GFB Weekend 2022: Final 5-day line-up plus Covid requirements
With GFB Weekend 2022 kicking off next week in Berlin, here is our final update on the events of May 25-29. An overview of the programme is followed by three event highlights: the German Fetish Ball, German Fetish Fair and FetishGuerilla. Our final panel on covid rules for entering Germany and attending Berlin events warns that two venues you might plan to attend require official pre-entry tests. Banner, l-r: FetishGuerilla performer Evelyn Frantic (photo: @lipstick_glitch); GFB fashion show’s Antidote London (Luna Lou photo: Laura Donohoe Photography); Fetish Fair exhibitor AMF Korsets (Kiara Kazumi photo: Louis Fleischauer)
GFB Weekend 2022, which sees the German Fetish Ball’s return to Berlin at the end of May, is on target to be as well-attended as the last (pre-pandemic) event in 2019, says GFB promoter Xklusiv.
The official GFB Weekend programme from Wednesday May 25 to Sunday 29 consists of seven events organised directly by Xklusiv, plus official Berlin partner FetishGuerilla’s Revolution party at KitKatClub.
Since our earlier preview article, the programme has been topped and tailed with the Kinky Cocktails official opening party — returning to 2019’s new rooftop venue 260 Grad — on Wednesday, and Sunday’s usual Farewell Brunch at a venue to be announced.
(Note: Further down the page, this article includes important information on current covid regulations applying to entering Germany and attending the specific events in Berlin we’re discussing here.)
Here’s a summary of the five-day programme:
Wednesday 25: Kinky Cocktails @ 260 Grad (new venue as of 2019)
Thursday 26: SonicBOOM @ Matrix
Friday 27 (daytime): German Fetish Fair Day 1 @ Heeresbäckerei
Friday 27: FetishGuerilla @ KitKatClub
Friday 27: Sweet Surrender @ Matrix
Saturday 28 (daytime): German Fetish Fair Day 2 @ Heeresbäckerei
Saturday May 28: German Fetish Ball @ ClubOST (new venue for 2022)
Sunday May 29: Farewell Brunch (tba)
In addition to these official events, Wednesday 25 is also the date of the Savage Wear Fetish Night @ Baderhaus.
Below, we provide more info on what for many Berlin visitors are the three big highlights of the whole GFB Weekend: the German Fetish Ball itself, the two-day German Fetish Fair and FetishGuerilla Revolution at KitKatClub.
HIGHLIGHT: GERMAN FETISH BALL Saturday May 28
XELK.DE from Hamburg perform a latex flamenco show at this year’s Ball (photo: plumbum.art)
This year’s Ball — at new venue ClubOST (Alt-Stralau 1-2, 10245 Berlin) — will feature slightly fewer designers on the catwalk than in recent years.
This reflects the 2022 event being scheduled for relatively soon after the relaxation of covid restrictions.
Five brands were originally scheduled, but after Amentium’s withdrawal from the show, the line-up is now down to four latex labels: Antidote London Latex, Maniac Latex, Pandora Deluxe and Inner Sanctum.
However, we now have the first details of newly booked stage performances that will add an extra entertainment dimension to the fashion action.
XelK.de, described as ‘Hamburg’s first kinky and fetish performance art collective’, will be performing a latex flamenco show. Also confirmed is a bondage show from an as yet unnamed female performer — more details coming soon!
ClubOST, the new Ball venue, will have two dancefloors serviced by GFB regulars. The Main Floor will feature Electro courtesy of Hedo, while the Club Floor will offer ’80s and Gothic sounds spun by DJ Alf and his personal DJane.
At time of writing it appears 2019’s MC Leigh Hutchinson will not be resuming that role this year, despite earlier billing on GFB website.
BALL LATEX SHOWS, l-r: Pandora Deluxe (models: Ruby Alexia, Ryo Love; photo: Dan Thomas), Inner Sanctum (model: Aenima) and Maniac Latex (model: Italo Basti; photo: Toni Kretschmer)
HIGHLIGHT: GERMAN FETISH FAIR Fri-Sat May 27-28
FAIR BRANDS: Amentium (Helen Teiman photo: Busha Bailey); Tatjana Warnecke (model: Lara Aimee)
The two-day Fair will take place as before at Magazin in der Heeresbäckerei (Kopernicker Str 16, 10997 Berlin).
The entrance can be found at the ‘street end’ of the riverside complex that also includes the Ball’s previous venue Spindler & Klatt.
On May 10, the GFF exhibitor list stood at 23 companies, dominated by German brands but with a sprinkling of businesses from further afield.
There are even a few British exhibitors — such as Amentium Latex, Figure of A and Rose Noir Design. These companies have had to overcome the massive disincentives to UK participation created by post-Brexit bureaucracy.
Lines at this year’s Fair include sculptured leather fantasy outfits, latex polish, vegan leather fashion, BDSM toys, ornate headgear, men’s and women’s latex fashions, latex hoods, men’s and women’s ‘PVC’ fashions and corsetry.
The Fair’s exhibitors, in A-Z order, are:
Amentium
AMF Korsets
beGLOSS
Benno von Stein
Black Forest Paddles
Black Surprise
Bubbles and Frown
Bugshop
Chronomatic
Crea FX
Cyberesque
Disco Biscuite NFT
Feitico
Figure of A
Foguelina
InnerSanctum
Latex 101
Maniac Latex
Peter Domenie
Rebellion Fashion
Rose Noir Design
Tatjana Warnecke
Your Shape
MORE FAIR VENDORS, l-r: BubblesandFrown (Model: Eric Black; photo: BubblesandFrown); Rose Noir Design (photo: Busha Bailey); Your Shape (model: Sarathustra; photo: blende666)
FETISHGUERILLA PERFORMERS, l-r: Chiqui Love (photo: The Baron); Ginger Synne (photo: Petrosilius Zwackelmann); SashaKillsYou (Photo: Marco Gorgoroso) As mentioned above, entry to Fetish Guerrilla at KitKatClub (Köpenicker Straße 76 – entrance at Brückenstraße 1 – 10179 Berlin) is subject to a rapid covid test. The test must be taken at an official test site in the 24 hours immediately before the party. Please check our covid information panel below for more detail on covid requirements at KitKatClub and also at all other GFB Weekend venues. FetishGuerilla celebrates its return to KitKat after a two-year absence with a new feature: a club within a club. Hot Hamburg club Studio Lovemasters will be hosting its own floor in the venue. The night’s performers are: Ginger Synne, Evelyn Frantic, Juicy Bondage (aka Evelyn Frantic & Chika Takahashi), Chiqui Love and SashaKillsYou. Meanwhile, Charlyne (from Titanen) will be in the dungeon and available — strictly at her discretion — to indulge in rope or other play with deserving dungeon visitors. FetishGuerilla’s DJs are: Faray, Christopher Lawrenz, Räubertöchtäs, Match Hoffmann, the figurehead and Andreas Barth. Studio Lovemasters’ club-within-a-club DJs are: Truman Kaputti, Burcin Kücük, Dirty Deal and Oskar. KITKAT DJs: Faray (photo: Gili Shani); Christopher Lawrenz (photo: Coda Johannes); Dirty Deal HIGHLIGHT: FETISHGUERILLA REVOLUTION Fri May 27
COVID RULES: ENTERING GERMANY & BERLIN EVENTS
MAP shows KitKatClub, and test centre location at Brückenstraße 13 – both underscored in red
The rules about being vaccinated or tested for covid in order to enter Germany depend on what country you are travelling from. Information can be found on official government websites so be sure to check online well in advance of travel.
The good news for Brits, specifically, is that, post-Brexit, you may enter Germany for any travel purpose if you are fully vaccinated — proof of your three jabs being required in the form of an NHS covid pass. Stays of up to 90 days do not require a visa.
Requirements of most Berlin venues
Once in Berlin you might or might not be delighted to learn that the city has dropped all Corona restrictions for events, although some individual Berlin venues still require tests.
The events organised directly by GFB host Xklusiv — Kinky Cocktails, SonicBOOM!, German Fetish Fair, Sweet Surrender and the German Fetish Ball — do not require you to have proof of vaccination, wear a mask or bring a test to enter the venues.
Nevertheless the organisers expect guests to act responsibly, self-testing before events, staying away if they have symptoms, and of course being considerate around people who are masking because of personal vulnerability.
But different rules apply at KitKat
The FetishGuerilla party at KitKat on Friday May 27 is an exception where testing is required. Although an official part of the GFB programme, FGR is subject to the KitKat venue’s rules so you do have to provide a negative rapid test to gain entry.
We understand that Savage Wear Fetish Night, the week’s ‘unofficial, alternative opening party’ on Wednesday 25 at Badehaus, will also require an official rapid test to gain entry.
These rapid tests must be done at a Berlin testing centre not earlier than 24 hours before the start of the party. It’s important to note that while you can always self-test for your own information, self-testing is not accepted by venues like KitKat — you must have an official negative test result.
Best to test during Friday daytime
On Friday 27, there will be a temporary testing centre run by a doctor’s surgery at 13 Brückenstraße, a shop along the street on the other side from KitKat (see map). This centre will be open while the club is open (until 6am Saturday) and will also be open on Friday afternoon before the event.
You are strongly advised to get tested earlier in the day on Friday, and not to rely on being able get a ‘last minute quick test across the road’ while on your way to KitKat, as you might find yourself waiting a long time.
It makes better sense to find a test centre near where you’re staying. Googling ‘Berlin free rapid test centres’ will produce a list and a map showing more than a dozen test centres in the city’s central area, including two a short walk from GFB Weekenders’ perennial favourite nhow hotel.
When you find one on the map that looks conveniently located, be sure to check that centre’s own website to make sure it is still operating and is open when you need it, as we’ve been warned that maps showing test centres are not always right up to date.
Rapid tests: really free for everyone?
Are rapid tests in Berlin really free for everyone? Online information generally suggests that they are, until you dig a little deeper and find that this might only be the case for Berlin residents. Some test sites might charge up to €20 for a rapid test (not a PCR test, which is not required).
A Berlin insider tells us that if you’re a visitor rather than a resident, the best thing would be to give the test centre your hotel address — although at the same time reckoning that, in practice, “nobody cares”. Guess we’ll be finding out soon enough how true that is.
Both of the websites that come recommended by Berliners for finding testing locations are German-language only. But one of them, Coronabike (link below), features mini-maps for each of its listed test centres and is easy to understand even for Brits!
The image below gives a snapshot of all advance tickets available online for GFB Weekend 2022 events. All official events are covered by the VIP Weekend Ticket (shown below, far left) including FetishGuerilla and both German Fetish Fair days. Alternatively, individual tickets are available in advance for all official GFB events except FetishGuerilla at KitKatClub. If you don’t opt for a VIP ticket and want to attend FetishGuerilla, you will have to queue outside KitKat and pay at the door, which will cost you €30. If you intend to go to all paying events this year, the VIP ticket will save you money on the cost of paying individually for all events. To buy tickets: click/tap anywhere on the image below to go to the GFB ticket page where you can make your purchases.GFB WEEKEND 2022: TICKETS FOR OFFICIAL EVENTS
GFB Weekend 2022: Links for featured photography
Tags: Designers, Fetish Fairs, Fetish Parties, Fetish Weekends, Performers, Play Parties