It feels like Berlin’s nightlife has been on hold for so long now that we can’t even remember what a club looks and smells like inside. While the few clubs with outdoor space shyly and quietly organize outdoor parties this summer giving at least a small portion of Berlin clubbers a bit of dancefloor magic, the majority of clubs which only have indoor dancefloors (which are around 75%) have now been closed for over a year.
Of course, this totally created an imbalance. For clubs, because those who do not have the luxury of an outdoor space are clearly at a disadvantage here, but also for clubbers because as there are so few options for legal parties that many organizers have decided to keeping their events on the low, or even if they advertise them publicly, tickets sell out within hours, leaving many volunteer ravers without access to all the fun. It also seems quite unfair.
It’s a mystery why it took so long to find a solution – or at least an attempt for all those closed clubs. And it seems a little odd to come out with one now that the numbers are rising again. But whatever, it does happen – and as usual, we have to thank the Berlin Clubcommission for making it happen.
This weekend, the Senate and the Clubkommission are starting a trial called “Clubculture Reboot” with 6 clubs which will host special evenings under special conditions and with scientific monitoring. Participating clubs are SO36, KitKat, Crack Bellmer, Metropol, Wilde Renate and Festsaal Kreuzberg. To be able to participate, all ticket holders will have to undergo a PCR test, before AND after the party for free. This will ensure, on the one hand, that no one will take the Delta variant to the club and, on the other hand, will subsequently assess the reliability of the tests. As a big plus over the current legal outdoor parties, these new test parties will not require masks or social distancing, which will allow for a much better club experience.
Considering the still high price tag of PCR tests, this really makes us wonder how this will be a feasible option for a wider club opening later on – but it seems safer than a quick test which has had a bad reputation these days. lately to be too easy just to pretend. Keep in mind that this is all just a trial at this point – a similar trial but with rapid testing was attempted last year in the fall and was actually aborted in the middle of a new one. wave that took over.
We will have to accept the fact that new waves will probably accumulate because of new more aggressive variants (Hello Delta Plus…) and that these will continue to complicate our lives. Obviously, we can’t keep shutting everything down with each new wave because in the long run it will have bad effects that we can’t even predict now. So coming up with solutions that give us safe environments to come together is really something we welcome. We are quite curious as to how the PCR test parts will go this weekend and what the consequences of the trial will be.
This brings us to the second new development in terms of corona and nightlife: nighttime vaccination events. This is yet another initiation made possible by the club committee and the Senate. Vaccination nights will take place next week on August 9, 11 and 13 at the Arena Berlin vaccination center from 8 p.m. Renowned DJs like Tama Sumo, Basti Tiefschwarz, Markus Meinhardt, Nick Höppner, Phonique and many more will play DJ sets while guests can receive their first injections of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. It’s not exactly a party, but nonetheless, there are two things that make it special: You can pre-register or just come without an appointment. You won’t have to show any ID, which means non-residents will also be able to receive their vaccination here who may not have been able to qualify for a vaccination appointment before.
The second interesting fact about this initiation is that all the participating DJs and artists have been working in the vaccination centers for the past few months. Of course, with so few parties and events organized, there is little work for DJs and apparently some of them have found temporary work in vaccination centers which is actually pretty cool. Imagine showing up to your vaccination appointment and having your favorite DJs as your guide or – even better – as the one administering the vaccine.
If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, this is the perfect opportunity to finally do it, because the number of vaccinations really needs to increase seriously to prevent the fourth wave from stopping it all again.
Big thumbs up to the Berlin Clubcommission for continuously shaking things up for the Berlin club scene. You should follow them to stay on top of any development related to the club.
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by Franc
August 6, 2021
in Pandemic, Party