"Berlin is addictive" according to many of those who have tried it. The city offers locals and visitors an almost inexhaustible programme of entertainment from everyday events to major festivals such as the Berlinale, Christopher Street Day, the Berlin Festtage and the "Carnival of the Cultures". Annual sporting events include ISTAF and the Berlin Marathon in which tens of thousands of runners take part.The Berlinale
Every February, Berlin is transformed into a place of pilgrimage for cinema lovers and film-makers from all over the world. Major productions are shown in competition and international stars come to the International Film Festival to present their latest works in person. What makes this event unusual, and so popular with film enthusiasts, is that every screening is open to the public.Long Night of the Museums
Almost 100 museums, from the flagship institutes on Museum Island to the Miniature Museum, stay open until two o'clock in the morning. In addition to the usual exhibitions there are concerts, readings, dance, theatre and a chance to look at the archives, as well as exotic buffets to tempt the late-night museum goers.Festtage music festival
The festival staged by the Unter den Linden State Opera every Easter has become a classic on the Berlin cultural calendar.