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Carnival of the Cultures
Carnival of the Cultures
07/04/2011
Looking back on a multicultural event in Berlin
Berlin is in many ways the most unique city in Germany. Apart from its history – the scars of which one can still see on many buildings – Berlin has become a multicultural metropolis without a rival. Perhaps drawn by the low cost of rent, perhaps by the presence of and tolerance for so many other ways of life, Berlin has attracted ever more foreigners. Today, nearly half a million of Berlin's 3.4 million citizens come from abroad, the highest number of any German city. To celebrate this multiculturalism, a street festival – the Karneval der Kulturen (carnival of the cultures) – was held for the first time in 1996 in the traditionally liberal and working-class neighborhood of Neukölln. Since then, the festival has become a highlight of Berlin's yearly calender of events. For four days, streets are filled with stands selling traditional food (all hand-made) and drink. Natives come to experience something new, and members of the many foreign communities come to show their presence in the city landscape, find the tastes and smells of home, and celebrate their culture. Many are moved to sing and dance along with the traditional music blaring from the stands run by their countrymen. The climax of the festival comes on the last day, when a parade of over one hundred floats and nearly one thousand artists marches through the district, dramatically presenting and performing aspects of their native culture. The festival is worth a visit on any one of the four days simply for the food and atmosphere, but the parade is a reason to go a second time too. No other city in Germany could put on such an authentic, pulsing, welcoming, district-wide party!
