BERLIN

Festivals

International Berlin Beer Festival

Bier, pivo, biere, cerveza…tastes good no matter how you say it. The world’s largest beer garden stretches for 1,600 meters along Karl Marx Allee this weekend. This year’s feature city is Vietnam, so be sure to try the Sabeco, Habeco, Saigon, and Hanoi Beer.

Price: Free

Location: Karl-Marx-Allee, between Frankfurter Tor and Straussberger Platz

Times: Friday, August 6, noon-midnight; Saturday, August 7, 10am-midnight; Sunday, August 8, 10am-10pm

More Information: www.bierfestival-berlin.de

Music/Concerts

Hudaki Village Band

Dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes, this folksy troupe brings the musical spirit of the Carpathian Mountains to Berlin Monday. Dance along to Misha’s violin, Yura’s clarinet, Vasia’s flute, and Volodia’s guitar.

Price: €8

Location: Amphitheater, Monbijoupark, Monbijoustrasse

Times: Monday, August 9, 8pm

Phone: 030 2888 66 999

More Information: www.amphitheater-berlin.de

Galleries/Museums

To-Be: Tokyo & Berlin – Communication Art

German and Japanese artists have always rippled the art waves. For this new exhibition, twenty-eight artists from Tokyo and Berlin were asked to create spaces for “developments and conversations” that went beyond the realm of your typical gallery show. Pieces like the “Never Ending Breakfast” and “Painting a bee by a bee for 5 days” developed. Join the eclectically creative party at Saturday’s opening.

Price: Free

Location: Freies Museum Berlin, Potsdamer Strasse 91

Times: Saturday, August 7, 5pm-midnight (Opening); Monday – Saturday, 12-7pm; Sunday, 3-6pm; Thursday, 12-10pm; through August 29

Phone: 030 3472 1814

More Information: www.freies-museum.com

COLOGNE

Festivals

Summer of Music and Art Festival

Pump up the jam. With Technotronic (MC Eric and Ya Kid K) kicking off the SOMA festival Friday night, you know this is going to be one dance party extravaganza you can’t miss. The 1980s producers are joined by Kollektiv Turmstrasse, DJ Toy Selectah, Lucio K, and a whole host of international party makers for one wicked weekend.

Price: €12 (Friday), €15 (Saturday), €12 (Saturday after 11pm); €22 (Weekend Ticket)

Location: Papierfabrik, Grüner Weg 6

Times: Friday, August 6, 10pm; Saturday, August 7, 4pm

Tickets: 0221 2801

More Information: www.soma-festival.de

Entertainment

La Cour – A Royal Variety Spectacle

The human body is capable of extraordinary things. Witness the strength, balance, flexibility, and creativity of seven acrobats, circus performers, aerialists, and trapeze artists at Cologne’s Senftöpfchen Theater. Catch master juggler Stephan Masur and his impressive troupe before they skip town on Sunday.

Price: €21

Location: Senftöpfchen-Theater, Grosse Neugasse 2-4

Times: Friday, August 6, Saturday, August 7, Sunday, August 8, 8:15pm

Tickets: 0221 258 1058

More Information: www.varietespektakel.de

FRANKFURT

Music/Concerts

U2

Bono and the boys are back on the road, and they’re taking the notion of a stadium concert to a whole new level. The pioneering rockers perform on a 360-degree stage, beneath a massive, futuristic “claw.” The 360 Tour makes three stops in Germany. Catch the first one in Frankfurt Tuesday.

Price: €93

Location: Commerzbank-Arena, Mörfelder Landstrasse 362

Times: Tuesday, August 10, 7pm

Ticket Hotline: 01805-570070 (.14/minute)

More Information: www.u2.com

Galleries/Museums

Peter Kogler – Projection

The Austrian artist has cast his large-scale designs on buildings, walls, windows, and gardens. He doesn’t simply create something fascinating to look at, he invites the onlooker to actively engage. His latest piece, “Projection,” on view at the Schirn Kunsthall Frankfurt, utilises 12 projectors to form a 360-degree grid that develops into amorphous lines.

Price: €6

Location: Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Römerberg

Times: Tuesday, Friday – Sunday, 10am-7pm, Wednesday and Thusday, 10am-10pm; through September 12

Phone: 069 2998 820

More Information: www.schirn-kunsthalle.de

HAMBURG

Music/Concerts

Solomon Burke & the Souls Alive Orchestra

At 70, this legendary crooner is a master of country, soul, and R&B. And he’s been inspiring audiences across Europe this summer decked out in a sequined vest and sparkly pants. Special guest Joss Stone joins Mr. Burke and his sensational Souls Alive Orchestra, Saturday night in Hamburg.

Price: €49.90

Location: City Park, Open Air Stage, Saarlandstrasse

Times: Saturday, August 7, 7pm

Ticket Hotline: 01805 570070 (.14/min)

More Information: www.thekingsolomonburke.com

MUNICH

Music/Concerts

Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra

The bombastic big band goes well beyond jazz to incorporate elements of minimalism, romanticism, Bartok, and Zappa. Led by 25-year-old Berlin-based composer Daniel Glatzel, the eclectic crew began their five-night run at Jazzclub Unterfahrt Tuesday.

Price: €16

Location: Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Einsteinstrasse 42

Times: Thursday, August 5 – Saturday, August 7, 9pm

Reservations: 089 448 2794

More Information: www.unterfahrt.de

Galleries/Museums

Joseph Gallus Rittenberg – Theater & Fotografie

The Austrian photographer has a thing for the stage and the set. He’s shot everyone from the clown Franz Joseph Bogn to the singer Nina Hagen and the film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. See a collection of Rittenberg’s dramatic black and white portraits at Galerie Kampl’s exhibition opening Thursday night.

Price: Free

Location: Galerie Kampl, Buttermelcherstrasse 15

Times: Thursday, August 5, 9pm (Opening); Tuesday – Saturday, 12-6pm; August 6 – September 7 (Regular Hours)

Phone: 089 21938 200

More Information: www.galeriekampl.com

Great Art Exhibition – In the House

There are two major factors to consider with every house. First, there’s the outer appearance, its architecture structure. Then, there’s the inner workings. The living that goes on behind those big bay windows, beneath those pitched roofs. Both play big parts in this year’s Grand Art Exhibition, which begins Wednesday in Munich.

Price: TBD

Location: Haus der Kunst, Prinzregentenstrasse 1

Times: Daily, 10am-8pm; August 11 – October 2

Phone: 089 222 655

More Information: www.grossekunstausstellungmuenchen.de