A day in the countryside at the Kulturforum Berlin
Press release from 09/07/2026
On Sunday 13 September 2026, the Kulturforum Berlin is hosting the fifth edition of its major festival, ‘A Day in the Green’. This year’s focus is on the Kulturforum’s diverse architecture. Once again, there are numerous free outdoor activities on offer: guided tours, workshops, music and Berlin’s longest banquet table – and for all the museums and their exhibitions, a day ticket is available at the special price of 12 euros (concessions: 6 euros). The museums are open from 10 am to 6 pm, and the programme starts at 11 am.
At Scharounplatz, Berlin’s longest banquet table will once again be open from 11 am to 7 pm, inviting visitors to linger and enjoy themusic and culinary delights on offer. The artists’ collective Bündnis Feuer & Flamme invites you to its open kitchen. On the mobile VeloStage, members of the Berlin Philharmonic will perform several short concerts; on stage, school bands from Berlin will showcase their talents, and there will also be live music at the Ibero-American Institute in the afternoon.
The Kulturforum boasts a wealth of work by star architects: Mies van der Rohe, James Stirling, Hans Scharoun and Herzog & de Meuron have all designed buildings here, for example. Four major walking tours offer different perspectives on the site during the ‘Day in the Green’: from 11.00 am, visitors can discover the ‘icons of the Kulturforum’ on loosely connected architectural tours: From the Berlin Social Science Centre via the New National Gallery, St Matthew’s Church, the ‘Book Ship’ of the State Library and the Ibero-American Institute, to the State Institute for Music Research and the Philharmonie. Anyone wishing to delve deeper into the history of the neighbourhood should join the architectural history tour. You can also take part in urban sketching tours and the ‘Filmriss’ photowalk.
There are also numerous themed activities taking place inside the venues: from 10 am to 6 pm, you can visit the first exhibition in the shell of the berlin modern building – ‘Gordon Matta-Clark. On Site’ – using time-slot tickets bookable online. At the Museum of Decorative Arts, the workshop ‘Democracy as a Client’, led by and featuring the artists Threads and Tits, explores architecture and social participation. At the Gemäldegalerie, the drop-in workshop ‘Urban Architecture’ offers the chance to create your own views of Berlin. The Art Library invites visitors on an architectural journey through various places and centuries, using models, sketches, plans and drawings. The Neue Nationalgalerie is offering, amongst other things, the inclusive architectural tour ‘Understanding Architecture’ and will be taking a closer look at the museum’s unique outdoor features during terrace tours. The State Institute for Music Research, with its Museum of Musical Instruments, will round off its architectural tours of the building on the roof terrace with yodelling. The tours organised by the Berlin State Library and the Ibero-American Institute provide a glimpse into the restoration and redesign of the listed ‘Book Ship’ from 2030 onwards. At St Matthew’s Church, short tours from the tower offer a view over the city; a lecture focuses on the building’s architectural history; and the ‘Clay, Stones, Earth’ workshop explores the materials used in a church. The Berlin Social Science Centre is also opening its historic Wilhelminian-style building, with its postmodern, colourfully striped extension, for architectural tours.
Further highlights include a short talk by the artist Heinz Mack at St Matthäus Church, where visitors can view , as well as a church service entitled ‘Diesseits von Eden’ (This Side of Eden) with the General Superintendent for Berlin, Prof. Dr Julia Helmke. This is also your last chance to visit the special exhibition ‘The Berlin Beauties’ at the Gemäldegalerie. And: 13 September is also the final day of Berlin Art Week. The free open-air programme in the Art Week Garden at the Kulturforum includes workshops, performances, talks and film screenings. As part of Berlin Art Week, the Gemäldegalerie is hosting the performance ‘Ageing Masters’ by Ersan Mondtag and Nadim Samman. Bridging the gap between theatre and museum, figures from Berlin’s cultural scene create a tableau vivant in dialogue with the Old Masters. The Neue Nationalgalerie is also presenting the 5th ‘PERFORM!’ performance festival, centred on Trisha Brown’s ‘Walking on the Wall’ from 1971. The festival, held in the outdoor area of the Mies building, concludes at 7 pm with a performance of Kianí Del Valle’s spectacular piece ‘INSTRUCCIONES PARA EXISTIR (INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXISTING)’.
All museums at the Kulturforum can be visited with a day ticket costing 12 (con.: 6) euros. Children and young people are admitted free of charge. Annual pass holders may bring one person with them free of charge. Tickets for the exhibition “Gordon Matta-Clark. On Site” can be booked for 8 (con.: 4) euros. All guided tours and workshops are free of charge and suitable for young people and adults, unless otherwise stated. All events in the venues have limited participant numbers.
Further information