Celebrating diversity: The Queer Autumn Festival lights up Treptow-Köpenick!

Celebrating diversity: The Queer Autumn Festival lights up Treptow-Köpenick!

The fourth Queer Autumn Festival will take place in the Treptow-Köpenick district on October 11, 2025. This annual event aims to celebrate diversity and openness and relates to the growing efforts to recognize and promote queer issues in the district. The festival will take place from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Wilhelminenhof campus, building H, of the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin). The tram stop “Rathenaustr./HTW” is in the immediate vicinity and makes traveling easier. The district office has announced that the festival will be held and invites everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, to take part.

The autumn festival program is diverse and includes live music, culinary offerings and numerous exchange opportunities. The musical highlights include performances by Theresa Zanon, who presents acoustic pop, the poetic-political artist Suli Puschban and LIN, who incorporates electro and pop into their performance. An info market will provide information about civil society initiatives from Treptow-Köpenick and beyond. Constanze Körner from Les Le Fam e.V. emphasizes the need to create sustainable structures for queer political issues.

Queer Life Action Plan

Talip Törün, member of the district council (BVV), will also be present and talk about the district action plan for queer life and the establishment of the rainbow bench. District mayor Oliver Igel takes over the patronage and opens the festival with introductory greetings. Alfonso Pantisano, the Berlin state government's contact person for acceptance of sexual and gender diversity, has also confirmed his participation, which underlines the importance of this event.

The Queer Treptow-Köpenick (TQTK) team makes a significant contribution to organizing the festival and advocates for the interests of the queer community in the district. The members of the TQTK include the JuKuZ youth cultural center (HVD), Les Le Fam e.V., Rabenhaus e.V. and offensive 91 e.V. through the Center for Democracy, supported by the district equal opportunities officer. This year the festival will be held in Schöneweide, after it took place in Alt-Treptow last year.

A look at the history of the queer movement in Berlin

The connection between the current queer movement and the historical efforts for rights and acceptance in Berlin is clear. Homosexual women have historically been involved in the civil women's movement and fought for fundamental rights such as political participation, independence and the right to vote. Well-known women's rights activists such as Helene Lange and Gertrud Bäumer lived as a couple in Berlin and contributed to the visibility of the queer feminist movement. Johanna Elberskirchen and Toni Schwabe, who were active in Magnus Hirschfeld's “Scientific-Humanitarian Committee,” show how historical courage in the homosexual movement flows into today's efforts for acceptance. A look back at this combative past highlights the progress that has been made despite challenging circumstances.

The Queer Autumn Festival promises to be not only a place to celebrate, but also a platform for dialogue and exchange about the developments and challenges of the queer community in Berlin and beyond. Anyone interested is warmly invited to join in the celebration and find out more.