Berlin Pride 2018: Your Guide to All the Fun, Festivities and Parties
This weekend is Berlin Pride, also called Berlin CSD (in Germany CSD is often used instead of Pride, meaning Christopher Street Day in memory of the Stonewall Riots). Here’s a rundown of what’s happening at Berlin Pride this year. Find out what parties and events are unmissable, how much it will set you back and our top picks for the weekend-long celebrations.
When and where is Berlin Pride 2018?
There’s a Pride march through the city of Berlin and all kinds of street parties and clubbing events on the cards, with some going straight through Monday afternoon. This is Berlin, after all.
What about the Berlin Pride Parade?
The Pride march starts at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 28. This year’s motto is “My body, my identity, my life!” Head to Kurfürstendamm/Joachimsthaler Straße an hour or so earlier if you want to be part of it.
The route goes through the center of Berlin past many famous landmarks and monuments, through the gorgeous elaborate greenery of the Tiergarten and to the Siegessäule (Berlin Victory Column), ending at the Brandenburg Gate.
The march will reach the Brandenburg Gate between 3–6 p.m. (There were thunderstorms last year, and it looks like there will be more again this year.)
There will be a rally and street party at the Brandenburg Gate until midnight, regardless of the weather. So pack an umbrella, perhaps a poncho, and grab a spot in the Tiergarten — that is, if you fancy watching it with a bit more space.
How much does Berlin Pride cost?
The parade is free, as is the street party at the Brandenburg Gate, but the official nighttime party, UNITY, is where all the real action will be taking place. It’ll set you back €27, but for that you’ll be able to see some of the biggest names in Berlin nightlife come together for a total night to remember.
There will be DJ sets, live shows and vocals from the stars of MEMBERS, GMF Berlin, Chantals House of Shame, the Real Housewives of Neukölln, Goys N’ Birls and many more.
All this is happening at the superb super-club Funkhaus. Take the U Bahn to S Karlshorst and then follow the signs, or your easiest option is probably to get the free shuttle bus from Ostkreuz.
What else is happening during Berlin Pride weekend?
If you’ve got enough energy left, New York’s famous Bushwig Festival is coming to Berlin for a 24-hour drag-and-dance extravaganza at the gorgeous club Ipse.
There will be performances from up-and-coming local talents, local legends like Geiza Poke, Pansy and Antina Christ, as well as a show from headliner and RuPaul’s Drag Race Winner Sasha Velour.
Tickets are €26, and you and can get there by walking from U Schlesisches Tor or S Treptower Park.
But perhaps the cherry on top of the Berlin Pride cake this year will be the rooftop party at GMF on Sunday night, featuring DJ sets from Larry Tee, Stella DeStroy and a show by Bambi Mercury. It’s a gorgeous party overlooking the city from the 15th floor of a tower in Alexanderplatz.
Whatever you do this weekend, have fun and stay safe.
