German Masters (Snooker): Dates, Tickets & Venue (Berlin)

A white, peaked roof rises over the old rail land beside Anhalter Bahnhof. Inside, the light drops to one green rectangle. For a week each winter, the Tempodrom’s tent-shaped arena becomes one of the loudest rooms in snooker between shots, and one of the quietest during them.

The German Masters is a professional ranking tournament on the World Snooker Tour. The 2027 edition runs from January 25 to 31, 2027, and Berlin’s Tempodrom hosts it again.

A tent roof over a baize table

The Tempodrom looks like a circus tent built from concrete and steel. It was designed by the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners and opened in 2001. It replaced an earlier tent venue whose roots go back to Berlin’s alternative arts scene.

That shape matters for snooker. Seating rises steeply on every side of the arena floor, so even the back rows look down at the table rather than across it. Players have long spoken of the Berlin crowd as among the largest and most vocal on the tour outside the UK.

January 25–31, 2027: how the week runs

The tournament fills seven days. Fans who come for the whole week see the field thin out day by day, from a busy floor to a single table under the lights for the final.

Ranking events of this kind usually start with several matches running at once in the early rounds. They then move to one table as the stakes rise. Each day is split into separate sessions, and a ticket generally covers one session rather than the whole day.

What that means in practice:

• Early in the week: more matches, more players, more chances to see a favourite.
• Weekend: fewer matches, longer frames, and the fullest arena.
• Final day: one match, often stretched across two sessions.

The World Snooker Tour publishes the draw, the session schedule and the results on its official site.

Getting to the Tempodrom at Anhalter Bahnhof

The venue sits at Möckernstraße 10 in Kreuzberg, near Potsdamer Platz. The closest rail stop is Anhalter Bahnhof, served by S-Bahn lines S1, S2, S25 and S26. From there it is a few minutes on foot past the ruined brick portico of the old station, which is all that survives of what was once one of Berlin’s great railway termini.

Other options:

• U-Bahn Möckernbrücke (U1, U3, U7) is a slightly longer walk south.
• Potsdamer Platz (S-Bahn and U2) is within walking distance for anyone staying in Mitte.
• From BER airport, regional trains and the S-Bahn reach the city centre, and changing for Anhalter Bahnhof is straightforward.

Parking around the venue is limited, so most spectators come by public transport.

Silence under the tent: how a snooker crowd behaves

Snooker has its own unwritten rules, and Berlin’s crowd knows them well. Watching a full house fall completely silent as a player bends over a shot is part of what people come for.

What regular spectators do:

• Stay still during shots. Movement in the player’s eyeline is the worst offence in the room.
• Move between frames. Ushers usually hold people at the doors until a frame ends, so leaving mid-frame can mean waiting outside.
• Silence phones and skip the flash. A ringtone gets the referee’s attention and the crowd’s disapproval.
• Applaud at the right moment: after a frame-winning shot, a long pot or a big break, not while the balls are still moving.
• Follow the referee. When the referee asks for quiet, the room obeys within seconds.

German fans clap generously for good safety play as well as big breaks. Joining in on a well-judged snooker shot is the quickest way to blend in.

The crowd that fills the seats

The German Masters draws a mixed audience, and that mix is part of its identity. German interest in snooker grew strongly through years of television coverage on Eurosport, and the Tempodrom became the sport’s main stage in the country.

The event also draws large followings from Chinese and other Asian fans. When Chinese players are on the table, you will often see flags and banners, and supporters following every frame closely. Many visitors find the week feels more international than most sporting events in Berlin.

Tickets and choosing a session

The World Snooker Tour runs the tournament and lists ticket links on its official site. Ticket prices appear there and on the seller’s page; this guide does not quote them.

How regulars usually pick:

• Fans of particular players go for the early sessions, when the most matches are being played.
• First-timers who want the atmosphere usually pick a weekend evening session.
• Final-day seats are the hardest to get and tend to go first.

Seats nearer the floor bring you close to the table. Higher rows show the whole layout of the balls, which many spectators prefer for following tactical frames.

Berlin in late January around Kreuzberg

Late January is deep winter in Berlin. Days are short, temperatures often hover around freezing, and the walk from the S-Bahn is cold. The heated arena and its foyer bars make long sessions comfortable.

Between sessions, there is a lot within easy walking distance:

• Deutsches Technikmuseum: steam locomotives and aircraft, a short walk south along the canal side.
• Topographie des Terrors: an indoor documentation centre on the former Gestapo headquarters site, with a surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall outside.
• Potsdamer Platz: cinemas, restaurants and the Sony Center roof.
• Liquidrom: a spa with a salt-water pool, inside the Tempodrom building itself.

For food after an evening session, Kreuzberg’s streets south of the canal, around Bergmannstraße and Mehringdamm, have kebab shops, currywurst stands and late-opening bars. Visitors usually stay around Potsdamer Platz, Mitte or Kreuzberg so the walk or short ride back stays easy on cold nights.