photo: Benedict Berlin.
There’s nothing better than waking up, walking out the door and sitting down for a delicious breakfast, usually with a mimosa in hand, in one of Berlin’s many cafes. But with lockdown 2.0 extended at least until January 10th, it’ll be a while until we can meet up for breakfast again. To cure your cravings for eggs benny, pancakes, bacon and hot coffee we’ve compiled this list of breakfast spots that are offering take away during the pandemic.
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by Adri | Cafés
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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by Adri | Clubs
We’re halfway through November lockdown and to put it mildly: people are on the edge. I’ve had so many phone calls about depressions, worries, fatigue, anxiety – and that was just about November in general! I’m feeling you here, I’m feeling all of that – I really do. But to be honest, I think at this point it’s better not to dwell on these feelings too much. It’s just going to become a spiral that leads further down, and we’re probably better off staying optimistic hoping things will get better once the situation somehow passes – whenever that will be.
And in that optimistic spirit I did what we do best here at iHeartBerlin: gather some ideas for a fun listicle – this time about some lovely spirit-lifting things to do to make the lockdown period and winter, in general, a bit better. And I’ll spare you the obvious such as taking walks in the park and binge-watching Netflix because I think we’ve done enough of that already. And I’m sure you all already Marie-Kondoed your house and perfected your sourdough baking skills during the last lockdown. So we’re moving on to new things, more specific things – all of which are approved and tested by me personally!
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by Frank | Stories
A few months ago I published a story about how the lockdown has seemed to have created a new dogma of system relevance that discriminates against arts and culture workers. This was a story very close to my heart and close to what matters to all of us at iHeartBerlin.
While some cultural institutions were able to re-open since then, although under challenging circumstances, the overall situation has not improved for the majority of the scene. Especially in the alternative and underground scenes, it’s still quite dramatic. While publicly funded institutions don’t really have to worry about going under, it’s those independent arts and culture makers that really have to fear for their livelihoods. Rents and bills still need to be paid, but to produce shows and events is still often not possible, and support programs by the government have so many blind spots and leave a lot of people behind or are simply not enough. For many, the situation is really serious. And considering we are only at the beginning of the second (most likely bigger) wave that will bring new challenges and restrictions you don’t even want to begin to imagine how much worse it could get.
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by Frank | Art, Pandemic, Videos
photo: Keith Telfeyan.
Just around two weeks ago, iHeartBerlin guest author Daniel was wondering where Berlin ravers party without the clubs and vice versa, what Berlin’s clubs are doing without raves. While these questions have been quite relevant for the past few months, we’ve just witnessed an almost unbelievable change.
The newest development in the volatile narrative of Berlin’s gradual reopening is the re-emergence of some clubs, specifically those with outdoor areas. Not just as a more funky alternative to beer gardens, but as an actual party destination. Of course, Covid-19 regulations apply: so be prepared to leave your contact info at the door and include a face mask as an obligatory addition to your attire.
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by Michalina | Party
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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by Guest Author | Clubs, Party
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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by Guest Author | Clubs, Party
Summer is slowly awakening Berlin from the long winter sleep and many people miss the long nights out with their friends in their favorite clubs. While many clubs are now proposing outdoor beer garden concepts, this might not be the perfect solution for the passionate raver and dancer among us.
It’s not a surprise that the amount of illegal raves at Hasenheide and in the forests surrounding the city has increased dramatically over the last weeks. Many might not feel comfortable with the idea of throwing themselves into a big crowd of strangers. Others can’t suppress their desire anymore for a night out with music and dancing. It feels a bit twisted that something so natural like dancing together has to be postponed to an unknown future. Yet the Pandemic is not over and the international development of numbers shows that the world is still in a fragile state.
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by Claudio | Clubs, Party
photos: Red Rubber Road.
Today we want to share a photo series with you, that is a bit of the opposite of our Finally Together Again series from yesterday that celebrated a physical togetherness and how meaningful it can be in these trying times. What was possible for our team where all members live in Berlin, is not the same for those collaborators, friends, families, lovers that don’t live in the same country during the pandemic. The artist duo AnaHell and Nathalie Dreier where one of those that were separated by the quarantine measures of different countries. We published their Quarantine series at the beginning of the lockdown and it really hit a nerve. That series was actually produced way before in another context, but it perfectly captured the bizarre atmosphere of the early stages of the pandemic measures.
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by Frank | Art, Pandemic, Photos
photo: Birgit & Bier.
Our fingers are itching. After months of staring at the woodchip wallpaper of our Berlin flats, we have “BOCK” as we like to say in German (which means to be very much in the mood for something). Bock, to go out again. Bock to sway to smooth electronic or raging techno beats while moving our bodies, sipping on a cold beer. Normally the Berlin crowd is used to completely different circumstances at the start of the summer party season when the painful question is, what party to attend, instead of none at all.
This year everything is different. Or least we thought so. After Berlin’s motivated party crowd heavy heartedly accepted the no-clubbing-corona-rules for 2020, there now appears to be hope. Little by little the bigger clubs with an outside area are opening their gardens! At first only for gastronomy purposes with strict “no dancing” rules, but that’s enough to give our grieving party community a glimmer of hope.
Note: Please consult the corresponding social media pages of each club for any changes in regards to their opening times. These might change according to the weather and the current situation.
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by Franziska | Clubs
