Berlin is having a moment right now. The German capital was voted the third best city globally and number one in Europe in Time Out’s list of the world’s best cities for 2024. It also placed sixth in the Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023 by Euromonitor, and ranked sixth among the world’s most sustainable metropolises in the Global Destination Sustainability Index in recognition of the city’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.
These accolades provide even more reason why event planners should consider organising their next meeting or event in the German capital. Furthermore, 2024 looks set to be a year full of highlights in Berlin.
Here’s just a few…
Sporting highlights
The undisputed highlight of the 2024 sporting year is the UEFA Euro 2024 European Football Championship taking place from 14 June to 14 July. Under the motto “United by Football – United in the Heart of Europe”, 24 nations will play to win the title, which is awarded every four years.
There are a total of ten venues throughout Germany. Among them, Berlin bears a special significance, in addition to three group matches and one round of 16 and one quarter-final, the Olympic Stadium will also be the venue for the finals. At UEFA Euro 2024, there will of course again be a Fan-Fest on the Straße des 17. Juni, and the Brandenburg Gate will be transformed into the largest football goal in the world.
A tennis tournament unlike any other, the seventh edition of the Laver Cup takes place in Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena (then Uber Arena) from September 20-22 2024, following stops in Prague, Chicago, Geneva, Boston, London and Vancouver.
Born from Roger Federer’s heartfelt goal to honour Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, the Laver Cup pits six of the best men’s tennis players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the world over three days of intense team competition.
A year of anniversaries and celebrations
In 2024, Berlin is looking forward to marking these anniversaries with a colourful accompanying programme:
35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall: A whole series of events and festive acts with high-profile international guests is scheduled to celebrate the anniversary.
20 years of the Festival of Lights: The light art festival is one of the most famous in the world.
50th Berlin Marathon: Every autumn, the event attracts around 45,000 runners, handbikers and inline skaters from 120 nations on a cross-city tour.
100 years of the S-Bahn: A programme to celebrate the suburban railway is planned for Berliners, families, technology enthusiasts and visitors to the city.
Arts and cultural highlights
A multitude of art and cultural events will make Berlin a centre of attraction for national and international guests this year too.
One of the cultural highlights of the year is the exhibition “Caspar David Friedrich – Infinite Landscapes” from 19 April to 4 August in the Alte Nationalgalerie. The show in Berlin includes about 60 paintings and 50 drawings by Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), the most eminent painter of German Romanticism.
Another outstanding exhibition awaits visitors from 17 July to 3 November in the Gemäldegalerie. It shows around 70 works by the Dutch artist Frans Hals (1582/83-1666), one of the greatest portrait painters of all time. The exhibition was previously shown at the National Gallery in London and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
At the Carnival of Cultures (17 to 20 May), Berlin can be experienced with all its creative influences from all over the world. From culinary delights and arts and crafts to music and live performances, the capital is international, cosmopolitan and diverse. At the Fête de la Musique on 21 June, the whole of Berlin will be dedicated to music. Amateurs and professionals make music all over the city, at over 200 locations, always free of charge.
New hotels
Colourful, individual, sustainable and full of innovative flair, Berlin’s hotel scene has welcomed a wave of new openings over the past couple of years.
The JW Marriott Hotel Berlin opened last year, offering 505 rooms adjacent to Tiergarten, the city’s renowned park featuring 520 acres of lush greenery, serene lakes, and picturesque parks. The former Maritim Hotel that was most recently run as the Berlin Central District in Stauffenbergstraße at Potsdam Square is the first hotel of this luxury brand in the city. For meetings and events, the hotel boasts over 48 spaces covering 6,290 sqm, including Berlin’s largest ballroom that can accommodate 2,300 guests.
The Hoxton made its debut in Berlin in Charlottenburg in the summer of 2023, taking over a former hotel not far from the Ku’Damm. The hip property stands out for its art nouveau-inspired shapes, expressive design details and soft colours. When it came to designing the 239 differently sized rooms, the Ennismore Design Studio found inspiration in the neighbourhood that was at the centre of creative Berlin during the Golden Twenties.
The sly Berlin, a new luxury hotel from the Preferred Hotels & Resorts brand, also launched last summer. The hotel located in Friedrichshain has 150 rooms and suites spread over five interconnected buildings. One of its highlights is a 220-square-metre light-flooded greenhouse in the inner courtyard and sauna on the hotel roof, from where guests can enjoy a spectacular view of the city.
Another hot new opening right on Museum Island, the Telegraphenamt opened its doors with 97 rooms, the Root restaurant in the hotel’s atrium, a bar and café, event spaces and its own gym in the former main telegraph office of Berlin.
If you would like to learn more about the meeting and event opportunities in the German Capital, please reach out to the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office, your key contact for everything that you need, from on-site knowledge of the best venues and service providers, to conference bids and event planning.
Please contact: Isabel Bernhardt [email protected] and Lisa Stewart [email protected]
Photography © visitBerlin
The Berlin Wall Memorial, © visitBerlin, photo: Dagmar threshold
Sports event Berlin Marathon 2012, © visitBerlin, photo: Wolfgang Scholvien
Palace bridge and Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace, © visitBerlin, photo: Mo Wüstenhagen