Starting November 20: the Winter Film Festival with a very special punch

That delicious smell of Christmas cookies and baked apples will soon fill the air again and we invite you to experience Advent and Christmas in Berlin in a completely different way. The way it should be: characterized by peace and contemplation. Away from the noisy and hectic Christmas markets of this city, where Christmas is so often just pure commerce, the Nikolai Quarter awaits you with a cozy and contemplative Christmas atmosphere – right in the heart of the city, between Gendarmenmarkt and Alexanderplatz.

Shop, dine and enjoy a “Feuerzangenbowle” – in a movie and as a drink

We are looking forward to a much-loved highlight: the Winter Film Festival in the Nikolai Quarter starts on November 20.

The charming alternative to the big Berlin Christmas markets: With “Feuerzangenbowle” as a movie and as a drink, the popular “Winter Film Festival” in the Nikolai Quarter in the heart of Berlin is now in its 11th year. This year it starts on November 20. The classic film “Die Feuerzangenbowle” starring Heinz Rühmann will be shown right next to St. Nicholas Church, inviting you to enjoy a cozy winter movie and a hot drink from the large copper kettle.

“Traditionally, we show the black and white iconic film several times a day free of charge, and you can watch it in cozy armchairs and sofas with cuddly blankets. We offer the traditionally made Feuerzangenbowle for all-round enjoyment,” says event organizer Bastian Greiner-Bäuerle. “All this in our beautiful car-free Nikolai Quarter. A visit to our winter film festival can also be combined with stress-free Christmas shopping in our many small, exquisite stores.”

The Feuerzangenbowle, aka Fire Tongs or Red Wine Punch, is a hot drink based on red wine and fine spices, and is prepared in a rustic copper kettle. The melting sugar drips from the rum-soaked burning sugar loaves into the warming punch. At the Winter Film Festival in the Nikolai Quarter, there are also a few nostalgic market stalls offering a range of snacks. Atmospheric lighting on Nikolaikirchplatz creates a very special atmosphere.

The German comedy film “Die Feuerzangenbowle” was made in 1943 based on the book of the same name by Heinrich Spoerl, published in 1933, and premiered in 1944. The saying “Jeder nor einen wönzigen Schlock” („Just one tiny sip each!“) is still legendary today. In the 90-minute black-and-white film, four gentlemen meet over a Feuerzangenbowle and tell each other stories from their school days. One of the gentlemen, Hans Pfeiffer, who was educated by a private tutor and envies the others for their memories, disguises himself as a schoolboy and experiences real school life with the typical school pranks of the time – including the legendary punch…

The Winter Film Festival in the Nikolai Quarter is open daily from 12 noon: Sunday to Thursday 12 noon to 9 pm, Friday/Saturday 12 noon to 10 pm. Closed on Christmas Eve and December 24.

Admission is free!

More Info: www.feuerzangenbowle.berlin