Going to a show

Start with the calendar: filter by the day and a genre, and open a show to see the venue, the times, the age limit and where the tickets are sold.

Big tours go on sale months ahead (Vorverkauf, advance sales); small clubs sell a few weeks before. The venue's own newsletter is the surest way to hear first.

Buy from the venue's box office or the ticket company it links to, usually Eventim, Reservix or Ticketmaster. Presale and service fees come on top of the price, so compare the final total. Many clubs also have a door sale (Abendkasse) where you pay without the fees for as long as tickets last.

If a show is sold out, use the official resale of the ticket companies and be careful with tickets sold by strangers. Personalised tickets carry your name, and the door often checks them against your ID.

Every show is for all ages, 16+ (ab 16) or 18+ (ab 18), and the listing says which. Bring ID whatever your age: the door and the bar ask for it.

German youth protection law applies: beer and wine from 16, spirits from 18. For younger guests many organizers ask for an adult to come along.

A ticket shows two times: Einlass (doors), when the venue opens, and Beginn (start), when the first act starts. A support act usually plays before the headliner.

The headliner often goes on an hour or more after the start time. Arrive at doors for the front; arrive later if you only want the headliner.

Most shows are standing room, first come, first served. In clubs you hand jackets and bags in at the cloakroom (Garderobe), which usually costs a few euros; big halls often have stricter rules for backpacks and bags, so read the venue's policy before you go.

At concerts and festivals drinks often come in a deposit cup (Pfandbecher): you pay a deposit (Pfand) and get it back when you return the cup. Some clubs take cash only, others cards only. Concerts are loud: earplugs lower the volume without taking the music away, and the merch table, where the band sells shirts and records, is the best way to put money in their pocket.

Many tickets double as a travel pass: a ticket marked KombiTicket is valid in the Rhine-Ruhr transport area (VRR) for the trip there and back on the day of the event until 3 a.m. In Leipzig and Dresden some venues offer something similar with their own time window. The ticket says whether and for how long: check before you leave.

Trains run less often at night. Look up the timetable for the way home before the concert, and plan a taxi or a lift a block away from the crowd if in doubt.