Of Colours and Cultures -the Berlin Carnival

My first ever carnival happened by chance during my first ever visit to Berlin. Call it luck! I was in Berlin for only 2 nights (1.5 days) with the only agenda of meeting a few dear friends. So when I was told about the carnival, my excitement knew no bounds. And what a beautiful experience it turned out to be ❤️

Karneval der Kulturen
That’s what’s it’s called in German and it translates to Carnival of Cultures. This beautiful multi-day, multicultural festival is celebrated annually in Kreuzberg (Berlin), and comprises of street parades, musical performances and parties. Read more about it here. (This year, the Karneval der Kulturen was from 17th May to 20th May)

What I managed to witness was the “street parade” which takes place on Pentecost Sunday (19th May, this year). Thousands of street artists, dancers, musicians, acrobats, from nationalities across the globe, performing for a crowd of (I don’t know), maybe a million!

So, my Pentecost Sunday started with some touristy sightseeing and around 12 pm, I started walking towards Blücherplatz, which was the main area where the carnival was in progress. It was around Mehringdamm street where I could no longer see which way I was walking. Thousands and thousands of people on the streets, all making their way towards the parade. (I do remember going in circles at the same spot a couple of times coz of a roadblock to prevent vehicles from entering the area 🙄 but in my defence, such things happen to short, cute people who can’t see the way in a crowd of tall beautiful Germans 😉)

But once I reached the location from where I could see the parade, all enochlophobia was forgotten (Yes, I have fear of crowds). Absolutely crazy energy and vibes! Keep scrolling and enjoy the videos!

What a delightful first experience! And, in my perspective, the most amazing thing about this carnival was the coming together of people from all walks of life – young and old, professionals and amateurs, literally all come together in the parade, either in performance or to support their people. True celebration of humanity!

Parting note: If this intrigues you, dear reader, and you wish to make your way to the next Karneval der Kulturen, you can track the next dates on the official website. The Carnival of Cultures takes place across Berlin, but the main festivities are around Blücherplatz in the Kreuzberg district, so best to book stays in advance around the area. And guess what, the festival itself is free 😄