What Chameleon Berlin does

Chamäleon Berlin is a single-location contemporary circus (Neuer Zirkus) theater operating as a gemeinnützige Kultureinrichtung (non-profit cultural institution) in the Hackesche Höfe courtyard complex in Berlin-Mitte, founded in 2004. The venue presents a rotating slate of co-produced and guest productions — most prominently Carnivale Royale by House of Circus (scheduled 2026-06 to 2026-08) and Kintsugi by Machine de Cirque (scheduled 2025-08 to 2027-01, with a dedicated Silvester/New Year's Eve edition) — alongside aerial acrobatics, drag, sideshow, and queer cabaret programming, and has developed its own productions (Raven, Show Pony, Julieta) that tour internationally. The physical asset is a theater hall with bistro-table seating, a balcony, a historic ballroom for events, climate control with 6x-per-hour air exchange, and free guest WiFi; the venue also operates a rehearsal/creation space ("The Cave") and a residency program.

The business model combines ticketed admissions with layered ancillary revenue and a subsidy base. Revenue is generated primarily through ticket sales (online via an EVENTIM-powered webshop, on-site box office, and phone hotline), F&B sales under an exclusive catering partnership with Green Glasses Catering (in place since 2017), gift vouchers redeemable for three years, and venue rental for private and corporate events. Pricing is segmented by audience: standard show tickets with show- and seat-category variation, a €19 Students Only flat-rate offered 30 minutes before showtime, a €10 Soli-Ticket for low-income visitors, a Circus 4 Friends four-person package, 50% pricing for children under 12, group discounts for parties of 15 or more, and Tanzcard/Ehrenamtskarte 20% discounts. Operating income is supplemented by donations (PayPal donation flow exposed on the website) and recurring Chamäleon Club memberships that underwrite accessibility programming.

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: the venue relies on its website, an email newsletter offering 10% off the next booking, organic social media, and on-location foot traffic within Hackesche Höfe, rather than paid acquisition. Customer segments span general theatergoers, students, groups of 15+, people with disabilities (served through DGS interpretation, audio description, and wheelchair-accessible seating), and international tourists (served through non-verbal productions). The organization is private and non-profit, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries, and is supported institutionally through cultural-donation economics rather than equity capital.

Name

Chameleon Berlin

Legal name

Chamäleon Berlin

Website

https://chamaeleonberlin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Chamäleon Berlin is a non-profit contemporary circus theater in Berlin's Hackesche Höfe, presenting co-produced shows such as Carnivale Royale and Kintsugi for general audiences, students, groups, and international visitors, with revenue from tickets, catering, vouchers, events, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Circus & Physical Theatre (MPAGABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Circus, Magic & Variety Shows (THAJAFAH), Festival Grounds & Fairgrounds Operations (MPAGALAH), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Contemporary circus performances
• Live theater venue
• Circus art productions
• Performing arts hosting
• Cultural event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling tickets to contemporary circus performances and special events (Silvester/New Year's Eve celebrations). Tickets available online, at box office, and via hotline.
2. Food & Beverage: Catering partnership with Green Glasses Catering since 2017. Service available one hour before shows and during intermission. Sales of drinks, snacks, and warm meals at table service.
3. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers sold in any denomination, redeemable within three years for show tickets or food and beverages. Available online, by email, or at box office.
4. Donations & Support: As a non-profit cultural institution, receives donations and Club membership support. Soli-Tickets at €10 allow subsidized access for those with low income. Donors and Club members fund accessibility programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chamäleon Berlin operates a contemporary circus (Neuer Zirkus) theater venue within the historic Hackesche Höfe complex in Berlin-Mitte. The company presents a rotating program of circus productions — primarily through co-productions with international circus companies such as House of Circus and Machine de Cirque — and sells tickets to those live performances. Complementary offerings include on-site gastronomy via a catering partner, gift vouchers, and rental of the theater and historic ballroom for private events.

Product overview

Chameleon Berlin is a contemporary circus and theater venue located in the Hackeschen Höfe complex in Berlin-Mitte. The company operates as a single-location venue presenting a rotating portfolio of circus shows, primarily through co-productions with international circus companies. Its core product portfolio centers on contemporary circus performances (such as Carnivale Royale by House of Circus and Kintsugi by Machine de Cirque), complemented by ancillary offerings including gastronomy services, gift vouchers, and event venue rental. The venue offers various ticket packages including the Circus 4 Friends group package, Students Only discount, and Soli-Ticket accessibility pricing to serve different audience segments. The company's business model combines show ticket sales with hospitality services, positioning itself as both a cultural venue and event location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carnivale Royale A contemporary circus show co-produced with House of Circus, featuring aerial acrobatics, humorous sideshow performances, and drag acts presented as a queer cabaret experience, for general adult and family audiences in Berlin.
• Kintsugi A contemporary circus production by Machine de Cirque exploring themes of personal healing through various circus disciplines, inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi, for general audiences.
• Silvester im Chamäleon New Year's Eve celebration combining the Kintsugi show with culinary highlights and dancing in the historic Chamäleon ballroom, for adults celebrating the turn of the year.
• Gastronomie (Catering) Food and beverage service provided by Green Glasses Catering (exclusive partner since 2017), offering drinks, snacks, and warm meals before shows and during intermissions, for theater guests and group bookings of 10+.
• Gutscheine (Gift Vouchers) Gift vouchers sold in any denomination, redeemable within three years for show tickets, food, and beverages at Chamäleon Berlin, for individual gift buyers and corporate clients.
• Eventlocation (Event Venue Rental) Rental of the theater space and historic ballroom for private events, corporate functions, and special occasions, for organizers of private and corporate events.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Green Glasses CateringcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSince 2017, Green Glasses Catering has been the exclusive catering partner of Chamäleon Theater. They provide food and beverage service including drinks, snacks, and warm meals. Service is available one hour before shows and during intermission. Their culinary creations feature subtle sophistication and are freshly prepared. This partnership enables the venue to offer an extensive gastronomic selection to theater guests.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: Global leader in contemporary circus productions and resident shows. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in the Neuer Zirkus category, though operating at much larger scale (touring tented shows + resident theaters including Berlin) with broader IP and merchandising monetization.
• Salzburger Festspiele: Austrian/German-speaking performing arts festival and venue presenting opera, theater, and contemporary performance. Comparable as a not-for-profit cultural institution with ticketed arts programming, donor/membership funding, and venue operations.
• Circus Roncalli: Established German circus company with annual touring shows featuring artistic/variety circus. Comparable artistic-circus positioning and German live-tour audience overlap, but operates as a traditional touring circus rather than a single fixed theater venue.

Direct peers

• Tipi am Kanzleramt Berlin: Berlin show venue hosting cabaret, music, and contemporary performance formats with dining. Comparable ticketed-event model with strong F&B integration and group/corporate offerings, similar to Chamäleon's Ballsaal + catering combination.
• Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin: Berlin's largest revue theater, hosting large-scale show productions with international casts. Comparable ticketed-theater business model in the same city, though at a significantly larger scale and focused on revue rather than circus.
• GOP Varieté-Theater: German chain of variety theaters (Bonn, Hanover, Bremen, etc.) presenting international variety, circus, and acrobatic shows. Closely comparable to Chamäleon in single-venue live performance model, premium ticketing, F&B pairing, and special-event programming.
• Wintergarten Berlin: Berlin variety/theater venue presenting contemporary variety shows, acrobatics, and cabaret. Direct competitor in Berlin for the same live-circus/variety ticketed audience, with comparable pre-show dining and corporate-event positioning.
• Bar jeder Vernunft Berlin: Intimate Berlin cabaret/theater presenting variety, chanson, and live shows with paired dining. Comparable small-format venue economics, ticket-plus-dinner revenue mix, and Berlin tourist footfall strategy.
• Friedrichsbau Varieté Stuttgart: Long-standing German variety/cabaret theater presenting contemporary circus and variety acts. Directly comparable to Chamäleon Berlin in programming model (circus, cabaret, drag/sideshow), ticketed live-show business, and venue economics, though serving Stuttgart rather than Berlin.

Emerging players

• House of Circus (independent touring company): Independent contemporary circus company producing touring shows including Carnivale Royale currently hosted at Chamäleon. Comparable as a Neuer Zirkus content creator with international performance roster, though without their own resident venue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chamtheater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chameleon Berlin