Karneval der Kulturen
This weekend is one of the largest street festivals this city experiences - and it expereinces a lot of them. The Carnival of Cultures (Karneval der Kulturen) is a huge event of music, performance and partying. It's one for all age groups and denominations and whether you want to salsa in the street, caipoiera in competition or parade with pride, you'll find something to tickle your fancy.
The biggest attraction of the festival is the Street Parade. This year it's being held on Saturday May 11th, from 12.30pm until 9.30pm. This year the route runs from Hermannplatz to Mehringdamm along Gneisenaustrasse/Yorckstrasse. About 4500 performers will be taking part, presenting every form of traditional ethnic costumes, dances, music and shows.
Aside from the brilliantly coloured and noisy parade, the festival continues on Blücherplatz for the long weekend. There will be around 350 stands selling exotic foods, clothing and knick-knacks with stages at every corner offering a wide variety of performances.
Getting there is easy: the parade starts at Harmannplatz (U8/U7) and finishes at Mehringdamm (U6/U7), while the festival is between Mehringdamm and Hallesches Tor (U6/U2). Don't rely to heavily on buses as a number have been redirected or cancelled around the blocked roads of the festival.