Flughafen Tempelhof

Tempelhof Airport is the most unusual concert site in Germany: a decommissioned airport in the middle of Berlin whose apron now serves as an events ground. You stand on concrete, with the great curved terminal behind you — one of the largest single buildings in the world.

From airlift to festival site

Tempelhof was the airport of the Berlin Airlift in 1948–49, when the western sectors of the city were supplied from the air for months. Flight operations ended in 2008. Since then the runway area has been a public park — the Tempelhofer Feld, where Berliners cycle, skate and barbecue on ground where aircraft once landed.

The apron in front of the terminal is used for large concerts and festivals. Depending on the layout it takes tens of thousands of people on a single night. There are no permanent stands; it is standing room throughout.

What to allow for

A concert on an airport apron means no covered areas, no shade and a hard surface underfoot. In summer heat that is more demanding than a stadium, and the same goes for rain. Comfortable shoes are not a detail here. In return, sightlines are open from almost anywhere, and the combination of terminal arc and Berlin evening sky is unique.

Getting there

Tempelhof is inside the city and well served by the U-Bahn, with several entrances spreading the crowds. From the centre it is a matter of minutes. That is the great advantage over stadiums on the outskirts: you need no particular hotel location — almost anywhere in Mitte, Kreuzberg or Neukölln works.