more info

INTERNATIONAL CHINESE CINEMA WEEK

Autumn calls for movies. For anyone into cinema beyond the usual: the International Chinese Cinema Week (ICCW) is back in Berlin. This year’s theme is Rewriting the Frame: Cinema as Language, Action, and Future. You’ll get six feature films and fifteen shorts, curated into three programs.

Most of them are German or Berlin premieres, spanning fiction, documentary, and animation. Beyond the screen, the festival also offers post-screening conversations with filmmakers and researchers as well as a movement and dance workshop with choreographer Po-Nien Wang.

Thursday - Sunday | Movimento Berlin | more info and tickets

OPEN STUDIO | CERAMIC JEWELRY

During a dinner last week, Alexia Timmermans, curator and founder of Substrat Artist Management, showed me a beautiful bracelet she was wearing — a ceramic bangle, perfect in its imperfection, designed and handmade by Berlin-based ceramic artist Maria Chiara Arrigo. Alexia also told me about an upcoming event where Maria will be showing her work for the very first time.

After years of working in the fashion industry, Maria has now turned her focus to ceramics, making this presentation something of a premiere. You can discover her pieces this Saturday at an Open Studio event in Kreuzberg.

Saturday | “Fenster zum Hof” Open Studio | more info

No weekend without a second-hand pop-up or flea market – you know the drill by now. Personally, I love the ones happening on Sundays, because Saturdays (and weekdays) tend to be packed anyway. Here’s what’s on this Sunday:

MAUSI SECOND HAND AND UPCYCLING MARKET
Second-hand clothing, a live upcycling corner with two pros and their sewing machines, Hot Aperol (is this a thing now? sounds wild), Mimosa specials, and Dykey Donuts, all at Mausi in Neukölln. Sunday | More info

CAFÉ TONTON x TRIBES BERLIN FLEA MARKET
Another cute flea market is happening at Café Tonton in Mitte this Sunday from 12–6 pm. Perfect for browsing vintage finds while sipping a coffee. Sunday | More info

OPEN SUNDAY / CHRISTMAS MARKET AT KADEWE
And for anyone already in a festive mood: KaDeWe will be open this Sunday from 1–6 pm. I passed by yesterday, and the place is already decked out in full holiday decor! They’re officially opening their in-house Christmas market (complete with festive pastries).

NEXT WEEK

BOOK LAUNCH | THE NEW FASCIST BODY BY DAGMAR HERZOG

I keep realizing that I don’t go to enough readings or book launches, even though Berlin has so many great literary events. Next Wednesday, for example, the US historian and professor of history Dagmar Herzog will be reading from her new book The New Fascist Body at Spore Initiative.

Herzog is known as an expert on sexual morality under European fascism and on contemporary history in the United States. InThe New Fascist Body she connects her analysis of fascism’s libidinous energy with its animus toward bodies perceived as imperfect. The reading will be followed by a conversation with Jonas von Lenthe, founding editor of Wirklichkeit Books. Admission is free, and the event will be held in English.

Wednesday | 7 pm | Spore Initiative | more info

P.S. I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys, I hope you’re doing well. November is just around the corner, and Berlin is, well, at the tail end of its good days. Anyone who’s lived through the city’s dark period knows that now’s the time to soak up every bit of sunlight and appreciate every leaf still clinging to the trees before the greyer months set in (roughly November to May). To make the start of the month a little sweeter, here are my current picks.

EXHIBITION OPENINGS AT KW

I love exhibition openings, and there’s a special one this week: KW is inviting everyone to celebrate the launch of their Fall 2025 program with free admission to all exhibitions and drinks at Café Bravo. I unfortunately can’t make it, but you’ll get to explore two new shows: Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst: Starmirror and Kazuko Miyamoto: String Constructions. A little disclaimer: it’s going to be packed, obviously. So get there early; it’s first come, first served.

Thursday | 7pm | KW | free entry | more info

FESTIVAL OF FUTURE NOWS

Make sure to stop by Neue Nationalgalerie this weekend: The Festival of Future Nows brings together around 100 international artistic positions, ranging from emerging voices to established practitioners. What to expect? Performances, happenings, sound and audio works, choreographies, dance, workshops, and both subtle and large-scale interventions at the museum’s indoor and outdoor spaces. Admission is free!

Friday to Sunday | Neue Nationalgalerie | free entry | more info

THIS WEEK’S POP-UPS

• There’s no week without a pop-up in this city: curated designer vintage and new pieces (rings, sustainable silk ensembles, and more) will be available on Saturday at RDV Store, a multibrand boutique on Große Hamburger Straße. More info

• Not sure about the name, but the Slow poke bowl pop-up runs Thursday to Saturday at Ori, featuring Berlin-based independent designers. More info

• And if you’re into the dark fall siren aesthetic, check out Catholic Guilt’s “Baptism” pop-up at exe.archive from Friday to Sunday. There’s also a costume contest on Friday night! More info

PRINCESS NOKIA CONCERT

I usually don’t give concert tips as musical taste is way too personal, and chances are you already know if your favorite artist has a gig in Berlin. But since I only found out by chance myself: Princess Nokia is playing this Sunday at Monopol in Schöneberg! For me, she’s one of the most exciting contemporary female rappers.

I still vividly remember her 2017 single Tomboy (“That girl is a tomboy – With my little titties and my fat belly”) and the waves it caused back then as a loud and bold counterpoint to the male-gaze-dominated female rap of the time.

Her new album Girls is a refreshing love letter to the spectrum of girlhood, and a bold attack on patriarchal violence. If you want to read more about her, I recommend this piece.

Sunday | Princess Nokia | Monopol | 8pm | tickets

NEXT WEEK: PERFUME WORKSHOP

I’m a huge fan of workshops, and this one taking place at Backhouse Projects next week is right up my alley: a perfume workshop where you can not only create your own unique fragrance but also learn about scents from a professional. Sensory Design & Technology PhD Caroline McMillan will teach you how to blend materials and craft your own custom perfume.

All perfumery materials, a formulation workbook, a 10 mL glass bottle, refreshments, and snacks are included. Price: €65 – which also makes it a great gift idea for that one friend who’s obsessed with fragrances and basically owns half of KaDeWe’s beauty department.

Wednesday | 05.11 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm | Backhouse Projects | more info

UNICORNS AT MUSEUM BARBERINI

Are you into fairytales? Personally, I think mythical creatures are super chic (centaurs! vampires! sphinxes!). The Museum Barberini is dedicating an entire exhibition to one of the most beloved mythical beings of all time: the unicorn. The show explores how the unicorn has been depicted from antiquity to contemporary art. Quirky, but kind of cute, right? Definitely on my bucket list for November.

A visit to the Museum Barberini in Potsdam (about 25 minutes by S-Bahn from Berlin) pairs perfectly with a walk through Sanssouci Park if the weather’s nice – or, for those who don’t live in the west, with dinner in Charlottenburg on your way back.

Unicorn: The Mythical Beast in Art | Museum Barberini | more info

DIANA ARBUS AT GROPIUS BAU

One exhibition that really impressed me with its visual impact is the current Diana Arbus show, which I already mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I finally got the chance to see it, and it’s so worth it. The portrait collection includes over 400 black-and-white photographs. Diana Arbus loved photographing people, and in my eyes, she truly mastered it, as she managed to get remarkably close to her subjects.

Arbus photographed members of a nudist community, couples in love, sex workers, women from high society, children, performers, and people with learning disabilities or physical differences. I left the exhibition feeling almost overwhelmed, many of the images have stayed with me, vividly, even days after my visit.

If you visit the exhibition, make sure to stop by the bookstore at Gropius Bau. They have an amazing selection of books on architecture, art, and design.

Diane Arbus: Konstellationen | Gropius Bau | more info

Last but not least: Here’s my silly little list of autumn HOTs and NOTs.
I would love to know what’s on yours. Drop me a comment!

P.S. I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

If you wondered why you didn’t receive my weekly Berlin picks this week: I spent the last nine days in Athens and Aegina (the little pistachio island right next to Athens). It was kind of a late-summer trip with one of my best friends, and despite shitty weather and a bloody cold, I enjoyed my time in Greece a lot.

WHAT I SAW

Heaps of fresh pomegranates, grapes, and persimmon at the local farmers market. Contemporary art. The sea. Many baby cats. Graffiti everywhere about the harm of airbnbs in Athens neighborhoods. And the Acropolis, of course.

WHAT I OBSERVED

I still find it fascinating how the same aesthetic can now be found in almost every big city, Athens included. It sometimes feels like a Pinterest board turned into real life. You could easily play a round of aesthetic bingo: chrome details? check. stone-grey ceramics? check. dim lighting, burgundy walls, sourdough bread? check. White marble surfaces? bingo.

Don’t get me wrong, I also love well-designed restaurants and bars. But at the same time, it always feels a bit odd when beautiful places become so interchangeable that they could basically exist anywhere. When you can feel that they are designed for a nomadic, highly privileged crowd that follows the same style tribe wherever they go.

One of those places we went to was Acra, a quite hyped restaurant. The service was great, the atmosphere cozy, the food was nice, but I mean this without criticism – it could have worked just as well in Berlin, Paris, or New York. Same goes for the beautiful designed Tempo Social Club, a popular café/ wine bar.

My brain does something weird in those well-designed places. It remembers the experience as great, but there’s no feeling attached to it. It’s like scrolling through a beautiful mood board: satisfying in the moment, but it doesn’t stick.

I definitely prefer spaces that feel a bit more unique, with family pictures on the wall or weird-looking decoration. Like a little taverna we went to in Aegina. The food was average, but I’ll always remember the place because we were basically sitting in the living room of the owner, everything decorated with soccer fan scarves and big shells.

One of my favorite restaurants of all time is a seafood place in Bangkok, decorated with pictures of the staff and their catch of the day. It’s a hilarious assortment of photos of men with strange haircuts holding big fish. It’s so camp, no interior stylist could ever create something half as cool.

WHAT I WAS OBSESSING OVER

Tahini-stuffed cookies. Unfortunately, the cookie brand I trust is pushing their other ones (chocolate, peanut, yogurt), which meant I spent a good amount of time searching in every damn supermarket for my favorite cookies. I found them eventually, but not as easily as I thought. If you’re ever in Greece (or Turkey), watch out for them, it’s SO worth it.

WHAT I ATE (besides cookies)

All my Greek favorites: mixed greens, grilled and fried seafood, souvlaki, Greek goat yogurt with honey and walnuts, the best pistachio ice cream. Big chunks of fresh bread dipped in olive oil. And I started my mornings with frappe, of course — iced coffee made from instant coffee, water, sugar, and ice, with a thick silky foam.

WHAT I ENJOYED

The bar culture in Athens. First of all, I love how the wide-open windows blur the line between inside and outside. Everything feels airy and open, unlike the smoky, overcrowded Berlin bars I rarely find cozy. And secondly: salted cucumbers and nuts with every drink? Hell yes.

WHAT I DID

The weather wasn’t on our side this time, which we used to our advantage by strolling through museums, art foundations, and shops, and by getting pampered at the Old City Hamam in Athens, by far the best hamam experience I’ve ever had.

On Aegina, where we spent the weekend, instead of (as expected) lying on the beach, we rented a car and just drove around listening to a Greek radio station playing ’80s hits, watching pistachio trees and the ocean roll by. For me, it was great practice, as I hate driving in Berlin. Probably because I did my driver’s license here and never quite lost the constant fear of killing a cyclist or getting hit by a maniac Uber driver. On Aegina, the streets are empty, the speed limit is 40, and the three main sights (a temple, a church, and the ruins of an old village) are all within a 15-minute drive.

WHAT I BOUGHT

I love bringing back good souvenirs from my trips. Usually, I pick things I can wear, read, put on my skin, or decorate my house with, and this time I outdid myself.

I got two travel-size perfumes from local brand Naxos Apothecary, both with a saffron top note. A small silver platter I found for €3 at a tiny hardware shop. A pair of unworn Acne boots from a vintage store, scored for a steal after some light but shameless flirting with the 50-year-old salesman. A few packs of tahini cookies and pistachios from Aegina.

And last but not least, a cute oversized shirt from Hardclo, where we ended up chatting with the owner, Athens-based stylist Yiorgos Mesimeris, about queer rights in Greece and how 032c isn’t what it used to be. He’s planning a pop-up in Berlin soon!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I keep wondering what drives people who love tourist shops full of plastic junk, who skip local food spots for the first restaurant by the Acropolis with a menu in 15 languages, who travel in huge groups with huge backpacks through areas so obviously staged it hurts. Will this parallel universe of performative, Disneyland-ish travel hot spots ever end?

And that’s it for now. I hope you’re having a wonderful Sunday.

Kate

P.S. Feel free to write me (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com) if you’d like to share a recommendation, an observation, or any feedback or suggestions.

Hey there, hope you’re doing great! By the time you’re reading this, I’ll (hopefully) be wandering through Athens with an iced frappé in hand, saying hi to the old gods. Fun fact: I actually studied both Latin and Ancient Greek, and the only thing that got me through school were the myths and stories from back then. I still have huge respect for the genius of those early storytellers.

The last time I was here was in 2022, so I can’t wait to spend ten days in one of my favorite cities in Europe. My Google Maps list is packed with restaurants, shops, galleries, and museums I want to visit, and I made sure to leave half my suitcase empty so I can bring back a ridiculous amount of Greek sesame cookies.

That said, I’ve already rounded up everything that’s coming up in the next few days, so you’ll still be in the know even while I’m away.

One more thing: if you enjoy this newsletter, I’d really appreciate your support. I’m an independent journalist and spend a lot of time curating these recommendations each week. None of it is sponsored or paid for. If you like this kind of personal curation, please share Agenda with your friends and anyone who might enjoy it too.

EXHIBITION OPENING AT GROPIUS BAU

If you’re in the mood for some midweek culture, head to Gropius Bau on Wednesday evening for the openings of Diane Arbus: Constellations and Ligia Lewis: I’M NOT HERE FORRRRR…. Ghana-born, London-raised and now Berlin-based DJ Yazzus will play a set — entry is free.

Both shows mark the most extensive presentations of the artists’ work to date. Diane Arbus is known for her black-and-white portraits that questioned aesthetic norms and how people see one another. Ligia Lewis works across performance, dance and direction, showing her pieces on stage, in galleries and museums, and through film and installation formats. Her work moves between gesture, sound and image, tracing what it means to be a body in relation to others.

Wednesday | 7pm – 10 pm | Gropius Bau | free entry

PLATTE FEIERABEND

An event I somehow manage to miss every single time (and always regret it) is the monthly after-work series Feierabend at Platte. This Thursday, you can drop by the concept store to check out pieces from Berlin designer Dennis Chuene, enjoy some afro and latin beats, and, if you’re feeling a bit Gen-Z, even get yourself some shiny tooth gems. Oh, and yes, there’ll be drinks too.

Thursday | 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm | Platte | more info

MALAIKA RAISS SAMPLE SALE

Malaika Raiss is one of the few Berlin fashion labels that’s been around since I first moved here years ago to study fashion journalism. Over time, it’s built a reputation for timeless understatement, a quiet kind of confidence and seriousness that many names showing at Berlin Fashion Week never quite manage to pull off.

This Saturday, the label is hosting a massive sample sale due to a studio move, with unique runway pieces, iconic suits, previous collections, discontinued jewelry styles, art prints, shoes, accessories, and even bridal dresses (which are usually never on sale), all marked down by up to 90%. Considering the usual price range of Malaika Raiss pieces, this one might actually be worth checking out … even if you’re not planning a wedding anytime soon.

If you want to get to know the designer a bit better, check out this 2024 interview in Faces Magazine.

Saturday | 11 am – 7 pm | Club Maison | more info

VINTAGE SHOPPING

If vintage is more your vibe there are two events worth checking out this week:
First is the Archangels Sale, happening Friday (2 pm – 7 pm) and Saturday (12 pm – 7 pm) at their store. The selected designer and secondhand store is throwing an end-of-season sale, everything is under €150. It’s cash only, and I recommend being there early.

Archangels Berlin | Friday and Saturday | more info

If you’re still not over the Y2K trend, you can swing by the Vintage The People Market for a Y2K pop-up, featuring clothing from Italy. It’s happening happening Thursday to Saturday in Mitte and apparently there are also local brand pop-ups and free drinks. I have zero info on prices of the vintage pieces but the participating brands are hot! If you’re in the area, I would definitely check it out!

Vintage The People Market | at Lynk & Co. | Thursday to Saturday | more info

KOMMUNALE KAPITALE | 4 DAYS, 37 EXHIBITIONS

From October 16–19, the Kommunalen Galerien Berlin are hosting the first Kommunale Kapitale — four days of exhibitions, performances, concerts, artist talks and workshops spread across the city. Participating spaces include Kunsthaus Bethanien, Mies van der Rohe Haus, Bärenzwinger in Charlottenburg and Galerie Wedding, among many others. There will be free guided tours on Sunday, you can check out the full programme here.

If you’ve been reading Agenda for a while, you’ll know how much I love these multi-day art events like Berlin Art Week or Gallery Weekend. Seeing that there’s still space in this city for formats like this is exactly what I appreciate about Berlin.

Thursday to Sunday | all around the city | free entry | more info

DOWN UNDER FILM FESTIVAL

Another event I stumbled upon and would’ve loved to check out this week is the Down Under Film Festival, Europe’s main festival for Australian and Aotearoa (New Zealand) cinema.

I have to admit, apart from Whale Rider (which I was completely obsessed with!) I can’t think of a single New Zealand film I’ve actually seen. The line-up looks great though, especially the Short Film Selection and the drama Tinā, about the outspoken Samoan mother Mareta, who rebuilds her life after the Christchurch earthquake by starting a new career as a teacher.

I’m a big fan of films that move beyond a Eurocentric lens and spotlight stories and protagonists that don’t often get told in our part of the world, and this festival seems to do exactly that.

Thursday to Sunday | Colosseum Filmtheater Berlin | more info

P.S. I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, so don’t be shy to leave a comment down below! Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! 💌

Leave a comment

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys, I hope you’re doing well! Berlin is wrapped in gray right now, and as much as I love the rainy, foggy season, I know it can easily wear on your nerves. I’ve always liked the darker autumn months: it’s the time when all the small events start popping up again, evenings in wine bars or little restaurants feel extra cozy, and I love walking past the warmly lit shop windows on Ku’damm at dusk, going to indie cinemas, and taking my time with exhibitions on the weekend.

Here are some ideas for a cozy yet fulfilling weekend in Berlin. Let me know if you like this kind of itinerary format or if you’d prefer a classic listicle.

THURSDAY

For me, Thursday evenings are perfect for bringing a little weekend feeling into the week – especially since there’s so much happening in the cultural scene on Thursdays. This week, C/O Berlin is hosting an after-work tour + drink from 7 to 9 pm, guiding visitors through the relatively new exhibition Close Enough, which features several Magnum photographers.

I went to see the exhibition last Saturday, which, in hindsight, really wasn’t the best timing. Whether it was the bad weather, the public holiday, or just the show itself drawing crowds, I’m not sure. Either way, it was so packed that it was hard to take in the individual series properly. Still, I was especially impressed by the projects of Cristina de Middel, who photographed brothel visitors in various cities around the world, the works of Nanna Heitmann from Russia, and Sabiha Çimen’s photo series about a Qur’an school for girls in Istanbul.

A visit to C/O is also always a great excuse for dinner on Kantstraße, which, in my opinion, is one of Berlin’s most exciting streets when it comes to food. My go-to spot for Japanese is Udagawa: a small, cozy eatery with excellent yakitori, light ramen, and great bento dishes. If you’re craving Chinese, Aroma will make you happy until late at night. And really, Kantstraße just delivers – great places for every taste and every budget.

Afterwork tour + drink | 20€ | 7pm – 9pm | C/O Berlin
Udagawa | Kantstraße 118 | 12 – 10 pm
Aroma | Kantstraße 35 | 1 pm – 2 am

SATURDAY

Plenty of small events are happening around Berlin this Saturday. I’ll definitely be stopping by the Avenir Trunk Show at Château Royal, where Avenir’s clothing will be joined by a selection of beautiful ceramics. And since I don’t usually spend time in hotels in my own hometown, events like this are always a nice excuse to linger in pretty places like Château Royal.

If you’re up for a bit of thrifting without navigating Berlin’s crowded tourist markets: Everythinggarment is hosting a community flea market, featuring ten vintage sellers and serving coffee specialities. Might be nice to stop by! Then on to Neukölln for the Otilla Pop-Up, showcasing special silver pieces, nail art, and drinks at Yes Studio. And from 5 pm, Stueck x Sunchild are hosting a community hangout with an art exhibition by photographer Giulia Daley. Looks like a good day to me.

• Avenir Trunk Show | 11 am – 7 pm | Château Royal Berlin | more info

• Everythinggarm Community Fleamarket | noon – 6pm | more info

• Otilla Pop-Up | 11 am – 6 pm | Yes Studio, Bürknerstrasse 26

• Stueck x Sunchild Community Hangout | Starting at 5 pm | STUECK

SUNDAY

Sunday’s weather is looking only semi-promising, the perfect day to dive into a longer exhibition. If you haven’t yet been to the Mark Leckey exhibition at the Julia Stoschek Foundation, it’s definitely worth it. It’s the kind of exhibition you can really sink into, with video installations spread across three floors that pull you into completely different worlds. Make sure to spend some time with the exhibition catalogue, it helps to navigate the different rooms and installations.

Mark Leckey: Enter Thru Medieval Wounds | Julia Stoschek Foundation | more info

Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! Every week, I’ll pick a messages to include in the newsletter. Thanks for being part of it 💌

If you enjoy my tips and picks, please subscribe to agenda. Feel free to write me (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com) if you want to share a recommendation or have any feedback or wishes!

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are or either shot by me or provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi everyone, I hope this finds you well. I’m feeling a bit sluggish at the moment. At one point I even wondered if it’s pre-PMS blues or a midlife crisis. Most likely, though, it’s just the sudden drop in temperature catching me off guard. So apologies for the rather short-notice weekend tips.

Matching my mood (and the gloomy forecast), I’ll spend a good part of the weekend catching up on Paris Fashion Week footage. Between major debuts and first reviews, there’s plenty to dive into. But I’ve still marked a couple of highlights in my calendar — too good to miss this weekend:

JAHRGANG 20 | OSTKREUZSCHULE

If you, like me, still haven’t made it to the graduation exhibition of Berlin’s famous photography school Ostkreuzschule (which I recommended two weeks ago), this weekend is your last chance. On Sunday, don’t miss the guided tour with renowned photographers and lecturers Ute Mahler and Ingo Taubhorn, followed by the finissage from 6–10 pm.

Saturday, noon – 8 pm | Sunday, noon – 10 pm | free entry | Cank

UNVAIN STUDIO SALE

Another weekend, another archive sale: Berlin-based Unvain Studios are hosting a big one this Saturday. Get there early and bring cash! It’s your chance to shop samples, unreleased items, and archive pieces.

Saturday | noon – 6pm | Cash Only | more info

Designbörse

I recently moved apartments and I’m still hunting for furniture, which is not as easy as it sounds. Berlin seems short on good interior stores: it’s either Scandi (boring), Bali-inspired (no, thanks) or pastel-heavy millennial vibes (ciao), none of which feel right.

Online shopping doesn’t do it for me either, as I’d much rather see and touch a piece before buying it. Same goes for smaller knickknacks: I love discovering them in a cute little store, not while scrolling endlessly online.

If you feel me on this, check out Designerbörse, a huge vintage furniture fair happening Sat–Sun at Rennbahn Karlshorst. Think Bauhaus chairs, retro lamps, even space-age pieces. Never been to Karlshorst? Neither have I, but the fair’s catalogue looks promising enough to make the trip to Berlin’s periphery, non? A side note for dog owners: pups are welcome on the grounds.

And please tell me: where do you shop for interiors in Berlin?

Saturday to Sunday | 10 am – 5pm | 5€ entry fee | more info

Keeping it short this weekend — I only share what I genuinely recommend. But don’t worry, I’ve already spotted plenty of pop-ups and events for next week. Stay tuned!

Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! Every week, I’ll pick a messages to include in the newsletter. Thanks for being part of it 💌

If you enjoy my tips and picks, please subscribe to agenda. Feel free to write me (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com) if you want to share a recommendation or have any feedback or wishes!
I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders. Photo credits: Poster design by Lena Weber via Ostkreuzschule, pictures of lamp and chair via Designbörse, SPRING 25 ’DESERT ECHOES’, LOOK 009 © Unvain via Instagram, fur jacket © Unvain via Instagram

Hi guys, how are you doing? I’ve spent the past few days in Frankfurt, soaking up the skyline that Berlin never had. I don’t know about you, but I really miss that view in our little capital.

Anyhow, I’m heading back to Berlin tomorrow and already looking forward to the weekend. Not only will I have my first ikebana lesson on Saturday, but there are also some beautiful events coming up. Last week was all about open air; this week’s edit highlights smaller, cozier happenings on my list.

VERNISSAGE | SPLASHLOOP | MARLEN STAHLHUTH

I’ve been following the work of Berlin-based fashion photographer Marlen Stahlhuth for years. I admire her photography (both editorial and commercial) as well as her personal style: bold, colorful, and unapologetically playful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her work in print, so her vernissage on Friday evening feels like the perfect start to the weekend.

Vernissage on Friday | 4pm – 10pm | Studio Stellar

HUND HUND CLOSING SALE

No, this is not a pet shop: Berlin fashion label HundHund may have a quirky name, but eight years ago it was among the first brands to publish a transparent cost breakdown for each piece, and helped give sustainable fashion a sharper image than the saggy, ill-fitting eco looks of the time. Their clothing was never groundbreaking, but always high quality with timeless, well-cut basics. Sadly, the company filed for insolvency last year. RIP HundHund.

Now they’re hosting one final closing sale, offering archive pieces and their last designs (womenswear and menswear). As with any archive or sample sale, it could be a hit or miss, but if it’s anything like their previous sales, expect fair prices and plenty of good finds. I’ll be stopping by myself, on the hunt for a new coat and a few fall/winter basics.

Wednesday–Saturday | Salon am Moritzplatz | more info

TTF | TAIWAN FILM FESTIVAL

I visited Taiwan earlier this year and would go back in a heartbeat. The culture, the kindness of the people, the buzzing streets of Taipei and Taichung, the lush green landscapes, and the incredible food completely won me over. I honestly felt a little heartbroken when we left.

That’s why it’s such a joy to discover a piece of Taiwan here in Berlin, whether over a perfect milk tea or through culture, like the Taiwan Film Festival, which starts this Friday. Now in its eighth edition, the festival focuses on the emotional lives, strength, and resilience of Taiwanese women, exploring themes of postwar migration, urban isolation, motherhood, and queer kinship.

Starting Friday | 26th Sep–1 Oct | Colosseum Filmtheater | more info

FASHION THE GAZE | LIVE-PODCAST (GER)

This one’s for all my German speakers: one of my all-time favorite podcasts, Fashion the Gaze, is doing a live recording on Sunday evening at Volksbühne. Hosts Vera Glocke and Freya Herrmann are brilliant observers and critics of the political and social zeitgeist—or, as they put it, “just trying to make sense of the culture and where the world is headed.” They manage to explain how everything we watch and consume is rooted in political and cultural behavior, doing it in a way that’s both cool and grounded in academic insight. I personally love it as it’s one of the very few (maybe even the only?) German podcasts I know that unpacks fashion as a performative tool. On Sunday, they’ll dive into the topic of longevity as a right-wing fantasy of superiority. Some of my favorite past episodes explored themes like recession core, or the staging of poverty in TV series.

Sunday | 7pm | Volksbühne | tickets and more info | Podcast

Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! Every week, I’ll pick a messages to include in the newsletter. Thanks for being part of it 💌

If you enjoy my tips and picks, please subscribe to agenda. Feel free to write me (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com) if you want to share a recommendation or have any feedback or wishes!

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

I started agenda – got plans? in spring 2024 out of pure frustration. Even as a local, I often spent way too much time on weekends trying to figure out which art event, archive pop-up, or performance was happening in the city—only to miss the best ones because I didn’t hear about them early enough.

The big city publications weren’t much help. They cater to audiences far removed from what I’m looking for: no, I don’t need a touristy, expat-heavy pistachio festival; I’m not searching for kid-friendly events; and I definitely don’t need yet another list of the same three flea markets every TikToker has already posted about.

I wanted a weekly city guide for like-minded people—those drawn to fashion, design, contemporary art, political talks, Bauhaus architecture tours, and other carefully curated happenings that don’t show up in the usual roundups.

I first launched agenda on a different platform and only recently made the switch to Substack. If you’re new here (welcome!) and curious about earlier editions of agenda – got plans?, you can still read all past issues for free here.

My goal with this publication isn’t to become the next city magazine packed with sponsored events. I simply want to make it easier for like-minded people to navigate our little creative niche in Berlin—to connect with each other and to enjoy everything this city has to offer at its full potential.

If this sounds like your kind of guide, I’d love to have you as a subscriber. Your feedback and support mean a lot and help this little project grow.

Hi guys, I hope you’ve had a great week so far. I’m feeling a bit of a cultural hangover after the sheer number of exhibition openings and performances I went to during Berlin Art Week. It was one of those weeks when Berlin feels alive and buzzing, living up to its reputation. While I often feel that events here have become quite performative (with a crowd that mainly wants to be seen, to post, to consume), the past few days more than made up for it.

I’m already working on a piece about my favorite exhibitions this fall, but let’s start with a little guide for the weekend. The forecast looks great, and while I’m escaping the city for a quick countryside getaway, I’ve rounded up a few tips for a laid-back Berlin weekend with some easy-going open-air events worth checking out.

VERNISSAGE | JAHRGANG 20 | OSTKREUZSCHULE

Start your weekend with the graduation show of Jahrgang zwanzig of Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie. The new class is opening their final exhibition at Cank Berlin this Friday. Definitely one to watch if you’re curious about fresh photography perspectives coming out of the city.

Friday, 6 pm | Cank Berlin | more info

TOUR THROUGH HANSAVIERTEL & PITSTOP AT CAFÉ TIERGARTEN

If you’re into architecture – have you ever considered taking a guided tour of Hansaviertel? I’ve thought about it often, never quite managed to go, but this weekend’s weather feels perfect for it.

And I’m not talking about one of those rather dull-looking tours with a frustrated guide holding up an even sadder umbrella. This one is organized and led by gallerist (and Hansaviertel local) Leonie Herweg, whose gallery Grotto is located right in the heart of the district.

Combine it with a pitstop at Café Tiergarten, now also run by the Grotto team. The space looks stunning with its buttery-yellow ceilings, and you can enjoy snacks and drinks out on the terrace.

Saturday, 11 am | guided tour €12 | booking + more info

CEECEE CROISSANT SESSIONS

In the mood for a lazy Saturday? Croissant Sessions is an event series combining, well, croissants and DJ sets in aesthetically pleasing cafés. The last edition took place at Café Bravo in the courtyard of KW in Mitte — this week it moves to Café Westberlin, right next to König Galerie at St. Agnes Church. Honestly, there are worse ways to spend a Saturday than with a hot drink, a croissant, and some people-watching by an art gallery, right?

Saturday, 11am-3pm, more info

BOOK BAZAR

Are you into art catalogues and books? I am – which is why I’m a bit sad to miss Daadgalerie’s Book Bazar this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday they’re opening their archive, selling catalogues, CDs, and special editions from 1980–2010. The program also includes music, performances, and talks — check their website for details.

Saturday, 2–9 pm | Sunday, 12–7 pm | daadgalerie | more info

ORANGERIE | KÖRNERPARK

The Orangerie at Körnerpark is not only one of the most picturesque spots in Neukölln, but also has a great line-up this week. From wine tastings to live music, it’s the kind of place I wouldn’t mind spending an evening at.

Friday to Sunday | more info

Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! Every week, I’ll pick a messages to include in the newsletter. Thanks for being part of it 💌

If you enjoy my tips and picks, please subscribe to agenda. Feel free to write me (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com) if you want to share a recommendation or have any feedback or wishes!

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys! I hope you’re doing great. This episode is a special for Berlin Art Week. You’ve probably seen the big yellow logo all over the city by now: it’s THE art event in Berlin. Every autumn, the city turns into a giant art festival, with major institutions, galleries, and project spaces making a big splash. More than 100 venues are involved, and what feels like a trillion events are packed into just a few days.

It’s such a major occasion that I took three days off to experience as much as possible – and I’ve cherry-picked my highlights just for you.

Keep in mind: this is a hyper-subjective curation. For a broader overview, check out the full Berlin Art Week programme online.

WEDNESDAY | MAJOR OPENINGS

Major exhibition openings happening on Wednesday night! Gosh, there are so many, but there are three I definetely want to check out tonight:

First we have Georgian artist and queer activist David Apakidze, showing “The Knight At The Crossroads” at KVOST. David combines queer symbols with Christian-Orthodox iconography, exploring themes of migration and exile. I interviewed David recently for the Berlin Art Week journal about queer culture in Georgia a few weeks ago — you can read it here.

Second, head over to Julia Stoschek Foundation (just a short walk away) to see the new Mark Leckey exhibition and mingle around.

Third: Check out Issy Wood’s paintings at Schinkel Pavillon – the first large-scale solo exhibition by the British artist in Germany, and one of the most talked-about openings of the night.

And don’t worry if you can’t make it tonight: all exhibitions will remain on view during their regular opening hours.

THURSDAY | GALLERY NIGHT

If you don’t have plans for Thursday night yet, here’s one: From 6-10 pm, around 50 galleries across Berlin will open their doors.

The challenge: you can’t possibly see it all in one evening. The good news: There are some curated routes that cluster exhibitions by neighborhood: two in Mitte (one along Torstrasse, one around Stadtmitte), one along Potsdamer Straße, and one in Charlottenburg. My advice: pick a route, wear comfy shoes, grab a friend (and maybe a drink), and start strolling.

If I had to choose just one stop, it would be Christelle Oyiri’s audio-visual installation “Dead God Flow”, presented by LAS Art Foundation at Cank — followed by the CEL Launch Night afterparty in collaboration with Oroko Radio.

FRIDAY | FEATURED NIGHT

From 6–10 pm, project spaces and independent art organizations across the city invite you to openings, performances, and parties.

I’ll start the evening at the group exhibition opening “Industrial Witchcraft” at Die Möglichkeit einer Insel. The exhibition text alone had me hooked:

Industrial Witchcraft is a girlie show that brings together ›hard‹, industrial, precarious, pornographic, magical looks and reflections on production relations and (artistic) work. […] We don't want to reconnect with our ancestors or lost wisdom. We want to inhabit the broken, fascist, burning, super-ordinary present of Soilent Green Ozempic capitalism.

Afterwards, head over to Haus der Visionäre for the opening (and afterparty, RSVP and tickets required) of Anahita Sadighi’s “Soft Power”: a site-specific installation that weaves together historical objects, floral interventions, and contemporary sound art. The work references the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran and reflects on transnational feminist memory cultures.

In the mood of party hopping? Continue on to Flutgraben or Funkhaus for after-parties late into the night.

SATURDAY | A TRIP TO DAHLEM & BERLIN ART WEEK GARTEN

Two events on my bucket list for Saturday:

First stop: Jordan Strafer at Fluentum. “Dissonance” is their first institutional solo exhibition in Germany, turning the space into a surreal talk show studio set in the afterlife. The official opening is on Wednesday, but since Fluentum is all the way out in Dahlem, Saturday feels like the better time to go – especially because from 5–6 pm there’s a talk with Jordan Strafer and Fluentum’s director Raoul Klooker. The talk is in English, no registration required. Admission is free, seating is limited.

Afterwards: “B’ini, Sunset Salute” by Hand Hape at Berlin Art Week Garten. Imagine a revolving stage, bathed in endless sunset light, with waiters in leather aprons serving you Bellinis. How fabulous is that? The performance starts at 8 pm sharp, but definitely get there early, it’s bound to be packed.

SUNDAY | EXPLORE EVEN MORE ART

If you haven’t been to the Boros Collection yet (yes, the iconic bunker in Berlin Mitte with the collectors’ private apartment on top), Sunday’s Open House (1-6pm) is your chance to catch the current collection cycle. They rotate it every five years, and this is apparently the last Open House of the current presentation. I’ve been twice and honestly can’t wait to see what’s next. One note though: get there early. The queue has been long in past years.

Picture taken at Boros Collection, 2023

And if a bunker line gives you too much of a Berghain vibe, why not go for another round of exhibition-hopping to catch what you might have missed earlier in the week?

ALSO HAPPENING THIS WEEK:

Trauma (formerly known as Trauma Bar und Kino—and deeply missed ever since) is back in the city, hosting DJ sets at the Berlin Art Week Garten every evening this week, free of charge. Expect sets by some of the finest DJs from Berlin’s collectives: DJ Killing (Royal Highness), Taylor Cherry (Gift), Aliar (Phantom), Adam Munnings B2B Elninodiablo (Lunchbox Candy), and DJ Soulseek (African Acid Is The Future).

In case you want more insight in this week’s Berlin Art week programme, make sure to follow me on Instagram for live updates on events!

Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! Every week, I’ll pick a messages to include in the newsletter. Thanks for being part of it 💌

If you enjoy my tips and picks, please subscribe to agenda. Feel free to write me (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com) if you want to share a recommendation or have any feedback or wishes!

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are taken by myself or provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

Hi guys! I hope you’ve had a great week so far. I know we’re all a bit wary of autumn, which makes enjoying the last days of August even more important. And let me tell you: there’s so much to enjoy this week!

Before I share all the things I’m excited about, I want to mention my new column, where I share what I visited, who I met, and what kept me thinking over the past week. While Berlin remains my main focus, this column lets me share more than just my weekly event recommendations. Curious? You can check it out here.

Without further ado, here are my picks of the week:

ÇAYSTUBE X POPKULTUR FESTIVAL

You’ve probably seen the ads for this year’s Pop-Kultur Festival all over the city. The annual event is a mix of concerts, talks, and performances, featuring both well-known and emerging artists. I’d never recommend concerts (I’m neither a music blog nor Resident Advisor), but I am genuinely intrigued by their side event Çaystube: a performative installation exploring the intersection of sport and pop culture, where workout culture, dance, music, and queer, post-migrant perspectives come together.

It’s about embodied practice, collective experience, and the question: How can movement strengthen cultural identity and build community? I’m especially looking forward to the performance by artist and dancer Sophie Yukiko (Saturday, 9:10 pm) and to “Spill The Tea – Truth or Dare”, a talk and performative community ritual hosted by artist Camila Malenchini (Friday and Saturday, 10 pm).

Friday and Saturday 5pm until midnight | free entry | more info

MALTI POP-UP

I’m usually a bit skeptical when it comes to vintage sellers in Berlin, but this pop-up caught my attention: a mix of designer pieces (think Margiela, Galliano, Cavalli, Jil Sander & more) paired with the debut of a niche perfumery scent. Could be a cute little happening. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Berlin pop-up without a DJ set and some tattoo flashes, right? It’s happening at Backhaus Projects in Neukölln – a lovely, but tiny space.

Thursday & Friday, 2pm-9pm | Backhaus Projects | more info

ALSO HAPPENING:

WED-SAT Final Sale at Andreas Murkudis Store 77 | 70% off | 11 am - 7 pm
WED-SUN Berlin Atonal | Kraftwerk | Timetable
FRI 25 years Carharrt WIP | Carharrt Store Mitte | Free drinks by Sway | 7 pm - 10 pm
SAT Lange Nacht der Museen | 6 pm - 2
SUN Fleamarket at Jules B-Part | 40 stalls & live music | 11 am - 5 pm
SUN Zine Launch my photographer Marie-Lisette Cropp | Cropp Studios | 5 pm - 9 pm

During the annual Lange Nacht der Museen this Saturday, you can visit 75 museums and around 750 events (uff!) all over the city. Sounds overwhelming? Here are my tips:

First: this is perfect if you want to get an overview of many exhibitions in one night. Tickets are €23 – super fair compared to single tickets, which usually cost between €10–15. If you manage to see at least three spots, it’s already worth it. But you definitely need a plan. Think about the museums and exhibitions that are already on your bucket list, or ones you’re curious about but never actually visit. It might also be smart to pick places that aren’t too popular, as the big ones will get crowded fast.

Second: there are tons of events happening that night – from talks to performances to DJ sets. Here are the ones I’m planning to check out (and that I think sound fun):

• Starting strong with a guided tour at Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung at 6 pm

• “Body of Blues” performance by artists Theresa Weber and Nathanael Amadou Kliebhan at Museum Nikolaikirche, 8 pm

• Sound & Poetry by Douniah at C/O Berlin, 9 pm

• Exhibition “Tokyo Views” + Japanese calligraphy workshop at Mori-Ôgai-Gedenkstätte, 11 pm

• Exploring “White Nights in Wonderland” by Feng Li at Fotografiska

• Italo Disco at Haus der Kulturen der Welt – pizza until 11 pm, plus Spritz & espresso martinis per tutta la notte

• Electro night at Akademie der Künste, 10:30 pm–1:30 am
  

  

  
  … also a great opportunity to catch up on the exhibitions I mentioned in last week’s newsletter!

Got a question about Berlin, a tip to share, or something I should feature or investigate? Send it my way! Every week, I’ll pick a messages to include in the newsletter. Thanks for being part of it 💌

If you enjoy my tips and picks, please subscribe to agenda. Feel free to write me (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com) if you want to share a recommendation or have any feedback or wishes!

I hope you have a fantastic week(end)!
Kate from agenda - got plans?

The images featured in this newsletter are provided as press materials and are used for editorial purposes only. Credits are included where available. All rights to the photographs remain with the respective copyright holders.

VISITED Art Biesenthal last weekend. We biked there from S Bernau through fields and forest (around 45 minutes), stopped at a small café for Zwetschgenkuchen, and spent the afternoon exploring the grounds of the Wehrmühle. It was such a beautiful Sunday escape from Berlin. The exhibition itself was smaller than I expected, but I still enjoyed the experience a lot. Next time, I’ll definitely pack a picnic and a book, and make more time for their garden. Bonus: dogs are allowed. If you haven’t been yet: it’s open until August 31.

INTERVIEWED artist Stephanie Kloss for Berlin Art Week (article coming soon). She’s the founder of Die Möglichkeit einer Insel, an independent project space in Berlin-Mitte. We spoke about ageism in the art world, the brutal cuts to cultural funding in Berlin, and the importance of creating spaces where artists can work free from industry constraints. It was a reminder of how lucky we are to have people like Stephanie in this city, and and how vital it is that independent spaces like hers gain more visibility.

WONDERED ABOUT the grotesque hype around that open-air happening at Tempelhofer Feld last weekend. You’ve probably seen the memes about the outfits. But what really got me thinking: why did all those fits feel so painfully cringe? If you’re not in the loop: thousands of fans of DJ trio Keine Musik showed up wearing headscarves (girls) or the scarf-and-cap combo (dudes) as a nod to the DJs’ signature look. The problem? The babushka vibe was cool once (think A$AP Rocky circa 2019), and headscarves can be great summer accessories – but seeing it en masse just felt completely off. Wearing a band shirt is one thing, but this kind of method dressing? Hyper-performative and not authentic at all. A painful reminder that fashion quotes only work if you actually own them. Otherwise, it’s just costume (and if you’re dead serious in costume, the joke’s on you.)

OBSERVED the media coverage of Lap Coffee. Funny how every outlet chooses the same angle: investors, the mountain of disposable cups, the store design. But nobody seems to talk about how the Zeitgeist marketing gag of “community-building” supposedly peaks in the Lap concept. Lap stands for “life around people” but the only interaction I ever see is people staring at each other in the queue. I mean, there isn’t even space to sit down and have a proper chat over your coffee. And if we talk about people we can’t forget the staff: they work in no better circumstances than someone at Subway or any other fast food restaurant – under pressure mixing pre-made drinks. Instead of community formats, you get brand pop-ups. Consumerism dressed up as togetherness. A freebie with your €4 Insta-matcha might feel good for a second, but in the end, it will never ever deliver what it promised. What I want to say: Choose your cafés wisely. If you’re really seeking human connection and communal spaces, a meticulously planned, high-capital company is maybe not the right place for it.

OBSESSED with mul-naengmyeon, Korean cold noodle soup. It’s my favorite dish during summer. Hodori and Ariana Bulgogi (my go to Korean restaurants in Berlin) only serve it seasonal. I’m afraid the will soon cut it from the menu, so if you have a chance to order it, give it a try!

REALIZED it’s the last week of Tenzan Lab in Prenzlauer Berg. The Japanese ice cream shop, famous for its kakigori, is closing on August 31. For over seven years, they’ve been offering authentic Japanese sweets to Berliners. Surely going to be missed!

ENJOYED strolling through Tiergarten and taking pictures of dying flowers. Call me a granny, but those little lunch walks are not only a great mid-day break, they also help me appreciate the beauty of the city amid the daily chaos.

I hope you’re having a wonderful week!

Kate

P.S. Feel free to write me (agenda.gotplans@gmail.com) if you’d like to share a recommendation, an observation, or any feedback or suggestions!