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Carnival of Cultures - Berlin Celebrates its Multicultural Spirit

By , About.com Guide

Dancer at Carnival of Culturessvenwerk

Carnival of Cultures - The Basics:

Every summer, Berlin celebrates its own unique carnival, called the Carnival of Cultures - more than 1,5 million visitors flock to the district of Kreuzberg to celebrate the multicultural spirit of Germany’s capital.

Berlin is home to more than 450,000 people from around the world and proud to be the most international city in Germany. The Carnival of Cultures pays tribute to Berlin’s ethnic diversity and the peaceful coexistence of its different cultures with this fun summer festival.

Carnival of Cultures - What To Expect:

The Berlin Carnival of Cultures is a four-day open-air festival with exotic food and drinks, concerts, performances, and parties.

The colorful highlight of the festivities is the street parade, where more than 4,500 performers in authentic costumes, elaborately decorated floats, and musicians from over 70 different countries dance through the streets of Berlin.
Soak up the samba rhythms, enjoy Brazilian drummers, Congolese singers, Korean culture groups, artistic larger than life puppets - and a bit of Rio de Janeiro in the streets of the German capital.

Carnival of Cultures - Dates:

In 2012, the Carnival of Cultures is celebrated from May 25-28. The street parade takes place on Sunday, May 27, 2012.

Carnival of the Cultures - Admission:

Admission to both the street fair and the parade is free.

Opening Hours of the Festival:

Friday, 4:00 p.m. - midnight
Saturday/Sunday, 11: 00 a.m. - midnight
Monday, 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

The Street Festival - Address:

The street festival takes place on and around Bluecherplatz in the district of Kreuzberg; enjoy several stages with international concerts and performances, pavilions with food and drinks, and an arts and craft market where you can browse for treasures from around the world.

Getting There:

Metro U1 and U 6: Hallesches Tor
Metro 6 and U7: Mehringdamm

Route of the Street Parade:

The carnival parade starts at 12:30 p.m.at Hermannplatz (take the metro lines 8 or 7, and get off at Hermannplatz); the parade continues on Hasenheide, Gneisenaustrasse, and Yorckstrasse.

For more information, consult the official website of the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin.

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