KinderMusikTheater Open Air Festival — Freilichtbühne Zitadelle Spandau

Children's Culture in a Medieval Fortress

The Spandau Citadel is one of Europe's most important Renaissance fortress complexes — built between 1559 and 1594, it now houses a city museum, concert venues, and a large open-air stage in its inner courtyard. This unusual setting — historic fortress walls, tall trees, summer atmosphere — is used once a year for something very special: concerts and musical theatre for children. The KinderMusikTheater Open Air Festival on the Citadel's open-air stage has been one of Berlin's most renowned summer offerings for families with children aged 4 to 12 for years.

Berlin's Children's Music Stars Under the Open Sky

The 2026 program brings together some of the most famous German children's music acts: Robert Metcalf (appearing twice), Suli Puschban, Raketen Erna, the BANDarbeiter, the Bunten Töne with their children's hip-hop, Los Hobos with circus comedy, the duo ICH & HERR MEYER. A curated selection that doesn't focus on Disney mainstream but on high-quality, often award-winning German-language children's culture — the kind of artists listened to on vinyl and CD in family living rooms, now live.

Nine Performances — June to September

The festival runs over three months — from June 15 to September 10, 2026 — with nine performances, mostly on weekday mornings (10:30 or 11:00 AM). This means part of the program is explicitly aimed at school classes, and the other part at families on weekends. Performance duration is 45–60 minutes — the right length for young children's attention spans. In case of bad weather, performances will be moved to the historic Gauklerhaus or the Citadel's theatre hall.

KinderMusikTheater Berlin as Organizer

Behind the festival is KinderMusikTheater Berlin, an established Berlin institution for children's culture. For over a decade, the team has been curating programs for children aged 4 to 12, operating regular venues, and curating the open-air festival as a seasonal highlight under the open sky. The collaboration with the Spandau Citadel is a long-standing partnership that anchors the format in an exceptionally historic location.