P.A.N.D.A. platforma

P.A.N.D.A. platforma is a small-scale venue in Berlin’s Kulturbrauerei complex, with capacity for about 120 standing guests or 70 seated. Its defining feature is the mix: experimental music shares the bill with multilingual readings, theatre, exhibitions, political discussion and LGBTQI+ programming. The room sits in the complex’s small courtyard, giving concerts an intimate, close-range feel while placing them within one of Prenzlauer Berg’s major cultural sites.

A restart built into the name

P.A.N.D.A. began in 2009, when Pyotr Goryev and Alexander Delfinov founded P.A.N.D.A. nicht nur russisches Theater; the name expanded to “Poetry Arts Networking Dreams Activity” and nodded to the Russian Chamber Theatre that had occupied the space before it. The early program centered Russian-language concerts, parties, readings, performances and debates, establishing a home for Berlin’s Russian-speaking underground scene.

Its sharpest turning point came in 2018. As audiences dwindled and Goryev could no longer cover the rent for family reasons, the venue faced closure by June 1. That summer, the team voted for a complete reorganization, staff committed volunteer labor, and Svetlana Müller and Daniil Adasinsky led the rebuilt project. A reopened PANDA arrived that autumn with a wider program of exhibitions, political events, experimental-jazz Label Nights, PANDAwomen and international music.

That broader direction carried into the 2020 PANDAnissaa series, which foregrounded women in music through traditional Arabic music, electronica, pop and indie; Samar Ensemble, Zazuka and the Merâl Cihan Ensemble appeared on the P.A.N.D.A. Theatre stage and via livestream.

What the room backs now

PANDA books across experimental music, global beats, jazz, performance, literature and visual art, with a particular focus on East European diaspora communities, emerging alternative projects and democratic cultural exchange. Its stated policy welcomes cultural workers who share its anti-xenophobia, anti-antisemitism, anti-Islamophobia and anti-war values. For a concertgoer, the practical appeal is scale: seating can turn the venue toward attentive listening, while the 120-standing setup suits compact, audience-close sets and hybrid events.