Berlin’s Triangle of Dancing – Bar & Club Guide for Friedrichshain, Treptow & Kreuzberg

Berlin’s Triangle of Dancing – Bar & Club Guide for Friedrichshain, Treptow & Kreuzberg

Berlin transforms at night, and places that look inconspicuous during day time can become real hot spots for club kids and bar hoppers. Famous for its unique charm, the area between Treptower Park and Ostkreuz offers everything you could possibly dream of for a crazy night out in Berlin – and all of this within walking distance. Once a rather industrialized area, clubs and cultural institutions were the first to enhance its value – and let me tell you, they did. Now the corner between Stralauer Allee, Markgrafendamm, and Elsenbrücke is one of the most demanded areas when it comes to nightlife. And just on the other side of the bridge, there are a bunch of other clubs between Flutgraben and Schleusenufer. 

These two areas offer plenty of cool options to spice up your weekend! Dozens of clubs, bars, and cultural institutions, which originally gave the area its vibe, invite you to explore and let loose. Here is a curated list of our favorite spots around Friedrichshain – Treptow – Kreuzberg. 

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Kreuzberg Just Got a New Night Club: Marktlokal Klub

Kreuzberg Just Got a New Night Club: Marktlokal Klub

Even though it seems there is very little good news these days, we have something great to announce that will really bring some joy to some of you. Kreuzberg just got a brand new nightclub: Marktlokal Klub! The district that is so famous for its nightlife and bar scene but oddly has so few actual clubs is finally getting a new one. Located at Markthalle 9 in the basement of the Marktlokal restaurant the new nightlife spot follows suit with Berlin’s tradition of having clubs in basements.

I instantly had to think back to places such as ZMF in Mitte (the original location from the makers of the iconic Griesmühle) or the famous Fuchs & Elster at Weserstraße (the original club from the Klunkerkranich team). In Kreuzberg, for instance, there were the two cute Kellerclubs Kleine Reise at Spreewaldplatz and St. Georg next to Ritter Butzke, both of which served as earlier locations for the Pornceptual party. In addition to that, there were countless places all over the city, that didn’t even have proper names, or at least I don’t remember them, as they were often lowkey hidden underneath restaurants or bars. I really like these smaller, intimate clubs, because they often have the best crowd and are never shy to surprise you with the most fun vibes.

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These Berlin Beer Gardens Are Serving Club Vibes

These Berlin Beer Gardens Are Serving Club Vibes

The final days of summer are upon us, and soon Berlin will descend into its dark and dismal winter. Soak up the final rays of sun in some of our favorite “Biergarten” (beer gardens), open-air clubs, and rooftop bars. Peruse this list, pick your favorite, and make the trip. Make sure to check Resident Advisor, Facebook, or our events page for all the latest news about events. Cheers!

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Berlin’s Indoor Clubs to Reopen without Mask and Distancing Rules

Berlin’s Indoor Clubs to Reopen without Mask and Distancing Rules

We can’t believe that we are writing this, but after 1,5 years of lockdown, Berlin’s indoor clubs will finally be allowed to re-open without mask requirements and distancing rules. The Berlin Clubcommission announced the news yesterday after the Senat of Berlin lost a court case about it and decided to not challenge it any further. From Friday, September 3rd onwards, clubs will be allowed to re-open their indoor dance floors. Of course, there is a catch because we are still in the middle of a pandemic: Entry will only be allowed to vaccinated and recovered people. Especially since the enforcing of mask rules at outdoor parties has been reportedly causing some friction in the nightlife scene lately, that last bit seems to be a relief for many.

The news is of course welcome, not only for the struggling nightlife makers but also for hungry party-goers that have been starved of their favorite activity. We feel you. But they don’t come without some concerns.

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Clubkultur: The New Nightlife Documentary Screening in Berlin Clubs

Clubkultur: The New Nightlife Documentary Screening in Berlin Clubs

If we can’t dance in Berlin clubs, at least we can watch a documentary about clubbing there, right? With the corona regulations operating a club has become really difficult and this is threatening the one thing that has put Berlin on the map worldwide in the last couple of decades. While everything is back open again after the endless lockdown, clubs are still the one type of place that is still not allowed to open. It’s not that that is not understandable – but it doesn’t make it any better or fair for the people behind it.

The new documentary Clubkultur by filmmakers Leonie Gerner and Andrea Schumacher for Hauptstadt.tv shines a light on the importance of the Berlin club scene with various interviews with club owners, nightlife artists, DJs, and musicians, but also politicians and the Berlin Clubcommission. We also get to see a lot of footage from some wild Berlin nights that make us super nostalgic and that feel like they are from a distant time decades in the past.

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These Berlin Clubs are the First Ones to Re-Open

These Berlin Clubs are the First Ones to Re-Open

photo: Birgit & Bier. 

Despite many different efforts and many alternative concepts, it’s the Berlin club scene that is probably suffering the most from Berlin’s cultural landscape during the pandemic as the majority of the places have been locked down now for over a year. While their future is in the balance and a re-opening for indoor partying is not really inside, at least a political movement has managed that they are recognized as places of culture which makes a big difference for them when it comes to taxes and funding.

But the Berlin nightlife scene has always been inventive, so pretty much like last year after the first lockdown where the few clubs that have the luxury of an outdoor area came up with alternative usage concepts such as beer gardens to be able to partially re-open over the summer, the same thing is happening right now with the first clubs already open again for guests.

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Experience One Last Rave at Beloved Neukölln Club Griessmuehle

Experience One Last Rave at Beloved Neukölln Club Griessmuehle

Completely unrelated to the ongoing pandemic, the beloved Neukölln club Griessmuehle had to close down a year ago for reasons you can read up about here. It was a blow to the nightlife scene of Berlin as it stood for the worrying recent city developments of Berlin and the ongoing club closings we’ve witnessed now for a decade and more. The city is full of night clubs but oddly the popular district of Neukölln doesn’t really have that many, so it was a major loss for the party kids of the neighborhood.

Luckily, the club makers of Griessmuehle could move their outstanding programming to Alte Münze last year and also found a new location in Schöneweide at the Revier Südost. But with the permission for outdoor raves coming relatively late last summer, there was not much raving to happening.

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You Can Get a Rapid Corona Test at KitKatClub Starting this Week

You Can Get a Rapid Corona Test at KitKatClub Starting this Week

photo: KitKatClub. 

According to a Facebook and Instagram post, the legendary Berlin fetish club KitKat will be offering rapid corona tests starting this Friday the 4th of December for only 25 euros. Rapid corona tests are basically impossible to get in Berlin and COVID tests usually cost around 150 euros. In line with the club’s hedonistic reputation, the post asked guests to “come naked and wild,” but quickly amended that admitting that although it would be funny, a line of naked people around the block would probably lead to legal action against the club because of suspected illegal parties. The post indicated that KitKat thought rapid tests would be extremely important for the reopening of nightlife despite a vaccine on the horizon. All the tests will be administered by medical professionals.

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Dancing Without Clubs: Where Berlin Ravers Party Without the Clubs

Dancing Without Clubs: Where Berlin Ravers Party Without the Clubs

The clubs of Berlin have reopened with new, Corona-friendly daytime concepts but one key element is missing: dancing. This has forced Berliners to deconstruct the idea of clubbing and ask themselves what they were searching for in clubs before and where they can find it now.

At the risk of stating the obvious, dancing is a big part of club culture. It is fun, it is a way to enjoy the music, and it is refreshing not to sit straight and hold a conversation all the time while being intoxicated. Consequently, the lockdown gave new life to the recently somewhat neglected illegal rave culture. The second part of this series investigates the illegal, private, and spontaneous dance parties that have been popping up all over the city and the controversies surrounding them.

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Clubs without Dancing: What Berlin’s Clubs are Doing Without Raves

Clubs without Dancing: What Berlin’s Clubs are Doing Without Raves

Halle, photo: Roman März.

There are many other reasons to come to Berlin apart from the clubs but they are definitely among the most popular ones. Techno has its roots in Detroit and the Afrofuturism movement but both the name and the current widespread popularity have to do with what it evolved into in Berlin.

While these parties are still relatively underground in many cities, Berlin has embraced rave culture and built a special relationship with its clubs and their audience. Berghain has already secured legal status as a cultural institution, and other clubs are fighting for the same. Club tourists are also valued by the city’s government as a major contribution to the economy.

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