Head to Berlin for the Carnival of Cultures - LateRooms.com

LateRooms.com highlights the Carnival of Cultures, a major celebration of ethnic and cultural diversity, will take place in Berlin next month.

Designed to bring the German capital's various ethnic groups together for several days of music, dancing and other activities, this public party and street parade is one of the city's most popular annual events.

Berlin's cosmopolitan Kreuzberg district provides the focus of the carnival, which is free to attend and includes participants from around the world.

In recognition of the city's diverse population, the event promotes a message of tolerance, friendship and inclusiveness.

This year, the carnival is set to run from May 21st to May 24th and the main street parade will take place on Sunday May 23rd from 12:30 local time.

People staying in Berlin hotels can expect live music from international performers spread across four stages, as well as more than 350 stalls providing food and drink, handicrafts and other items.

For those attending the parade, the starting point at Hermannplatz can be reached by taking line 7 or line 8 on the U-Bahn (underground) to the nearby station.

Other underground stops, such as Gneisenaustrasse and Mehringdamm, can be found along the route of the procession.

The main festival area is located in Blucherplatz and the closest U-Bahn stations for visitors heading there are Hallesches Tor and Mehringdamm.

In 1999, the fourth year of the carnival, an element of competition was introduced to the parade. This now forms an important aspect of the procession, with prizes at stake for the best carnival groups and floats.

Last year's parade brought 4,700 participants on to the streets of Kreuzberg in 90 different groups.

Commenting on the Carnival of Cultures, Jessica Reading, head of marketing for LateRooms, said: "We strongly urge people thinking of going to the Carnival of Cultures and who need hotels Berlin to book early to avoid disappointment."