AN HOUR FOR CHANGE / CITY GUIDE
Easy. BSR Kehrenbürger is the no-permit route.
Germany
Find a partner running volunteer shifts in your area. They coordinate the activity, permissions and supplies.
Choose an activity, check the local guidance, gather your team and organize a one-hour event.
Sign up by 11/23/2026 · Permit by 10/28/2026
December sunset: 3:52 pm · Average high: 4°C
Research confidence: Medium
Short cleanups in public space usually need no separate permit (per the city cleaning company, BSR). Check with the district for stages, stands or music.
BSR Kehrenbürger
Free kit for up to 50 people (vests, grabbers, gloves, bags) and free bag collection. Companies welcome.
How: Online form at kehrenbuerger.de
Run coat or food drives indoors or at a partner's site, so you don't need a street-use permit.
https://www.kehrenbuerger.de/
Office: The district's Straßen- und Grünflächenamt (roads and green spaces office)
Lead time: 6–10 weeks (district)
Insurance: Case by case.
Fee: Administrative fees vary. Nonprofits may be exempt.
Official rules: https://www.kehrenbuerger.de/anmelden.php
BSR asks volunteers to leave winter leaf piles alone for hedgehogs. Avoid Alexanderplatz and Potsdamer Platz in the pre-Christmas season.
https://www.kehrenbuerger.de/13264.php
https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/stadtgruen/oeffentliche-gruen-und-erholungsanlagen/besondere-nutzungen/
Explore local organizations offering volunteer opportunities. Confirm December availability directly with the partner.
Book 6–8 weeks ahead (by late October). Winter aid (Kältehilfe) takes coats.
Review the forms and local guidance for your activity before you apply.
Online registration form on the BSR-run Kehrenbürger site to register a street/public-space cleanup and request free kit; no separate permit needed for a short cleanup.
Downloadable PDF application for an organised event in a Berlin public space (street or green area) with stalls, sound or structures; submitted to the district's Straßen- und Grünflächenamt. Fees run €70-€580. Used here as a worked example — each of Berlin's 12 districts has its own version of this form.
City-wide service page listing what an event permit application needs and linking to the district Straßen- und Grünflächenamt responsible for each part of Berlin.
Choose a format that suits your group, December weather and available preparation time.
For remote teammates, bad weather, or anyone who wants to use their work skills.
A staff-led project run through the city's parks department or a local conservancy, such as mulching, planting or trail work. The partner handles the permission.
Hands-on work where everyone finishes something they can see. Blankets go to shelters, children's hospitals or animal shelters.
A fast, practical hour. Get the shelter to agree before you plan anything, because many can only accept food made in permitted kitchens.
Needs the least preparation and works for any group size or location, including remote teams. It works well for people who can't do physical work.
This works well when food bank shifts are booked up. You collect in advance, sort during the hour, and the food bank gets exactly what it asked for.
Collecting happens before the event day, and the hour itself is for sorting and packing. It fits December well in every Northern Hemisphere city. In Sydney and Melbourne it's summer, so collect summer essentials instead, such as hats, sunscreen and water bottles.
Can run in any office, meeting room or café back room, whatever the weather. The team builds kits on an assembly line and one person delivers them to a shelter or outreach group.
The partner runs the work, so hosts only handle headcount and logistics. December is the busiest month, which makes it the hardest to book.
The simplest option with the most to show for it. Most of our researched cities lend the gear and haul the bags away, so no permit is needed for a small group.