(photo: © visitBerlin | Günter Steffen)

The parties and events surrounding the annual Christopher Street Day in Berlin have already begun, as the city gets into the swing of a Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Pride week that will attract over one a half million people to the different activities taking place over the next few days. With some of the events already happening before the weekend, head over to Siegessäule magazine’s bi-lingual website to find out what is going on.

This is all leading up to the parades on the 22^nd June – Saturday – when there are two different pride demonstrations taking place. The so-called “big” CSD start as 12.30pm on the corner of Kurfürstendamm and Joachimsthaler Straße and then brings well over 700,000 walkers and visitors through the streets to the Brandenburg Gate under the banner “Stop the speeches! Demonstrate! Vote! Change!” The second, smaller but more political parade is called the Transgenialer CSD, and runs under the motto “Fight for queertopia through solidarity”. The tCSD starts at 2pm at the Platz de Luftbrücke and moves through Kreuzberg to Oranienstraße where there is a block-party, with performances and speeches at Heinrichplatz. You can find out more details about the CSD parade here, and the tCSD parade here.

One party we would like to flag up is “Revolution! Queer durch Russland” at GMF, which is “dedicated to the problematic legal situation for LGBTs in Russia. So, aside from the “Tchaikovsky corner“ with male ballerinas, vodka and info booths, part of the proceeds will go toward queer Russian institutions. At any rate, you’ll find hundreds of partygoers getting crazy on the three dancefloors with DJs such as Chris Bekker and Maringo.” Not only a great night, but an extremely important cause to support, and something which especially resonates here in Berlin as the ever-worsening human rights situation in Russia is not only absolutely appalling, but is also forcing many in the LGBT community into exile here in Berlin.

As always, we know that for many travellers there is often insecurity when it comes to visiting a new country or city, around issues of security, safety and acceptance… you can be reassured that Berlin is one of the most welcoming cities there is. That said, if you do have any questions or would like more information about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender life in our city, all of us, including our gay and lesbian staff members, are more than happy to help. The Sieggesäule magazine, linked to above, has a bi-lingual website and is also full of useful information.

Have a great one!

The Circus is extremely pleased and excited to have teamed up with FLY Watergate for their 2013 Open Air Festival season. This is a series of open air events taking place in Rummelsberg, Berlin, over the summer, and we will have tickets specially available for Circus guests for all four. It all kicks off this weekend – Saturday 22 June – with DIYNAMIC OPEN AIR, presented by Watergate and Diynamic, a Hamburg-based electronic music label, who will be bringing Solomun, Kollektiv Turmstrasse, H.O.S.H., and many others to Rummelsberg for what promises to be some party.

Not only can you buy your tickets at the reception – €16.50 for ten hours of top draw German and International DJs – but our hostel manager Jurgen will be heading over there as well, gathering together a posse on Saturday for anyone who wants to join in the fun. So keep your eyes peeled at the Circus for meeting place and time.

So get your dancing shoes on… Here’s a sneak preview of what you can look forward to:

This month we are delighted to welcome Dr Riemer, who was born in 1931, two years before Hitler came to power. He spent his childhood living in the shadow of Nazism and the Second World War, before graduating high school in Berlin in 1949. Living in the Soviet sector – what would become East Berlin, the capital of socialist GDR, he was forced to work as a commercial artist painting pictures of Lenin and Stalin. Increasingly disillusioned with life in the GDR – and having experienced the events of 17th June uprisings in 1953 – he moved with his young family to West Germany in 1955. There he made a career as a radio and television producer. Dr Riemer will speak of his experiences in the different Germanys he has known, from a childhood in Nazi Germany through living on both sides of the divide, and then in the reunified Germany since 1990.

We are really looking forward to another fascinating evening of personal history in Fabisch, and we hope you will join us. The talk will be in English, is open to all, and is free… although we will be collecting contributions towards our own donation to the ZZB to help them continue in their important work.

Where: Fabisch at The Circus Hotel, Rosenthaler Straße 1 (U8: Rosenthaler Platz)
When: Tue 18^th June at 6.45pm

(Photo: Bundesarchiv on Wikimedia Commons)

Our very own food and drink guru Jared has been exploring the gastronomic delights of the city again… this time he has headed south, to an old market hall that is making waves in the city’s foodie scene with its Street Food Thursday events…

The Markthalle Neun down in Kreuzberg is a building with a long history, and they are certainly writing a new chapter with the weekly Street Food Thursday event, which has rapidly become one of my favourite things to do. The concept is simple: lots of little stands, each specializing in certain foods… some of which are regular, some are permanent, and some temporary, but it all makes for something that I like to call “Mauerpark for Foodies”: lots of people coming together to socialize over food and something to drink.

So what should you look out for? I really like the Kiwi guy who sells the pies. He is not the only pie man in the place, as Hello Good Pies  are also there and worth a visit if only for their side dishes, such as rosemary potatoes or mushy peas. Or what about oysters? Two euros a pop and incredibly flavorful… get that near the end of your visit so you can enjoy it for longer…

If you want to try something “German”, then head for the funny little truck serving up “Käsespätzle”, that specialty of the south that is fresh, cheesy and great for soaking up the beer you might be drinking. Last week, I also tried the steamed pork bun – Asian style – and served with homemade sauces and a small piece of braised pork belly. Sound good? That is the great thing about Street Food Thursday… there is always something new and exciting, some surprises to go along with the staple places.

But if there is one thing you SHOULD NOT MISS it is the Big Stuff Smoked BBQ. These guys know their meat… slow cooked, perfectly seasoned, and melt in your mouth. Don’t bother to choose, just go for the meat plate and try it all, you won’t be disappointed. The lines can get long here, so make sure you are early, and at the end of the line don’t miss the little bar where you can find an old Circus buddy making a mean Old Fashioned, a cold Gin & Tonic, or some lovely homemade lemonade. Or do what I do, and have the lemonade with gin…

This is one of the most exciting food-related events in the city at the moment, and it is gaining popularity all the time. So if you happen to be here on a Thursday, make sure you head down to Markthalle Neun to check out the foodie culture of Berlin and grab a bite to eat.

Street Food Thursday at Markthalle Neun, Weekly from 5pm until 10pm

Take a look at our new neighbourhood map for the Circus Hostel… on one side we detail the many and varied things you can get up to when you stay with us, from free dinners and events in the bar to tours, bike rental and more, whilst on the other we show off our immediate surroundings, from important information such as the nearest cash machines, laundromats and supermarkets, to some of our favourite shops, bars, restaurants and cafes within a short walk from Rosenthaler Platz. The maps are free to anyone who comes by the reception, and we hope it shows off a little our great neighbours, and it will encourage everyone to explore Rosenthaler Platz and the surroundings a little bit more…

Click on the images to see a larger version!

As regular readers of the Circus Blog know, and those of you who have been to stay with us in recent months might have noticed, during last winter we took the chance to create a new-look lobby and lounge space on the ground floor of the Circus Hostel, as well as the terrace spaces for hostel guests and the Circus Café.  But as ever at the Circus, our design team of Sandra and Julia do not like to stand still for long, and are currently developing the plans for the next round of renovations later in the year.

There are a number of plans in the pipeline, from a complete re-working of the bar and café spaces, that will be part of a brand new “gastronomic concept” for the hostel for 2014 and which we have been travelling Europe to gather inspiration for, and which we are extremely excited about. Added to this, we will be working throughout the building to modernise and improve the technical infrastructure of the hostel. As this includes improvements to the fire protection, heating and ventilation systems, and with it will bring a lot of noise and dust, we have decided to close the Circus Hostel from the 1^st November to the 15^th December whilst we make the changes. Please note – if you had a reservation for that period, the Circus will be able to accommodate you so no-one is going to miss out! The reservation office will contact those people shortly, but if you have any questions you can drop us a line at info@circus-berlin.de or call us on +49 (0) 30 2000 3939.

So never fear, there will still be time to visit the Christmas Markets – although whether you will want to leave our spectacular new space remains to be seen – and we will have the hostel ready for all of you who are planning to make the Circus your home from home over the holiday period. As you can see from the photo above Sandra and Julia are working hard to develop their plans and we will of course be giving you some sneaky peaks here on the blog in the coming weeks and months.

We have another new, free tour, exclusive to Circus guests and led by a member of the Circus team, this time bartender, quiz master and more, Mike Budden. Mike will be taking guests tomorrow on a Berlin Wall tour, visiting the Berlin Wall Documentation Centre on Bernauer Straße, past the memorial and the Chapel of Reconciliation, the Nordbahnhof and the story of the ghost stations during the division of the city, and the site of the Bornholmer Straße checkpoint, the first to be opened on that dramatic night in 1989 when the Wall was opened, and the first steps towards German reunification were taken.

The tour starts at 1.30pm and will last 3-4 hours… it is free for Circus guests, but please note that places are limited, so if you want to join the tour you will need to sign up at reception.

Throughout the summer we will be holding a series of sundown drinks evenings on the roof terrace of the Circus Hotel, where guests will have the chance to not only enjoy the spectacular view across the rooftops of central Berlin, but also meet members of the Circus management with drinks specially created by our bar manager Jared. The first evening is this Wednesday 12^th June, from 7pm to 10pm, and joining Jared up on the roof will be Tilman Hierath, one of the owners of the company. We would love to see you there…

Last week we celebrated the arrival of summer – just about – with an evening in the Fabisch courtyard at the Circus Hotel. We invited some friends, neighbours and guests to join us for a few drinks and something to eat from the grill, and we were really pleased to see everyone and share a few relaxed hours together. Below you can find a gallery of images from the evening, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank  Becks, Bio Zisch, Fritz, Fleischerei Bauch, FrischDienst and Weihe for their support in helping us put the event together.

We have a new friend at The Circus Hostel. He stands guard over the front door, day and night, his hat perched at a jaunty angle… but what he does not have is a name. And that is where you come in…

NAME THE CIRCUS HOSTEL LION AND WIN…

Two nights accommodation in a dorm at The Circus Hostel, including breakfast and the fast-becoming-legendary Circus Survival Kit.

All you have to do is send us your suggestion for a name for the Circus lion to media@circus-berlin.de before July 1^st 2013 – and our special Circus Jury will pick a winner.

Terms & Conditions:

-          The Jury’s decision is final
-          Prize can be claimed at any time before 1^st July 2014 (with the exception of 30 Dec – 2 Jan)
-          Accommodation is subject to availability
-          You have to be over 18 to win the prize
-          You can’t work for or own the Circus – no, not even you Jim.

So what are you waiting for? Name that lion and come and hang out with us in Berlin for a couple of days… we can’t wait to see what you come up with. In fact, look how excited we are: