12 Districts – 12 Concerts (Chorverband Berlin)

125 Years of Chorverband Berlin

Chorverband Berlin is the oldest association of choirs in Berlin and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2026. Instead of a traditional gala concert at the Philharmonie, the association is taking a different approach for its anniversary: twelve concerts in twelve Berlin districts — from Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf to Treptow-Köpenick, from Reinickendorf to Neukölln.

“Chorverband Berlin goes Kiez”

The motto “Chorverband Berlin goes Kiez” clearly conveys the concept: The series brings choral music back into the neighbourhoods, into community cultural centres, churches, parks, and even the zoo. In doing so, the association connects with its roots — choral singing as a civic urban culture — while also showcasing the breadth of today's Berlin choral scene: mixed choirs, male and female choirs, youth and children's choirs, pop and gospel choirs.

Venues 2026 — Across Berlin

The twelve venues are spread across the entire city. Selection:

• Heimathafen Neukölln (Karl-Marx-Str. 141) — Opening on March 24, 2026
• Freiluftkino Kreuzberg (District Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg) — May 9, 2026
• Courtyard Allee der Kosmonauten 54 (District Marzahn-Hellersdorf) — May 9, 2026
• Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde, Am Tierpark 125 (District Lichtenberg) — May 25, 2026
• Rose Garden Bürgerpark Pankow (District Pankow) — June 28, 2026
• Rose Garden Weinbergspark Mitte — July 5, 2026
• Forecourt of Nikolai Church Spandau — October 10, 2026
• Domäne Dahlem, Königin-Luise-Str. 49 (District Steglitz-Zehlendorf) — October 11, 2026
• Evangelische Auenkirche Charlottenburg, Wilhelmsaue 118a — November 8, 2026
• Treptow-Köpenick — June 7, 2026, venue to be announced on the festival website

Free Admission — Berlin as a Choral Stage

All twelve concerts are free to attend. The format explicitly targets a broad, non-classical concert audience: families in the park, Tierpark visitors, people strolling along Karl-Marx-Straße. The concerts typically last between 45 and 90 minutes and are sometimes combined with local community initiatives.

An Anniversary with a Focus on the City

The anniversary is deliberately celebrated not in grand halls, but in the city's districts. With this approach, “12 Bezirke – 12 Konzerte” joins a growing Berlin festival tradition that embraces decentralized venues as a programmatic concept — comparable to Fête de la Musique or 48 Stunden Neukölln.