Berlin events in December 2026: 26 with prices

ByRaul Simea

Berlin events in December 2026: 26 dates from free to €340, with venues, prices for two, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve rules. Checked 7 Oct 2026.

Two friends in winter coats walking up snowy stone steps into a lit concert hall at dusk

Berlin events in December 2026 run from free to €340 a seat. The dates to plan around are the Staatsballett’s new Nutcracker (from €12), Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Berliner Dom (from €10), two Christmas circuses, and New Year’s Eve, which falls on a Thursday. We checked 26 events on the organisers’ own sites.

A date is the easy half. This list gives the price, the venue, the closed days and what the organisers have not published yet, so you can book before the good seats go.

The short version

  • 24 and 31 December are not public holidays in Berlin, and both are Thursdays. Shops close at 14:00 on Christmas Eve. 25 and 26 December are holidays.
  • Both big light trails, Christmas Garden and Weihnachten im Tierpark, are closed on 24 and 31 December, and on 7 December.
  • Cheapest seats for two on our list: €20 at the Berliner Dom’s Christmas Oratorio (2 × €10) and €24 at the Staatsballett’s family Nutcracker on 6 December (2 × €12).
  • Dearest: the Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve concert on 31 December, €113 to €340 a seat.
  • Shops may open on two Sundays: 6 and 20 December.
  • Not published yet: Winterwelt at Potsdamer Platz, firework ban zones, BVG’s New Year’s Eve service, and Roncalli’s prices on its own site.

How we checked

On 7 October 2026 we read each organiser’s own pages for dates, venues, times and ticket prices, in German where the organiser publishes German. Where a page did not say something, the table says so instead of guessing. Several pages still mix in 2025 information; we used only the parts clearly marked 2026. Programmes change and several venues had not finished publishing, so confirm before you buy.

Contents

Berlin events in December 2026, by date

Date (2026)EventWherePrice per person
18 Nov–10 JanChristmas Garden light trailBotanischer Garten, Königin-Luise-Str. 6–8Adult online €16.90–€27.90; box office €29.90
20 Nov–9 JanWeihnachten im Tierpark light trailTierpark Berlin, Am Tierpark 125Adult online €15.90–€26.90; box office €28.90
Season 31 Oct–14 Mar; Christmas hours not yet publishedPublic skatingEisstadion Neukölln, Oderstraße 182€4 per session; €2 reduced
Fri, Sat, Sun until 20 Dec, 17:00 and 17:30Winterliche Citytour boat trip, 2 hoursStern und Kreis, Friedrichstraße / ReichstaguferFrom €29.90
3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 18 Dec, 18:30–22:00Weihnachts-Party cruise with DJStern und Kreis, Hafen TreptowFrom €42
4, 6, 12, 14, 19, 25, 29 DecThe Nutcracker, Staatsballett (new production)Deutsche Oper, Bismarckstraße 35€12–€146
6, 15, 19, 21, 29 DecHänsel und GretelKomische Oper at the Schillertheater, Bismarckstraße 110€12 (restricted view) to €110
Most days; no shows on 24 or 28 DecBLINDED by DELIGHT (Grand Show)Friedrichstadt-Palast, Friedrichstraße 107From €19.80
December dates until 22 Dec, back 8 JanSPOOKY Charlottenburg (children’s show)Friedrichstadt-PalastChildren from €9.80, adults from €19.80; every date almost sold out
11 Dec–3 JanDer Berliner WeihnachtscircusOlympiastadion, Olympische Straße€30–€45 on the list beside the 2026 schedule; box office cash only
12 Dec 15:00; 13 Dec 11:00Family concert: NutcrackerPhilharmonie, Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1€16–€26
17, 18, 19 DecBerlioz, L’Enfance du ChristPhilharmonie€28–€89
17 Dec–3 Jan, 37 showsRoncalli WeihnachtscircusTempodrom, Möckernstr. 10Not on Roncalli’s own site
18 Dec 20:00; 19 Dec 15:00 and 18:00Bach, Christmas Oratorio I–IIIBerliner Dom, Am Lustgarten€10–€45
22 Dec 20:00Das Berliner Weihnachtskonzert (Rundfunkchor Berlin)Berliner Dom€19–€59, online only
23 Dec 19:00; 27 Dec 14:00 and 18:00Hänsel und Gretel, family performancesDeutsche OperFrom €23; under-18s €10
26 Dec 19:30Bach, Christmas Oratorio I–VI (1857 version)Berliner Dom€10–€45
29, 30 Dec 20:00Beethoven, Symphony No. 9Berliner Dom€18–€57
29, 30 Dec 20:00; 31 Dec 17:30New Year’s Eve Concert, Kirill PetrenkoPhilharmonie€66–€233; 31 Dec €113–€340
30 Dec 20:00; 31 Dec 15:30Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 (Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin)Konzerthaus, Gendarmenmarkt€25–€69; 31 Dec €55–€89
31 Dec, starts 12:00 to 13:00Berliner Silvesterlauf, 4, 6 or 10 kmNext to the Mommsenstadion, GrunewaldAdults €17 at the first price level
31 Dec 18:00Orpheus in der UnterweltKomische Oper at the Schillertheater€40–€160
31 Dec 19:00Konzert zum JahreswechselKonzerthaus€42–€110
31 Dec 19:30 and 21:30Feuerwerk für Orgel, organ concertBerliner Dom€20 and €25
31 Dec 20:00–01:30Silvester auf der Spree cruiseStern und Kreis, Hafen TreptowFrom €149, drinks included
Turn of the year, times not publishedSilvester am Brandenburger TorPlatz des 18. März and Straße des 17. JuniFree tickets from December
Checked on the organisers’ own pages on 7 October 2026. Prices without booking fees. Christmas markets are in our separate guide.

Found one you want to go to? Post it as a plan on MITRA, a place and a time, and you decide who joins instead of going alone. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store

The bit that catches everyone out

Christmas Eve is a working day. The Senate’s list of Berlin public holidays has 25 and 26 December, not 24 or 31 December. In 2026 Christmas Eve is a Thursday, and Berlin shops have to close at 14:00 when 24 December falls on a weekday.

The light trails go dark on the two evenings people most want them. Christmas Garden and Weihnachten im Tierpark are both closed on 24 and 31 December, and on Monday 7 December. Both are open on Christmas Day.

Two Sundays for shopping. The Senate economy department lists 6 and 20 December 2026 as the shopping Sundays of the season, tied to the Christmas markets. Shops may open from 13:00 to 20:00. 29 November and 13 December are normal Sundays.

Seats for the big Christmas shows go early. Every December date of SPOOKY Charlottenburg was marked almost sold out on 7 October, and three Nutcracker performances were already down to remaining tickets.

Two friends in red velvet seats on an opera house balcony, one holding a programme

Ballet, opera and concerts

The Nutcracker, Staatsballett Berlin. A new production by Christian Spuck that premieres on 27 November and runs to 25 January, at the Deutsche Oper. December has nine performances. Evening seats run from €22 to €146 depending on the date. The Sunday 6 December 15:00 show is a family performance with a workshop, €12 to €92, and under-18s pay €10 for any seat. The ballet says it suits ages 6 and up and lasts 2 hours 15 minutes.

Berliner Philharmoniker. Three December programmes are worth knowing. A family Nutcracker played by members of the orchestra, about an hour long, for children from 6, on 12 December at 15:00 and 13 December at 11:00, at €16 to €26. Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ with the Rundfunkchor Berlin on 17, 18 and 19 December, at €28 to €89. And the New Year’s Eve Concert under Kirill Petrenko, with pianist Alexander Malofeev in his debut with the orchestra: €66 to €233 on 29 and 30 December, €113 to €340 on 31 December at 17:30, when it runs without an interval.

Berliner Dom. The cheapest serious music of the month. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, cantatas I to III, with the Berliner Domkantorei, plays on 18 December at 20:00 and 19 December at 15:00 and 18:00, at €10 to €45. On 26 December the Staats- und Domchor sings all six cantatas in an 1857 version, at the same prices. The Rundfunkchor’s Berliner Weihnachtskonzert on 22 December is €19 to €59 and sold online only.

A concert is an easy first plan. Nobody has to fill two hours with talk, and the interval hands you something to say. Post the date and the seat price on MITRA and see who wants to go. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store

Two Hänsel und Gretels. The Komische Oper, in its temporary home at the Schillertheater, plays Humperdinck’s opera on 6, 15, 19, 21 and 29 December, at €12 (a restricted-view seat) to €110, recommended from the third school year. The Deutsche Oper has family performances on 23 December at 19:00 and 27 December at 14:00 and 18:00, from €23, with under-18s at €10 and surtitles in German and English.

Friedrichstadt-Palast. The Grand Show BLINDED by DELIGHT plays most days in December, with seats from €19.80 and dynamic pricing above that. There are no shows on 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 24 and 28 December. The under-25 Young Ticket does not apply from 25 to 31 December, and no discounts apply to the New Year’s Eve shows. The children’s show SPOOKY Charlottenburg has its last December show on 22 December and returns on 8 January, and every December date is marked almost sold out, with any remaining tickets by hotline or at the box office.

Circus, lights, ice and boats

Two Christmas circuses. Roncalli’s Weihnachtscircus plays 37 shows at the Tempodrom from 17 December to 3 January. Roncalli’s own site does not list show times or prices; its ticket button goes to a ticket seller. Der Berliner Weihnachtscircus sets up at the Olympiastadion from 11 December to 3 January, with a premiere on 11 December at 19:00, a show at 14:00 on Christmas Eve, two shows a day from 25 to 31 December, and no shows on 14, 15, 16, 21 and 22 December. Seven dates in December are half-price family days: 11, 17, 18, 23, 28, 29 and 30 December.

Its ticket page shows €30 to €45 on the price list beside the 2026 schedule, and an older-looking €28 to €40 list further down; neither carries a year, so ring before you go. Both say the box office takes cash only.

Two friends walking along a path through a garden lit with fairy lights and light arches at night

Christmas Garden, Botanischer Garten. A 2 km light trail with entry in 20-minute slots, open 16:20 to 21:00, and to 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and every day from 18 December to 2 January. Adults pay €16.90 to €27.90 online depending on the date, €29.90 at the evening box office, which takes no cash. Children up to 5 are free. The reduced price for pupils, students and over-65s does not apply from 18 December to 2 January.

Weihnachten im Tierpark. The same operator runs a second trail at the Tierpark until 9 January, a euro cheaper: €15.90 to €26.90 online for adults, €28.90 at the box office. Opening is 16:40 to 21:00, and to 22:00 on Saturdays and on 25 and 26 December. The trail has an ice rink included in the ticket; skate hire is €4.

Skating for €4. Eisstadion Neukölln, an outdoor rink run by the district, opens for the season on 31 October and stays open to 14 March. A session costs €4, or €2 reduced, and entry is discounted shortly before each session ends. The district has not yet published its Christmas opening times for 2026.

On the river. Stern und Kreis runs a two-hour Winterliche Citytour from Friedrichstraße on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until 20 December, at 17:00 and 17:30, from €29.90. Its Weihnachts-Party cruise leaves Hafen Treptow at 18:30 and returns at 22:00 on seven December evenings, from €42 with a welcome drink and a DJ. A ticket does not guarantee a seat on either party boat.

Light trails and boat trips are better with someone to point things out to. Pick an evening that is not 7, 24 or 31 December, post it on MITRA, and you decide who joins. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store

New Year’s Eve

The party at the Brandenburg Gate. Kulturprojekte Berlin has a page for Silvester am Brandenburger Tor 2026: a DJ dance floor on Platz des 18. März and part of Straße des 17. Juni, with free tickets from December. It has not published times, capacity or bag rules yet.

Fireworks. Federal law allows category F2 fireworks to be sold to consumers only from 29 to 31 December, and set off only on 31 December and 1 January, by people aged 18 or over, and never right next to churches, hospitals, children’s homes or old people’s homes. Berlin had not announced any ban zones for 2026/27 by 7 October. Last year the police banned fireworks at Alexanderplatz, the Steinmetzkiez in Schöneberg, part of Sonnenallee and Admiralbrücke, so expect an announcement in late December.

Indoors instead. The Konzerthaus has two options on 31 December: Beethoven’s Ninth with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester at 15:30 (€55 to €89), and its own Konzert zum Jahreswechsel at 19:00 (€42 to €110). The Berliner Dom has an organ concert, Feuerwerk für Orgel, at 19:30 and 21:30 for €20 or €25. The Komische Oper ends its year with Offenbach’s Orpheus in der Unterwelt at 18:00, €40 to €160. On the water, Stern und Kreis runs Silvester auf der Spree from Hafen Treptow, 20:00 to 01:30, from €149 with drinks included.

Running it off first. The Berliner Silvesterlauf starts next to the Mommsenstadion in Grunewald at midday on 31 December: 4 km at 12:00, about 6 km at 12:30 and about 10 km at 13:00. The longer routes climb the Teufelsberg. Online registration is open until 30 December, at €17 for adults while the first price level lasts.

What two people pay

EventTwo adultsArithmetic
Eisstadion Neukölln, one session€82 × €4
Christmas Oratorio, Berliner Dom, cheapest seats€202 × €10
Weihnachten im Tierpark, cheapest online date€31.802 × €15.90
Family Nutcracker, Philharmonie, cheapest seats€322 × €16
Christmas Garden, cheapest online date€33.802 × €16.90
Berliner Silvesterlauf, first price level€342 × €17
Friedrichstadt-Palast, cheapest seats€39.602 × €19.80
The Nutcracker, cheapest evening seats (14 or 29 Dec)€442 × €22
Konzert zum Jahreswechsel, cheapest seats€842 × €42
Philharmoniker New Year’s Eve Concert, 29 or 30 Dec€1322 × €66
Silvester auf der Spree€2982 × €149
Standard adult prices from the organisers, without booking fees. The cheapest category is usually the first to sell out.

€20 for two at the Dom, €298 for two on the river. Put the event, the time and the price in the plan, so whoever you ask knows exactly what they are saying yes to. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store

What has no 2026 details yet

Winterwelt at Potsdamer Platz still showed its 2025 season on 7 October. We found no BVG or S-Bahn timetable for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve 2026. The Brandenburg Gate party has no times, and Berlin has no firework ban zones on record for this year yet. Roncalli does not show Berlin prices or show times on its own site, and the Wintergarten Varieté lists the run and show times of its family show Zimt & Zauber but no prices. We will not guess any of them.

For the markets themselves, read our Christmas markets guide. The Gendarmenmarkt market, for one, charges €2 entry and stays open until midnight on 31 December. For the month before, see Berlin events in November 2026.

How we chose these

We included events with a December 2026 date on an organiser’s own page. We left out anything we could only confirm on a ticket seller or an events listing, anything dated only for 2025, and club nights and sports fixtures, whose calendars change weekly. We did not check every event in the city, so this is a list of what we could verify, not everything happening.

Questions

What is on in Berlin in December 2026?

Among the 26 events we checked: the Staatsballett’s new Nutcracker at the Deutsche Oper, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Berliner Dom from 18 December, two Christmas circuses, the Christmas Garden and Tierpark light trails, and New Year’s Eve concerts at the Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus.

Is 24 December a public holiday in Berlin?

No. In 2026 Christmas Eve is a Thursday and a normal working day, and shops must close at 14:00. 25 and 26 December are public holidays. 31 December is not a holiday either.

Are shops open on Sundays in December 2026?

On two: 6 and 20 December, from 13:00 to 20:00. 29 November and 13 December are not shopping Sundays.

Is there a New Year’s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate in 2026?

The organiser, Kulturprojekte Berlin, has announced a DJ party on Platz des 18. März and part of Straße des 17. Juni with free tickets from December. Times and entry rules were not published on 7 October.

When can you buy fireworks in Berlin?

Category F2 fireworks may be sold to consumers only from 29 to 31 December, and set off only on 31 December and 1 January, by people aged 18 or over.

Is Christmas Garden Berlin open on Christmas Eve?

No. Christmas Garden and Weihnachten im Tierpark are both closed on 24 and 31 December and on 7 December. Both are open on 25 December.

What is the cheapest Christmas concert in Berlin in 2026?

Of the ones we checked, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Berliner Dom, from €10 a seat, on 18, 19 and 26 December. The Philharmoniker’s family Nutcracker on 12 and 13 December costs €16 to €26.

Already planning further ahead? We listed the big concerts in Berlin in 2027, from aespa in January to Harry Styles at Tempelhof in July.

December ends on the one night the whole city is out at once. We checked what New Year’s Eve in Berlin actually costs — six venues publish a 31 December price, and the Brandenburg Gate party is free.

Planning a winter evening for two? Christmas Garden Berlin is a two-hour light trail with tickets from €16.90 each online.

Want to keep reading?

Pick one date from the calendar. Post it on MITRA, a place and a time, and you decide who joins. Berlin first, other EU cities on the roadmap. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store

Sources

Every date, venue and price checked on the organiser’s own site on 7 October 2026, except where a source below is a Senate or district page. Images are illustrative, not photos of a specific event.

  • https://www.staatsballett-berlin.de/en/spielplan/event-detail/stid/der-nussknacker-en/348.html
  • https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concert/calendar/57080/
  • https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concert/calendar/57079/
  • https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concert/calendar/57075/
  • https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concert/calendar/57074/
  • https://www.konzerthaus.de/de/programm/rundfunk-sinfonieorchester-berlin-delyana-lazarova/13327
  • https://www.konzerthaus.de/de/programm/rundfunk-sinfonieorchester-berlin-delyana-lazarova/13326
  • https://www.konzerthaus.de/de/programm/konzert-zum-jahreswechsel/12550
  • https://www.rsb-online.de/publikationen-ticketinfos/
  • https://www.berlinerdom.de/termine/detail/show/2026-12-18-bach-weihnachtsoratorium/
  • https://www.berlinerdom.de/termine/detail/show/2026-12-26-bach-weihnachtsoratorium-grellfassung-1857/
  • https://www.berlinerdom.de/termine/detail/show/2026-12-22-das-berliner-weihnachtskonzert/
  • https://www.berlinerdom.de/termine/detail/show/2026-12-29-beethoven-9-sinfonie/
  • https://www.berlinerdom.de/termine/detail/show/2026-12-31-silvesterkonzert-1930-uhr/
  • https://www.komische-oper-berlin.de/spielplan/kalender/2026-12/
  • https://deutscheoperberlin.de/de_DE/production/haensel-und-gretel.1385736
  • https://www.palast.berlin/show/blinded-by-delight/
  • https://www.palast.berlin/show/spooky/
  • https://www.palast.berlin/preise-saalplan/
  • https://www.roncalli.de/
  • https://www.berliner-weihnachtscircus.de/tickets
  • https://www.christmas-garden.de/berlin/besuch/
  • https://www.christmas-garden.de/berlin/tickets/
  • https://www.weihnachten-im-tierpark.de/besuch/
  • https://www.weihnachten-im-tierpark.de/tickets/
  • https://www.weihnachten-im-tierpark.de/faq/
  • https://www.berlin.de/ba-neukoelln/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/2026/pressemitteilung.1722319.php
  • https://www.sternundkreis.de/cruises/winterliche-citytour-ab-friedrichstrasse-c10/
  • https://www.sternundkreis.de/cruises/weihnachts-party-2/
  • https://www.sternundkreis.de/cruises/silvester-auf-der-spree-ab-hafen-treptow/
  • https://kulturprojekte.berlin/projekte/silvester-am-brandenburger-tor-2026/
  • https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sprengv_1/__22.html
  • https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sprengv_1/__23.html
  • https://www.berlin.de/polizei/polizeimeldungen/2025/pressemitteilung.1628885.php
  • https://www.berliner-silvesterlauf.de/event/event-info
  • https://www.berliner-silvesterlauf.de/en/registration/registration
  • https://www.berlin.de/sen/inneres/buerger-und-staat/verfassungs-und-verwaltungsrecht/artikel.1435639.php
  • https://www.berlin.de/ba-treptow-koepenick/politik-und-verwaltung/aemter/ordnungsamt/artikel.86310.php
  • https://www.berlin.de/sen/wirtschaft/wirtschaft/branchen/handel/verkaufsoffene-sonntage/artikel.596428.php
  • https://www.potsdamerplatz.de/de/events/winter-world/
  • https://wintergarten-berlin.de/shows/zimt-zauber-die-verhexte-mozartkugel/
  • https://www.weihnachtsmarkt-berlin.de/

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