IFA Opening Night: A spectacular start at Berlin’s iconic ICC building

Tonight, IFA Berlin and GFU Home & Consumer Tech hosted the IFA Opening Night at the ICC Berlin building. Representatives from politics and business were among the guests. Political guests included Mayor and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy, and Public Enterprises, Franziska Giffey, Raed Saleh, Chair of the SPD Parliamentary Group in the Berlin House of Representatives, and Jörg Stroedter, Deputy Chair of the SPD Parliamentary Group and Member of the Berlin House of Representatives. Also in attendance were, amongst others, Dr Silke Launert, Parliamentary State Secretary for Research, Technology and Space, and Kirstin Bauch, District Mayor of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Head of the Department of Finance, Human Resources and Economic Development.

Further guests included representatives of exhibitors BSH, Euronics and Miele, industry associations BVT, ZVEI, NIQ and many more. The Grandbrothers provided musical entertainment during dinner.

The ICC becomes part of IFA 2026

The ICC Berlin provided a unique setting for the opening event, reopening its doors today for the first time in more than a decade.

With IFA Opening Night, IFA brought one of Berlin’s best-known landmarks back into the spotlight. Opened in 1979 and now a listed building, the ICC – like IFA itself – embodies technological optimism and a pioneering spirit of innovation. With its aluminium façade stretching more than 300 metres and capacity for up to 20,000 people, it is one of the capital’s most important architectural landmarks. For the evening, lighting designer Frank Oehring set the stage at this special venue.

Following the gala dinner, the evening continued in the IFA Sommergarten. There, BUNT. marked the finale of his open-air tour with “In The Round Open Air 2026”, bringing electronic sounds, high energy and a festival atmosphere to the IFA grounds.

Outlook: IFA highlights on Friday

On Friday, 04 September 2026, visitors can look forward to a wide range of keynotes, product launches and live experiences. Find all the highlights here: IFA programme for Friday.

IFA Images

Images from IFA Opening Night and the IFA Sommergarten programme are available here: Media Galleries | IFA Berlin 2026 – Innovation For All.