The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on the live music industry. As shows continue to be prohibited, or granted permission to operate only within very strict guidelines, many legendary venues have been forced to close, most recently with Washington D.C.’s U Street Music Hall. Many aren’t willing to give up on club culture just yet though. Recently, a select 40 clubs in Berlin, Germany, received €10,000 to celebrate Berlin’s inaugural “TAG DER CLUBKULTUR” or, “Day of Club Culture.”
Organized by Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer alongside Clubcomission Berlin, the event website stated that,
“The DAY OF CLUB CULTURE gives the award-winning clubs and collectives the opportunity to present themselves to the whole city and to set an example for the diversity and liveliness of Berlin’s club culture. The showcases will take place on October 3rd, subject to the necessary hygiene and safety requirements, in and around the clubs as well as in external open spaces.”
Attendees were granted permission to dance in select outdoor spaces that honored COVID-preventative guidelines. The event, celebrated at clubs like Paloma, Golden Gate, Chocolates, and more also honored prominent collectives in Berlin’s scene such as QueerBerg and Freak De L’ Afrique. Berlin is widely known as the nightclub capital of the world, and as the city’s venues struggle in the current post-COVID era, local government officials continue to hold up one of the city’s most beloved cultural differentiators.
