Friday, October 24
After long-standing financial difficulties, the queer club in Neukölln announced via Instagram that it would be closing its doors after a final party on November 1. The club filed for bankruptcy in August and continued operating, hoping the club would continue.
Attempts to stabilise the club have failed, and SchwuZ announced that “‘after months of hope, intensive discussions and a comprehensive process with potential investors, no party has been found that is willing to take over and continue SchwuZ in its current state, or that can raise the necessary funds. We tried everything, but in the end it wasn’t enough.”
The full extent of the club’s financial difficulties only became apparent in May 2025, after discovering that the club operated at a loss between €30000 and €60000 each month. This prompted the club to let go of 33 employees, some of whom had been working at SchwuZ for years, to prevent the club’s closure.
SchwuZ, an abbreviation for Schwulen-Zentrum (gay centre), opened its doors in 1977 and was the largest cultural institution in the queer scene. In its early years, the club was a central point of reference for the queer community. The club in Germany is now calling upon its followers “to come together again, dance, laugh, cry and celebrate everything we have created together,” in the last weeks before closing its doors.
