January 2025

a group picture of all 20 Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists

British Council Literature Seminar 2024

Our 2024 Literature Seminar is now available on YouTube! Dive into readings and panel discussions with five of Granta's latest Best of Young British Novelists. Watch here.

COMEDY: British Comedy Showcase in Berlin, 26 January 2025

Renowned UK comedians Nik Coppin, Michael Fabbri, Jeannie Jones and Dave Fensome come to Berlin for a special one-off show. Tickets are available here.

EXHIBITION: Heather Phillipson: Extra Time, Kunsthalle St. Annen Lübeck, until March 2025

To mark the 100th anniversary of Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain, British artist Heather Phillipson is transforming the Kunsthalle St. Annen into a walk-in art. For her solo exhibition, she draws significant inspiration from the motif of time and social change.

EXHIBITION: PURPLE PATH art and sculpture trail, Chemnitz 2025

Chemnitz is European Capital of Culture in 2025. Part of its cultural programme is PURPLE PATH, an art and sculpture trail that will showcase works by renowned international, national and Saxon artists. The result is an exhibition in public space which includes pieces from Tony Cragg, Richard Long and Sean Scully.

FILM: British Shorts Film Festival in Berlin, 23-29 January

The British Shorts Film Festival 2025 is just around the corner! From 23–29 January, get ready for: 150+ new films in seven days and six Berlin cinemas, live music, a photography exhibition and a free workshop (incl. a 48-hour film project!). Learn more and get your tickets here!

MUSIC/DANCE: Cèilidh Monthly at Maschinenhaus Berlin, 17/10, 21/11, 12/12, 30/01

For cèilidh fans old and new: Berlin is getting a regular cèilidh, Scottish music and dancing. The cèilidh is open to all and no experience is required. There will be dances in all possible formations, from two to three to eight to many. The first four cèilidhs will take place in the Maschinenhaus in the Kulturbrauerei on the following dates. Sign up early! 

MUSIC: The Rainer Hersch Orchestra, 10, 11 and 12 January 2025

The British comedian and conductor Rainer Hersch and his London orchestra musicians combine classical music and anarchic fun. Expect a New Year's treat of British humour (in German) and great arrangements of the classics. From Bach to Beethoven to Johann Strauss. A long-established institution on the London classical music scene. Now on tour in Germany for the first time coming to Remchingen, Augsburg, and Berlin. Tickets here.

VISUAL ARTS: Sarah Morris. All Systems Fail, Kunsthalle Stuttgart, until February 2025

The Kunstmuseum Stuttgart is dedicating a comprehensive retrospective to the internationally renowned British artist Sarah Morris. The exhibition features over a hundred artworks—including paintings, drawings, film posters, immersive film installations, and a new site-specific wall painting—which foreground thirty years of groundbreaking work.

Watch the Queen’s Lecture 2023 by Professor Winfried Hensinger

Professor Winfried Hensinger gave the 2023 Queen's Lecture on Constructing the World’s Most Incredible Machines: Quantum Computers. Since 1997, the Queen’s Lecture has taken place at the TU Berlin. Each year, a renowned British scientist delivers a lecture on her or his area of expertise. The Queen's Lecture is a collaboration between Technical University Berlin, the British Embassy in Germany, and the British Council Germany.

a woman looking at a painting in a museum

VARIOUS: British Council Arts Newsletters (online, free)

If you want to stay up-to-date with the latest from the UK arts scene, make sure to sign up to our newsletters giving you an overview or following the different sectors: Music, Visual Arts and Architecture, Design and Fashion. Find all newsletters here.