Founded in 2021, the listening bar and event space carved itself into Berlin’s music scene. Now, however, after a year of waiting, the venue has announced its seemingly inescapable closure. Barbara, the owner of kwia, told The Berliner, “Our rent contract ended and the rent increase was very unrealistic. Although we’ve been trying for a long time to negotiate a longer lease, we were sadly not able to reach an agreement.”
kwia is more than just a listening bar; in recent years, it became a label as well. After having celebrated the release of their first compilation just one year ago, the sad news has disappointed many fans. The caption on their latest Instagram post read: “ambient is officially ruined. thank you. we love you.” kwia’s announcement is one in a long list of other cultural venues in Berlin that are facing closure due to rental agreements. Das Gift will also see its doors close for the last time this July.
In an attempt to rally the hurt hearts of Neukölln, kwia left its fans with a final positive message: “It’s not over until it’s over. For the next 22 days, Kwia is still ours. Let’s give the space the send-off it deserves.” kwia’s last day will be the 25th of July.
