TG BERLIN promoter Mark Clewes at TG London’s Lazarus Ball, Aug 14 (photo: Dafydd Owen)
When will Berlin clubs re-open? Overview by Mark Clewes
Torture Garden Berlin promoter Mark Clewes examines the political landscape and other factors likely to influence when venues in Berlin can fully re-open. The Berlin-based Brit is hoping it will happen in time to permit a second TG edition in the German capital this December – one that will again appeal to an international audience. But at the moment, he says, everything is still very much up in the air
When will clubs open again in Berlin?
Unfortunately, this remains unclear. There are no facts that enable us to answer this question so it’s down to ‘opinions’ And opinions are like arseholes — everyone has one!
I believe it will be soon, but then, people tend to believe what they need to believe.
My German friends believe it is unlikely that any significant decisions will be made prior to the election that will take place on September 26. There’s a suggestion that because Germans are more risk-averse than the British, no one here is willing to do anything that will increase deaths, hospitalisations and covid cases before an election.
Personally, I am unsure how long Berlin can continue to place restrictions on its vaccinated citizens and those with immunity or able to demonstrate, via PCR testing, that they do not have the infection.
That this situation is denying such people the choice to attend nightclubs, and denying them what they believe to be their rights, is a huge issue in Germany — especially when the club scene in the UK is now seen to be operating with minimal restrictions.
Germans also see that in the UK people can attend concerts without a specified limit on capacity and football matches are going ahead with attendances exceeding 70,000 fans.
There is a chance it is sport rather than the club scene that possesses more leverage in regards to lifting restrictions. Perhaps the economic interests of football clubs potentially outweigh those of Berlin clubbers.
I predict that when restrictions do change or are lifted in Berlin, it will happen suddenly and will not be well-planned.
Clubculture Reboot farrago
Take, for example, what happened in Berlin a few weeks ago. On Friday July 30, a ‘Clubculture Reboot’ was announced here for the following weekend, involving just over 2,000 people.
This pilot project was a collaboration between Berlin Club Commission and the Berlin Senate for Culture and Europe, with scientific support from Charité University, Berlin.
Tickets went on sale via various clubs on Tuesday August 3 without clear communication or rationale.
The pilot involved six clubs including KitKat, and you could club-hop. You had to pay €27.50 online and you needed to take a PCR test at a specific test centre at a specific time.
Club entry itself was free, but possible only with a ticket that would be sent to you if your PCR test was negative.
There was an expectation that you would take a second PCR test on Aug 13 and you would then be reimbursed €10.
I was very sceptical of the underlying agenda. Why had this pilot come about so quickly and without communicating appropriate information effectively?
What was it that they were actually trying to prove or achieve?
Ticket sales were chaotic and people failed to understand the process entirely. For example, they did not know if a club venue had a restricted capacity.
People failed to attend the correct PCR test centre or keep to the scheduled time.
More importantly it was reported that only 50 percent of the subjects returned for the second PCR test on Aug 13.
When Berlin venues finally do open there will be significant challenges including staff shortages. Rising costs caused by staffing and other issues will inevitably be passed on to promoters hiring the venues for their events.
Cost of international travel
But if you think all this sounds bad enough for someone living in Berlin, consider the additional problems likely to be faced if international travel to the city is involved — certainly a consideration with an event like TG Berlin.
I fly regularly back and forth between the UK and Berlin, and the process is extremely stressful. While flights are cheap, the number of flights is limited.
A return trip to Berlin currently involves three PCR tests. A PCR test can range from £70 to £85 per test so a trip can cost £210-£250 plus your time.
Finally, as I have mentioned, Germans tend to be risk-averse, so there is a fear that when venues do re-open, they might place restrictions on the capacity of events, in an attempt to offer reassurance that things are opening ‘gradually’, hence ‘safely’.
Obviously, this places additional pressure on costs and potentially the entire feasibility of hosting an event — especially if you feel you are having to compromise on what you can offer your guests.
It could be that your potential guests are hesitant about committing to an international event. It will certainly help if potential attendees appreciate that promoters are trying their best to schedule events, but might be forced to cancel and reschedule them due to factors beyond their control.
I think Torture Garden Berlin’s debut in late February 2020 was probably the last international party to be hosted indoors before the lockdown. It now seems likely that we could also be the first international party to relaunch in Berlin, with dates scheduled for December 2021 and February 2022.
Personally, I was so happy that Torture Garden in London was able to host a full-scale partying reboot in mid-August. It was amazing to be there and it’s great that TG has several more dates scheduled for the remainder of this year.
Hopefully the team in London can continue to move forward and we in Berlin can soon follow.
Mark Clewes Facebook
Torture Garden Berlin
Dafydd Owen Photography
Tags: Community, Fetish Fairs, Fetish Weekends, Parties
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