The Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, takes place every February and ranks among the major film festivals, alongside Cannes and Venice. Unlike Cannes, it is open to the general public: almost every screening can be attended with a ticket bought online. The 77th edition will run from 10 to 21 February 2027, around the Berlinale Palast on [Potsdamer Platz](/fr/attractions/potsdamer-platz) and in some twenty screening venues across the city. In 2026, the 76th edition showed 278 films from 80 countries and sold 343,200 tickets. The ticketing arrangements for 2027 had not yet been published in early October 2026: the rules and prices below are those of the 2026 edition.
Highlights
The Berlinale Palast red carpet
On Marlene-Dietrich-Platz, the Berlinale Palast, a musical theatre the rest of the year, becomes the main venue during the festival: 1,635 seats, the opening ceremony, the Competition films and the Berlinale Special galas. Every premiere evening, journalists, fans and autograph hunters crowd behind the barriers to watch the film teams arrive. The red carpet can be watched for free from the square.
The Competition and the Golden Bear
Around twenty films (22 in 2026) compete for the Golden Bear for Best Film and the Silver Bears, awarded by an international jury. In 2026, the jury chaired by Wim Wenders gave the Golden Bear to "Gelbe Briefe" (Yellow Letters) by İlker Çatak. In 2027, the awards ceremony will take place on Friday 19 February at the Berlinale Palast.
The other sections
Perspectives is the competition for first feature films, created in 2025. Panorama, a long-standing audience favourite, presents its own audience award. Forum and Forum Expanded bring together more experimental cinema, with installations and performances. Generation, with its two competitions Kplus and 14plus, shows films about childhood and adolescence; it is the only section open to under-18s. Added to these are Berlinale Special, Berlinale Shorts (short films), the Retrospective and Berlinale Classics (restored prints).
The Zoo Palast and the other venues
The Zoo Palast, a historic cinema in City West, hosts premieres with a red carpet. The Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Wilmersdorf and the Uber Eats Music Hall near Warschauer Straße host large screenings; in 2026, the Berlinale Special galas there cost the same as at the Berlinale Palast. The Delphi Filmpalast, the Cubix at Alexanderplatz, the Colosseum in Prenzlauer Berg, the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and the Akademie der Künste complete the map. With "Berlinale Goes Kiez", festival films are also shown in neighbourhood cinemas (five in 2026, from 16 to 20 February).
The audience days
The Berlinale Publikumstag repeats festival films from various sections at reduced prices. In 2026, it took place on the last day, 22 February, with seats at €11 (€8 reduced) and tickets on sale from the opening of the box office on 9 February. In 2027, the festival is holding two audience days for the first time, on 20 and 21 February, after the awards ceremony.
A festival born during the Cold War
The first Berlinale was held in June 1951, on the initiative of an American film officer, as a showcase of the "free world" in the divided city. It is regarded as the most political of the major festivals. Its online archive presents every edition since 1951.
Infos pratiques
Tips
In 2026, tickets went on sale online three days before each screening, from 10 am (on Monday for a Thursday screening), and remained on sale until the screening began, subject to availability. Tickets are bought through the ticketing partner Eventim, reached from the programme on the official website, with an Eventim account; you can also buy in person at box offices connected to the Eventim system. A maximum of two tickets per person per screening (five for Generation), with no exchanges or refunds. 2026 prices: €15 per screening (€10 reduced), €20 at the Berlinale Palast and for the Berlinale Special galas at the Uber Eats Music Hall and the Zoo Palast (€13 reduced), €9 for Generation (€6 reduced); Cine25 ticket at €6 for 18 to 25-year-olds, with registration. Reduced-price tickets (schoolchildren, students, apprentices, people with disabilities, the unemployed) are limited in advance but unlimited on the day itself. A screening shown as sold out may free up: check the ticket shop again in the hour before it starts. Large bags and backpacks are banned from the venues and not accepted in cloakrooms; there is a luggage storage on Alte Potsdamer Straße. No admission once the film has started. Prices as observed in October 2026.
How to get there
Berlinale Palast, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1, 10785 Berlin: S-Bahn and U-Bahn (U2) Potsdamer Platz, then a 5-minute walk. Zoo Palast, Hardenbergstraße 29A, 10623 Berlin: S-Bahn and U-Bahn Zoologischer Garten. Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstraße 24, 10719 Berlin: U-Bahn Spichernstraße. Uber Eats Music Hall, Mercedes-Platz 2, 10243 Berlin: S-Bahn and U-Bahn Warschauer Straße, then a walk of about 650 metres.
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