January 17th - March 2nd: Leipzig Ice Dream
Back at Leipzigâs Augustplatz this year is the Leipziger Eistraum, a sort of winter festival set around an ice skating rink.
The ice rink opens daily at 10 am through the month of February, with special events and performances scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays.
Adults can skate here for âŹ7 and children, students, and pensioners can skate for âŹ5. Rental skates are an additional âŹ5. Booking a skate slot is only possible on site at the ticket office.
There is also a curling rink where groups of up to eight people can try sliding the stones, and a large Ferris wheel.
Of course there is also plenty of warm foods and drinks to be had. More information is available on the event website.
January 30th - February 2nd: Transmediale Festival, Berlin
Transmediale is an annual art and digital culture festival hosted at the House of World Cultures (HKW) in Berlin.
This year's festival kicks off at silent green on the evening of January 30, 2025.
The festival continues with an extensive programme of lectures, conversations, screenings, performances, and interventions scheduled through Sunday evening (February 2nd).
This yearâs theme is titled â(near) near but â farâ. According to a press release published by the eventâs organisers, events at the festival will encourage participants âform an understanding of how algorithms place us in weird proximities and new intimacies with one anotherâŚâ
February 1st and 2nd: Fantasy Filmfest White Nights, multiple cities
Fantasy Filmfest White Nights is a two day event with about 10 films. The collection of movies this year includes various genres with an emphasis on international horror and thriller films.
Screenings will be taking place in Berlin, Cologne, Nuremberg and Stuttgart on Saturday and Sunday, February 1st and 2nd.
Festival passes are sold out in most cities, but tickets to individual films are still available. Find more information here.
February 7th and 8th: Feel.jazz Festival, Hamburg
Hamburgâs feel.jazz festival takes place each winter at Hafenklang in Hamburg, and offers music fans a chance to catch performances of classical, acoustic and electronic jazz next to the Elbe river.
According to the event website, the festival âaims to make jazz tangible with all the sensesâ, and therefore audiences can expect the live music to be accompanied by projections, installations and performances.
The Friday and Saturday evening lineups include many Hamburg-based jazz groups, as well as some from Berlin or beyond. And after the live jazz groups have concluded their performances, dj-sets are scheduled to keep the festival going into the early hours of the morning.
Pre-sale tickets, which were limited to 50 for each day, are sold out online. But tickets will be available on-site for a suggested donation of âŹ25.
February 13th to 23rd: Berlinale Film Festival
Among the worldâs most famous cinema showcases, Berlinale is a big deal for cinephiles in Germanyâs capital city each year.
This year marks the 75th Berlinale, and the event organisers have been busy building up a programme worthy of the international festivalâs anniversary â programme details can be found here.
Tickets for individual screenings can be booked online and are made available three days in advance, from 10 am. They can be booked, subject to availability, up until the screening starts.
New films from Richard Linklater, Michel Franco and Hong Sang-soo are among the competition highlights this year, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Alternatively, catching a collection of short films is always interesting.
February 14th: Valentineâs Day and âOne Billion Risingâ in Berlin
Valentine's Day is not traditionally a German holiday, but it seems to become increasingly popular each year with plenty of Germans having adopted the tradition of exchanging Valentinskarte or gifts like candies and flowers with their lovers.
But whether or not you plan to celebrate Valentineâs day, in Berlin the âOne Billion Risingâ movement will host a large public demonstration on the day at the Brandenburg Gate.
The event aims to bring women and men together to dance against violence against women and for respect for all.
The demo is officially scheduled from 4 pm until 6:15 pm, and is free to all who would like to join.
From February 27th: Carnival Season ramps up in Cologne and other cities
Cologneâs Street Carnival is a unique and colourful folk festival in the Rhineland that attracts millions of visitors year after year.Â
In fact, Karneval, as it is known in mid and northern Germany (or Fasching in the South), is widely celebrated across many German cities. But the city of Cologne has become particularly well-known internationally for its vibrant Carnival parades and celebrations.
The Carnival season actually starts as early as November 11th, but the wildest festivities come in a succession of events during the last week of the season.
This year Weiberfastnacht, or Womenâs Carnival, takes place on Thursday the 27th, during which shops in Cologne will largely stay closed as local residents celebrate in their favourite pubs in the Old Town and SĂźdstadt districts.
This is followed by Carnival Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then finally Rose Monday (Rosenmontag), which sees the climax of Carnival in the form of large parades in Cologne and other cities. This yearâs Rose Monday parades will take place on March 3rd.
Finally, on Violet Tuesday (March 4th), the burning of the Nubbel marks the end of the Carnival season.
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