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There are plenty of venues in Berlin. From small underground clubs and medium-sized venues to large concert halls for several thousand visitors. Everything is represented in the capital (of music). Unfortunately, during the Corona pandemic, many of these venues, some even legendary, were forced to close, and others have undertaken lengthy renovations. With these changes in mind, we’ve compiled a list of popular and still-active venues that are particularly relevant for DIY and independent artists.
To help you get started with booking your own band or project in one of Berlin’s venues, we have highlighted the most popular and important venues in the city, and provided some essential information for each. We will start the list with some of the smaller venues and increase capacity through the course of the article. The smaller and medium-sized venues may be more important to you at this stage of your career, so we have given them a greater focus, but we also listed some of the larger concert halls and stadiums just in case.
So take a close look at each of the venues to see which would be more interesting to you. Take note of comparable artists (in terms of genre and career progress) who have performed there, as well as the venue capacities. We have also listed the contact details for each venue so, if you feel that a venue is right for you, you can contact them directly for a booking or other inquiries. Tip: In general, you should start planning your shows as early as possible, as there are many artists looking for bookings.
You can see an overview of our hand-picked venues in the graphic below:
Small venues (Capacity up to 250):
- Schokoladen-Mitte (100)
”Schokoladen is an alternative cultural center with a pub and live music on Ackerstrasse in Berlin-Mitte, representing many musical genres," says Top10Berlin.de.
Ackerstrasse 169
10115 Berlin
E-Mail: info@schokoladen-mitte.de
- Berghain Kantine (200)
On Rausgegangen, the venue is paraphrased as follows:
"Formerly a staff canteen, now a concert restaurant. In the middle of the Bierhof Rüdersdorf at Berghain lies the canteen of the former district heating plant. In addition to the main room, there is also a small lounge in the Old English style. The musical spectrum of the Kantine ranges from avant-garde rock to experimental electronics, from disco to house to gay pop, from indie rock to black metal." - Am Wriezener Bahnhof
10243 Berlin
support@berghain.de
- Cassiopeia (small floor, 200)
"Club Cassiopeia is a vibrant concert venue on the R.A.W. grounds in the middle of Berlin-Friedrichshain and whether it's hip hop, 80s, 90s or crossover, Cassiopeia stands for cosmopolitanism and tolerance," Cassiopeia's website states.
Revaler Str. 99
10245 Berlin
info@cassiopeia-berlin.de
- Marie-Antionette (200)
The venue is described on the website as: "Marie-Antoinette is a Berlin concert hall and club on the Spree. We support emerging artists from the local and international scene. The club can be booked for private events, livestreams and conferences."Holzmarktstrasse 15-18
10179 Berlin
club@marie-antoinette-berlin.de
- Prachtwerk (200)
"Celebrate magnificently in the north of Neukölln - the motto of the Prachtwerk could hardly be more fitting. Centrally located, right next to the big shopping street Karl-Marx-Strasse and thus easily accessible by public transport, the event location for music and culture welcomes you." (fiylo editorial team)
Ganghoferstr. 21
2043 Berlin
info@prachtwerkberlin.com
- Fluxbau
FluxFM introduce their own venue as follows: "FluxBau is the official hangout of FluxFM, where friends of good music gather for parties and concerts. The large Spree terrace with a view of Oberbaumbrücke and the Berlin TV tower make the FluxBau unique."Pfuelstr. 5
10997 Berlin
zweiter Hofeingang (directly near the Spree)
fluxbau@fluxfm.de
- Urban Spree (250)
"Urban Spree is a 1700 m² art space in Berlin-Friedrichshain dedicated to urban culture with exhibitions, artist residencies, DIY workshops, concerts, an art store and a large beer garden", says the website of Urban Spree.Revaler Straße 99
10245 Berlin
contact@urbanspree.com
- Badehaus (250)
"Since Badehaus opened as a venue in 2011, numerous artists* and bands from every imaginable corner of the world and almost every genre have taken the stage. Whether Japanese psychedelic blues, Kazakh hip hop, classical jazz, afro-house, heavy metal,electronic pop, punk or worldmusic - every music lover is welcome here", says the Badehaus itself about the concert location.Revaler Str. 99
10245 Berlin
info@badehaus-berlin.com
- Maschinenhaus (Kulturbrauerei) (250)
"At the smaller Maschinenhaus [next to the Kesselhaus], concerts are equally in the foreground as theater productions and readings. The technically ultra-modern hall seats 250 guests. Here you can experience grandiose concerts by up-and-coming bands, intimate acoustic concerts by musical greats and insider tips from the international music scene, as well as literature and theater events." (Kesselhaus/Maschinenhaus)
Schönhauser Alle 36
10435 Berlin
info@kesselhaus-berlin.de
- Privatclub (250)
"The old post office building in which Privatclub Berlin has now existed for several years provides the perfect setting for all kinds of concerts, events and shows on a small scale. The wonderful living room atmosphere, the romantically staged details, and even the 1970s furnishings that have long since come back into fashion actually make Privatclub Berlin THE No. 1 place to go for cozy little concerts to feel good." is how Privatclub is described on Herzmukke.
Skalitzer Str. 85-86
10997 Berlin
info@privatclub-berlin.de
- Gretchen (200-500)
"GRETCHEN's program as a (live) club reflects the complexity of current musical trends. We curate our program according to the so-called cutting edge principle, the core characteristic of which, as we see it, is novelty through musical openness, constantly expanding in the dialogue of different musical styles and characterized by tolerance, improvisation and the pursuit of innovation," according to the operators themselves.
Obentrautstr. 19-21
10963 Berlin
gretchen@gretchen-club.de
Other small venues:
- Wild At Heart Wiener Str. 20, 10999 Berlin info@wildatheartberlin.de
- Slaughterhouse Lehrter Str. 35, 10557 Berlin booking@slaughterhouse-berlin.de
- Monarch Skalitzer Str. 134, 10999 Berlin guillotine@kottimonarch.de
- Dunckerclub Dunckerstr. 64, 10439 Berlin booking@treufeldt.de
Medium venues (Capacity up to 500):
- artloft.Berlin (280)
According to the factsheet online "The various lofts of made@venues GmbH &Co KG, furnished in urban industrial style, offer a cultural venue, program house and event location. Visual, performing and multimedia arts, live concerts ranging from classical/jazz to experimental music, as well as culinary events and workshops/meetings all find exceptional opportunities for development here,".
Gerichtstr. 23
Hof 3 | Aufgang 2
13347 Berlin
info@artloft.berlin.de
- Frannz Club (350)
"Today, the Frannz Club is a part of Berlin's present in a historic location, where people party and dance furiously on weekends and which has made a name for itself in Berlin's cultural scene with hip concerts," can be read on their site.Schönhauser Allee 36 (Kulturbrauerei)
10435 Berlin
info@frannz.de
- Roadrunner's Paradise (350)
The Roadrunner's exciting info text reads as follows: "The interior consists of countless devotional objects from classic car and motorcycle culture. Paired with colonial kitsch, stylish antiques and whimsical objects, they give the club its unique ambiance. It is a sought-after location for private events, serves as a backdrop for photo and film shoots, and is an event space for concert and event agencies."
Saarbrücker Str. 24
10405 Berlin
arnold@roadrunners-paradise
- Hole Berlin (400)
"A cultural venue where gravity is strong and boundless genres merge into uniqueness. The Hole⁴⁴ is a space for artists and emerging talents, amplified by the unique circumstances of the venue, that creates an extraordinary atmosphere.", the operators say.
Hermannstraße 146
12051 Berlin
info@hole-berlin.de
- Cassiopeia Berlin (big floor, 400)
see above
Revaler Str. 99
10245 Berlin
info@cassiopeia-berlin.de
- Heimathafen Neukölln (450)
"We fulfill our claim as a cultural space for all through format diversity and audience proximity. Embedded in the cultural street Karl-Marx-Strasse, surrounded by opera, cinema and galleries, natives and guests alike find a piece of cultural home, where many things become possible and come together anew. A variety of sectors." (Heimathafen Neukölln)Karl-Marx-Straße 141
12043 Berlin
info@heimathafen-neukoelln.de
- Lido (400)
"Kreuzberg's rock-indie-electro-pop living room couch is in the middle of the Wrangelkiez. History is being made. So finally in May 2006 the doors could open again. Since then, LIDO has been one of the important and hip clubs in the city, especially in Kreuzberg of course.", the Lido operators state.
Cuvrystraße 7
10997 Berlin
INFO@LIDO-BERLIN.DE
- Silent Green Kulturquartier (500)
"Silent Green is an event venue and independent project that has found a unique home in Berlin in the historic premises of the former Wedding crematorium," according to the wording on the official site.
Gerichtstraße 35
13347 Berlin
info@silent-green.net
- SO36 (300-800)
SO36 introduces itself: "SO36 as a concert venue has its roots in the punk and squatter era. Through bands like Dead Kennedys, Exploited, etc. it has come to its reputation as a cult venue for extraordinary concerts. Today, the hall offers space for newcomers, hard sounds beyond the mainstream charts and events of the most diverse backgrounds. Where punk used to dominate, you can now also find hip hop, crossover, techno and much more."
Oranienstr. 190
10999 Berlin
booking@so36.com
Large venues (Capacity up to 2,500):
- Huxley’s Neue Welt (600-1,600)
Hasenheide 107
10967 Berlin
booking@huxleysneuewelt.com
- SchwuZ (650)
Rollbergstraße 26
12053 Berlin
sales@schwuz.de
- Kesselhaus (Kulturbrauerei)(745)
Schönhauser Alle 36
10435 Berlin
info@kesselhaus-berlin.de
- Columbia Theater (800)
COLUMBIADAMM 9-11
10965 Berlin
info@columbia-theater.de
- Ritter Butzke (800)
Ritterstraße 24 -27
10969 Berlin
booking@ritterbutzke.de
- Admiralspalast (900-1,800)
Friedrichstraße 101
10117 Berlin
kontakt@mehr-bb-entertainment.de
- Festsaal Kreuzberg (1,200)
Am Flutgraben 2
12435 Berlin
info@festsaal-kreuzberg.de
- Astra Kulturhaus (1,800)
Revaler Str. 99
10245 Berlin
booking@astra-berlin.de
- Yaam Berlin (2,000)
An der Schillingbrücke 3
10243 Berlin
info@yaam.de
Huge concert halls (up to 8,000):
- Verti Music Hall (4,350)
- Columbiahalle (3,500)
- Tempodrom (3,700)
- Zitadelle Spandau (6,000)
- Max-Schmeling-Halle (8,000-11,900)
The biggest event locations for live music (over 10,000):
If you're interested in this topic, also read our rundown about recording studios in berlin.
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You can find all event locations in Berlin here: https://www.berlin.de/tickets/suche/orte/a-z/
Photo Credit blog cover: ©istock/anyaberkut
