When Berlin is wrapped in festive lights and the smell of roasted almonds wafts through the streets, one thing can no longer be denied: the Christmas season has officially arrived! And for those who already know every Christmas market in the city inside out, the diverse concert formats in the French Cathedral and the French Friedrichstadtkirche offer a great option to make the festive season a little more musical this year.
Numerous Advent, Christmas and New Year concerts await you here from the end of November to the beginning of January. From traditional choral music and a cappella to festive classical music and operettas to modern concert formats – the historic premises on Gendarmenmarkt will be the stage for various atmospheric musical evenings.
Christmas and Advent concerts in the French Cathedral:
- November 29: Wolfgangseemusi – Advent sounds of the Salzkammergut
- December 7: “Oratorio de Noël” & traditional Christmas carols presented by the Berlin Boys’ Choir
- December 19: Christmas à cappella with Divertimento Vocale Berlin – concert & dinner
- December 20: Christmas concert presented by the Operettenbühne Berlin
- December 22: “Harmonious Christmas” with the Comedian Harmonists Forever
- December 25: Christmas concert with organ & pan flute and works by Bach, Corelli, Rutter and more
- December 16/23/28/30: Christmas Concerts of the Berlin Orchestra
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s concerts in the French Cathedral:
- December 31: New Year’s Eve organ concert with works by Bach, Wagner, Widor & Kennel
- January 1: Berliner Operetten Ensemble – New Year’s operetta gala with soloists from the Komische Oper, Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper Berlin
- 2 January: The grand New Year’s Gala 2026 “Nessun Dorma” with arias, duets and ensembles from popular operas, accompanied on the piano
- January 3: Candlelight: Christmas New Year’s Concert with a string quartet and works by Strauss
Whether you want to sweeten the Christmas season with a festive concert or welcome the New Year with sparkling sounds – there is a wide selection of music events to choose from. And if you’ve now acquired a taste for it: the French Cathedral offers you various exciting concert highlights not only during the festive season, but also throughout the year; including, for example, the popular candlelight concerts, which present classical tributes to a variety of different artists by candlelight.