Berlin- The former presidents of the Soviet Union and the US, Mikhail Gorbachev and George HW Bush, are to attend German festivities marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, organizers said Wednesday.

The two men will join former German chancellor Helmut Kohl for a ceremony at a theatre in the German capital on October 31 - nine days before the actual anniversary.

German President Horst Koehler and Chancellor Angela Merkel are also expected to attend the event, held under the motto "Fall of the Wall and Unification - Victory for Freedom."

Gorbachev, 78, Bush, 85, and Kohl, 79, were in power when the Wall came down on November 9, 1989, leading to German unity and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

A series of events in the German capital is being held to mark the fall of the Wall. (dpa)