I don’t know what it is about Facebook in Berlin, but it’s somehow become the de facto meeting point for people in Berlin. Whether it’s for protests and demonstrations, casual meet-ups, club nights or private parties—all the buzz and activity seems to take place on Facebook. I can’t really speak for other cities around the world, but in Berlin, Facebook is king of social media scheduling, planning and networking.
It’s weird, too. Because when I first moved to Berlin, all I used to hear was how many Germans are “afraid” of Facebook and social networking. In my first few months here that first Berlin summer, I even met a few guys who purposely didn’t even have a Facebook account. The nerve! Our friendships didn’t last long, because without WhatsApp and regularly “seeing” them on Facebook, it just became hard to keep in touch. We all know that the further you are away from those that you know, the more difficult it is to stay in touch (unless you’ve got one of these apps). But the same happens in a big city, too, especially when everyone you know comes from all over the world, living as an immigrant/expat, and traveling frequently.
But Facebook, at least in Berlin, has made it easier to keep in touch with the real world. In this city, it’s become my go-to place to find out about events, parties, clubs, protests. Seriously: just about everything from secret dinners to the best gay club nights. It’s all on Facebook.
In Germany, where Twitter just hasn’t seemed to kick off (too bad, too — because I really love Twitter), Facebook is one of the best resources for both residents and visitors. Below you’ll find my ultimate list of Facebook groups, pages and places to find out about events and just about everything else.
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TIP: And just to go really meta here, I’ve started my own Facebook meet-up events with my best blog buddy Cheryl from cherylhoward.com. Because we just love meeting new people and talking about travel, we’ve teamed up to start hosting weekly meet ups in Berlin. You can expect these to be very casual and hopefully a great way to meet new people. Come by this Wednesday, July 15 for a night of talking about Berlin, travel, being an expat and whatever else you want to chat about. Meet other travelers, Berliners and enjoy some delicious Italian wine and snacks at the always fun Facciola bar in Kreuzberg, just around the corner from Görlitzer Park.
Fuck it, let’s meet up!
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
19–22uhr at Facciola
Forster Str. 5, 10999 Berlin, Germany
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How to Use Facebook in Berlin to Meet People & Find Events
First—obviously, you need a profile. But, in Berlin, despite Facebook’s official guidelines, it seems you can get away with semi-fake names. I guess that’s one way the Berliners are fighting for their privacy with strangely abbreviated first and last names. But hey, if it works—why not? You don’t have to be extra social on Facebook to get the full advantages. Hell, you don’t even have to register for the events that you want to attend.
You can simply browse (ie, spy) and find what you like and put it in your own calendar. The most important part about using Facebook to find events and make friends is to know which groups to go to for what. Some of Berlin’s most popular Facebook groups can be a bit…difficult…to manage. People can get feisty when they’re online. Berliners are already notorious for that a bit with the famous Berliner Schnauze, but if you’ve got a thick enough skin, you can manage just fine with these groups and pages…
To make sure you stay as aware as possible about events happening in and around Berlin, I recommend subscribing to your favorite local businesses pages. Follow them and check the “Events” tab on Facebook and click “Subscribe.” That way you’ll be informed of whatever events, etc, that the venue is hosting. I do this for my favorite Berlin clubs and museums to find out about special club nights and new art exhibitions.
Note: Some of these groups are in German, though most are also in English, too! Facebook makes it easy to view the translation directly in the app below each foreign-language update if you need it!
For Open-Airs
- Open Airs Berlin – All about open airs, parties and everything about Berlin ❤️
- Lokale Open Airs – Insider tips with whatever open airs are happening that day
- Open Air Berlin – Curated page of open airs in Berlin year-round
For Foodie Events
- Berlin Food Stories – Local tips on new restaurants, foodie events, etc
- Vegan Pop Up Dinners in Berlin – (group) A place to find and share news about vegan pop up restaurants in Berlin
- b.alive: raw food in Berlin – (group) Private raw food dinner club evening that takes place on a regular basis in Kreuzberg / Mitte, plus other vegan raw food events in and around Berlin
For Gay Events & Parties
- GMF Berlin – (group) Sunday-night gay club
- Queer Beer Thursdays (Berlin) – (group) Queer Beer is a group of mostly overseas Berliners who meet for casual drinks in Mitte every Thursday night.
- Horse Meat Disco Berlin – (group) Gay disco party every two months at Prince Charles club
- GEGEN – (group) Queer/alternative party at Kit Kat Club
- CockTail d’Amore – (group) Monthly night hosted by DJs Boris & Discodromo, one of Berlin’s many alternative parties
- MEMBERS – (group) Every 4th Saturday of the month at Club Kosmonaut, electronic dance party
- Elektronisches SchwuZ – (group) Electronic music events at SchwuZ, one of Berlin’s best gay clubs. Currently, every Thursday night at SchwuZ is an electronic night
- BeiTola Berlin – (group) BEITOLA (slang for “faggot” in Brazilian Portuguese) delivers nice deep/acid/old school/cosmic house tracks through its residents and guest DJs once a month. All genders welcome!
- GutterSlut – (group) A non-stop playground for freaks and geeks, transvestites, gays, straights, whoever, whatever – GutterSlut has been a famous party taking place between London, Berlin and Stockholm for years. The group serves as a place where gay/queer/alt events in all three cities are shared by other promoters & DJs
- Gloria Viagra – Berlin’s one and only “Empire State Building” of Drag-Entertainment… Tall, nasty, professional and host of a number of different gay events in Berlin
- Chantals House of Shame – (group) Thursdays at Bassy Club, one of Berlin’s trashiest but most fun clubs
For Nightlife
- Secret Party Berlin – (group) Playing only the best underground house, vinyl only DJs, producers and live acts from around the world Zoo & Vinyl Club rec. move from location to location in search of the best venues in Berlin
- Burlesque in Berlin – (group) Group for artists, producers and promoters of Burlesque events in Berlin
For Finding/Furnishing an Apartment
- Free Your Stuff Berlin – (group) Hilarious group of people giving/receiving things for free. Read the comments.
For Finding a Job and/or Start-Ups
- Berlin Startups – (group) Community-driven group for the Berlin startup scene (no job postings!)
- Berlin Startup Jobs – (group) Job offers from Berlin Startups
- Berlin StartUp Employees – (group) A place for Berlin startup employees and employers to share tips, get connected and coordinate meet ups for employees of Berlin-based startups
- Berlin Freelancers – (group) English-language resource for Berlin based freelancers
- Foreign Young Professionals in Berlin – (group) Where to find everything you need as a young professional in Berlin
- Berlin Social Jobs & Internships – (group) Job & internship offers in the social sector including organizations, foundations and social startups
- 4-Hour-Workweek Berlin (4HWW) – (group) Loosely based around Tim Ferris’ book The 4 Hour Work Week, the group is meant to bring together entrepreneurs, experienced and beginners, who are inspired to implement parts (or all) of the book’s vision for location independent, bootstrapped, automated businesses.
- Freiberufler-Freelancer Berlin – (group) Online marketing, Design, Photography, Media, Communication and other freelancers share tips (mostly in German) and related events
For Expats
- Americans in Berlin – (group) A virtual way for American Citizens to connect in Berlin, Germany
- Berlin EXPATS – (group) English-language social group and forum for Berlin’s international crowd with people sharing their experiences of living in Berlin
- Toytown Berlin Young English Speakers – (group) For young English speakers in Berlin, to organize meet-ups with other people in this foreign city to get drunk and enjoy the good times.
- Expatriates in Berlin – (group) Generic expat group
- Free Advice Berlin – (group) Free advice for Berlin newcomers. You can ask the people in the group for anything related to the life in Berlin
- Queer Expats in Berlin – (group) Platform for casual events, parties, gatherings or whatever you wanna call them, where expats (and locals) with label-free sexualities can meet and have fun
- Berlin Expats and Diplomats – (group) A group to bring together expats living in Berlin for socializing, events, parties, sports, trips, education or helping by asking/answering questions
- ExpatBabies Berlin – (group) Expatbabies & Toddlers Berlin, a closed group for international parents and expectant parents living in Berlin of children under and up to 5 years of age. Another group, ExpatKids Berlin, exists for families with older children
For Writers
- English Speaking Writers in Berlin – (group) Name says it all, it’s a handy place for finding out about select events or asking questions
- Could the NYTimes please end its love affair with Berlin? – (group) Mostly English-speaking writers in Berlin, it’s one of the city’s grumpiest groups! They love to pick on travel articles about the city that don’t live up to certain standards.
- Berlin Journalists and Bloggers – (group) A place where Berlin-based bloggers and journalists can chat, discuss leads, swap info, get inspired and arrange to meet for beer
- Berlin Bloggers – (group) A place for bloggers in Berlin to get to know each other, network, discuss and plan meetings
Berlin Meet Ups & Events
- Berlin Travel Massive – (group) Monthly (or semi-monthly) meet-ups of travel professionals, journalists, bloggers and start-ups, part of the global Travel Massive organization
- English Events (Berlin, Germany) – (group) Platform for entertainment-only events taking place in the English language in and around Berlin
- English Activities (Berlin, Germany) – (group) Platform for interactive activities in the English language in and around Berlin.
- Berlin Pickup Sports : Play Football Basketball Ultimate Volleyball ⚽️ + – (group) Free or non-profit activities in the Berlin area, for any type of group or interactive pickup sports / games / practice, such as football, basketball, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, slackline, running, throwing, martial arts, crossfit, freeletics, tennis, yoga, weightlifting, and anything else that’s fun!
- Berlin Expat Performers Network – (group) A place to share performance events and connect with other expat performers in Berlin
Other Miscellaneous Berlin Facebook Pages
- Homeless Veggie Dinner – (group) Once a month, the group organizes a dinner hosted by volunteers for homeless people in Berlin
- International Filmmakers Network Berlin – (group) Filmmakers in Berlin sharing events, meet ups and tips
- NETT-WERK BERLIN – (group) Everyone is allowed in here, the main thing is that they should be nice (nett)!
Did I miss something? Please send me a message or leave a comment here and I’ll include other useful groups.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Travels of Adam Facebook events for future meet ups in Berlin and beyond! Also, make sure to check out Cheryl’s travel and expat blog, cherylhoward.com, for helpful tips on living in Berlin as well as regular events!
This is an incredible resource Adam, thank you so much for sharing it. We are heading to Berlin soon and it’d be super handy to check out some events we might want to attend.
Excited to hear you’ll be visiting Berlin again! Hope to see you at some fun Berlin events :)
True story! I’m living in Berlin for years now, I don’t like Facebook – but still, I’m on it and I can’t imagine my social life without it. Weird :) Everything happens on Facebook… Anyway, Berlin has a very active Twitter scene, too! It’s more underground, but still… lots of lectures, parties etc. You should check that out, too :)
Hey Tatiana – Cool to hear about the underground Twitter scene… would love to hear some recommended accounts! Tweet me @travelsofadam, thanks!
Actually, I understand the German guys who were afraid of social networking. I was, too, because of the same reasons. So I didn’t have Facebook page and any other, but I realized that I lost so many opportunities without social networking. So I started Facebook and many others. I’m still struggling to use them effectively.
The list is amazing – I didn’t know that there are so many kind of groups on Facebook. Thanks, Adam!
We must be living in really different circles of friends, for my impression was exactly the opposite: very few people actually use Facebook, making it difficult to stay in touch with them. :( Anyhow, thanks for the links, there are some really interesting groups! PS: When’s your next meetup?
Hey Dorothea! You’re probably right, this city is so diverse I wouldn’t be surprised if the non-Facebook users live in a totally different world than myself! Check my blog’s Facebook page for the next events – there should be one in early August!
facebook.com/travelsofadam/events
Now we know where to direct solo backpackers in Berlin when they need cool things to do in the city! :)
Send ’em here!
thank you so much for this info! I write (in English) and the info you provided is very important and so good for me! Thank you :)
J x
[…] using social media you should be able to connect with new people wherever you are in Germany. Facebook and meetups connect you to local events, and through them it’s easy to find out about cool things to do. […]
[…] and everything? If you’re looking for new ways to meet people and find events, check out Adam’s post. Or better yet, come to one of the monthly meetups that Adam and I host […]
What a stupid statement made by the above writer of the article! Quote:
“In my first few months here that first Berlin summer, I even met a few guys who purposely didn’t even have a Facebook account. The nerve! Our friendships didn’t last long, because without WhatsApp and regularly “seeing” them on Facebook, it just became hard to keep in touch.”
I assume there were no friendships in this world before social media and apps! What a Nonsense Mr. Adam!!!! You should read your sentenses and think before you publish!
Okay, thanks Kerstin. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I do find it difficult to keep relationships when communication between people becomes increasingly difficult. The more cut off we are from the modern world, the more difficult to stay in touch.
hallo there,
don’t forget to mention the group : Robbed in Berlin ,in which people share their personals stories and way to inform and protect the rest from possible robbery either on the streets,trains or bars.Lately this danger has been grown,so take care and become member of the group to see how we can solve this somehow,cheers.