Berlin is a truly multicultural city, and this diversity is celebrated at the ‘Karneval der Kulturen’ (translated into English as ‘Carnival of Cultures’), held every May during Pentecost in Kreuzberg. The highlight of the festival is the grand parade on Sunday.
Karneval der Kulturen in Kreuzberg
The Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures) is a large urban festival with an open program for four days in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The festival is free and features various stalls offering a wide array of food and drinks from around the world, as well as clothes, toys, some handmade musical instruments, jewellery, and other treasures. Additionally, there is a green area and many stages where various artists and musicians present their art and music.
Large parade in the streets of Berlin
One of the highlights is the big parade on Sunday, where about 1.3 million people come together. Dance groups, musicians, and other artists celebrate and dance through the streets of Kreuzberg, from Hermannplatz to Yorckstraße/Möckernstraße, turning them into the biggest stage in Berlin. This year (2015), the parade started at 2:30 pm and ended around 9:30 pm, featuring over 70 groups. The audience can join the parade and celebrate along with them. The music was mostly techno and electro music, which Berlin is known for. The atmosphere was fantastic and the streets were full of dancing people. All streets were closed to traffic, and it felt like a massive party where the whole city was involved.
First written on Friday, May 20th, 2016, you have read the blog post Karneval der Kulturen – celebrating diversity on Berlin’s streets on My Travel Journal-Blog.