Berlin's
calendar is loaded with annual fairs, festivals, concerts and parties.
The Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival), the second largest
in the world, is held in February. Festage (Festival Days) is a
high-brow hoe-down of gala concerts and operas held over 10 days in
April. Britspotting, a small festival of British and Irish films held
in May, is popular with the Berlin arthouse crowd. Christopher Street
Day is the city's big gay parade; it hits the streets in June. Step out
gracefully in August to the Internationales Tanzfest Berlin, Berlin's
premier dance and experimental choreography event. JazzFest Berlin
doo-wops in November and Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets) are held
throughout the city in the month before the big day.
All shops, banks, government offices and post offices close on public holidays.
