Brazilian nights and detox, how do those go together? Plus: blushing over art, pole dancing to the point of exhaustion, and a festive bean stew. Here are CC’s Calendar tips encompassing these wild contradictions. Kick things off on a high note at Clärchens today (21.05). Forró Di Kenga is celebrating four years of Kengaral. With Forrobodó do Zé, a DJ set by Glowriosa, and a forró workshop by Tau Macedo, things are set to get hot, loud and very intimate. A queer feminist party for anyone who would rather lose themselves in dance. In the battle against screen time, what is often needed is real company, and that’s exactly what you might find on Friday (22.05), at the radio3 Atelier Talk at Roman Lipski’s studio. Under the nicely to-the-point title “Between Likes and Real Life: How Digital Are We?”, Siham El-Maimouni, Viktoria Binschtok, Andy Kassier and Jakob Ohme talk about how social media has long shaped the way we see the world. Binschtok’s work on digital image codes and Kassier’s satirical Instagram alter ego are especially worth hearing. Just before Karneval der Kulturen, it’s worth making a quick detour to Kunstquartier Bethanien, where “Vom Sehen und Gesehenwerden” (“On Seeing and Being Seen”) runs through Tuesday (26.05). The group show unites 14 artistic perspectives on the contradictions built into Carnival itself: liberation and projection, visibility and attribution, self-fashioning and the exoticizing gaze. Van Bo Le-Mentzel and Werkstatt für Alles contribute a mirror installation that asks who, exactly, is watching whom.
At the Fichtebunker, Göksu Kunak is currently showing “Remains“, on view until 28.06. Bodies work over long stretches against weight and exhaustion, and the strain becomes visible in the space itself. On Saturday (23.05), the performance Drawings takes place, with bodybuilders, grapplers and pole dancers enduring and transforming those physical states on site. The space changes with them. Considerably gentler is Marta Djourina’s exhibition “Blushing” at FWR Gallery. These works deal with light as a physical force. Surfaces shift visibly, reacting to intensity and time, and a walk-in installation makes that interplay tangible. It remains on view through (30.05). Pondji may be known for its hot, golden dough balls, but there is more going on, and Saturday sounds particularly worth a stop. Things are likely to get warmer than usual on Mainzer Straße once Ave Lino’s samba and Another Pedro’s set get going. If you feel like a walk, but not alone, City Daze is once again inviting people on a Berlin Walk through the Grunewald on Saturday (23.05). The idea is simple: discover new forest paths, breathe in some fresh air, and walk at an easy social pace. The motto is that the journey is the destination. For anyone unable to choose between the club and detox, Circadian is opening its new amphitheater on the Funkhaus grounds on Friday (23.05). Behind it is a studio at Funkhaus where Japanese tea culture is taken seriously and enjoyed in a very relaxed way on the banks of the Spree. Instead of a spritz, expect sugar-free cold brew, gyokuro and DJ sets, which makes the whole thing feel genuinely refreshing. There is happiness waiting in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, too. At the Wassermühle Nebeltal, the wood-fired oven will be fired up on Pentecost Sunday (24.05). Sascha, Leena and Franka Silberstein used to play on the grounds as children, and now run the place with a café, museum and cultural programming. And yes, this weekend is, of course, also Karneval der Kulturen, now celebrating its 30th anniversary. The big parade takes place on Sunday (24.05). A quick look ahead to next week… Starting Wednesday (27.05.) Daddy Magazine presents the group exhibition “The Land Remembers” at GlogauAIR, with works by Austin Nortey, Mona Okulla Obua and others. The show looks at waste colonialism, or how waste, consumption and their consequences are distributed globally. Until then, have a wonderful and wild weekend.
Text: Emma Zylla / Photos: Angelo Dal Bo, Clärchens Ballhaus, Emilia von Senger, Isabelle Schmitz, Robyn Steffen, Ronja Arndt
Clärchens Ballhaus, Auguststr.24/25, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Forró Di Kenga 21.05.2026 from 20h.
@claerchens_ballhaus
@forrodikenga
Atelier Roman Lipski, Wiener Str.10, 10999 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Radio3 Atelier Talk, 22.05.2026 19–20h.
@atelierromanlipski
Kunstquartier Bethanien, Mariannenpl.2, 10997 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Vom Sehen und Gesehenwerden, until 26.05.2026.
@kuenstlerhaus.bethanien
@karneval.berlin
Fichtebunker, Fichtestr.6, 10967 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Remains von Göksu Kunak until 28.06.2026. Performance Drawings 23.05.2026 15h.
@goeksu_kunak
FWR Galerie, Jägerstr.5, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Blushing until 30.05.2026.
@martadjourina
@feldbuschwiesnerrudolph
Pondji, Mainzer Str.23, 12053 Berlin–Neukölln; map
Erstes Jubiläum 23.05.2026 12–22h.
@pondjiberlin
City Daze Club. You’ll receive the meeting point after you RSVP.
Berlin Walk 23.05.2026 12–14h30. Gathering from 14h30.
@citydaze.club
Circadian, Nalepastr.18, 12459 Berlin–Lichtenberg; map
Opening Amphitheater 23.05.2026 from 16h.
@tea.circadian
@funkhaus_berlin
Wassermühle Nebeltal, Mühlenweg 5, Kuchelmiß 18292; map
Pfingsten in der Wassermühle 24.05.2026 from 16h.
@wassermuehle_nebeltal
Karneval der Kulturen. Find the map here.
Straßenumzug, 24.05.2026 from 13h30.
@karneval.berlin
GlogauAir, Glogauer Str.16, 10999 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
The Land Remembers 27.05–02.06.2026.
@daddy.berlin
@glogauair
