In Berlin, club culture isn’t just about sweaty bodies and pounding bass. Community, culture, history and expression are all huge parts of the shared experience on the dance floor. Tag der Clubkultur is a city-wide event dedicated to celebrating all things music and the communities that form around it. This year, the theme is ‘Stay Core’, and many events are centred around exploring what the core of the club scene looks like in Berlin. From special showcases at beloved venues to panel discussions and workshops, the weekend, and the following week, are packed with events by and for the music lovers of the city. Here’s your guide to the best events for Tag der Clubcultur this year.
OCT 2
¡MASH-UP! – 10 YEARS OF QUEER-FEMINIST JOY
Celebrating a double whammy of anniversaries, 15 years of the collective and 10 years of the ¡MASH-UP! party series, this celebratory addition to the Tag der Klubkultur programme is not to be missed. Starting at 19:30, there will be a panel discussion that dives deep into BIPoC and FLINTA* perspectives that emerged dfrom 50 years of punk and post-punk. After that, they’ve planned a huge party headlined by Brazilian punk royalty As Mercenárias. This will be the first time the band has performed in Berlin in their 40-year existence.
- Oct 2-3, 19:00, SO36, details
OCT 3
AER Späti Party
What better way to celebrate club culture than with a free, high-energy dance with some strangers at your local Späti? The AER Collective is bringing the party to Mein Späti 98 in Mitte. DJs will be spinning everything from trance to bounce. Cheap drinks, a daytime dance with strangers in the centre of the city – sounds like a party worth of the gool ol’ days in Berlin!
- Oct 3, 14:00, Mein Späti 98 (Torstr. 98), details
FEMQUENCY FLINTA *DJ Workshop & Showcase
Calling all future FLINTA* DJs! Femquency is a collective dedicated to supporting emerging talent and FLINTA* DJs and they’re facilitating a three-pronged event. There will be a workshop starting at 15:00, and then afterwards, a panel discussion on community-building in club culture. For this FLINTA*-only workshop, prospective DJs need to pick up a pre-sale ticket in order to participate. The panel discussion is free, however attendees are asked to register beforehand. There will be a showcase with Femquency DJs afterwards starting at 20:00, bumpin’ on into the early morning!
- Oct 3, 15:00, Beate Uwe Club, Schillingstr. 31, details
SCHWUZ at ÆDEN – 49 years SCHWUZ
You can’t keep a good SchwuZ down! What better way to celebrate Berlin club culture than to bring beloved SchuwZ organisers and dancers back onto the dancefloor. ÆDEN is graciously hosting their big 49th birthday celebration with four floors, multiple outdoor areas and hopefully a surprise or two throughout the night. It wouldn’t be a birthday without some extra fun! Keep an eye on the event because pre-sales are already sold out and door entry starts from 22:00.
- Oct 3, 20:00, ÆDEN, details
BERLIN CLUB MEMES X THE CODE – TEN YEARS OF BAD DECISIONS
Berlin’s favourite meme page is going IRL. Hosted by sex-positive retailer The Code, the BerlinClubMemes page will have an exhibition featuring the most memorable memes the account has posted. On opening night, there will be live performances and DJs and BerlinClubMemes merch and prints will be available. Laugh a little, cry a little, and celebrate the strange, strange city we live in.
- Oct 3-8, 18:00, The Code, details
Dancefloors after 1989
This prolific multimedia exhibition organised by the Clubcommission is all about the clubs and their stories after reunification. For the duration of the exhibition, the underground spaces of SOURCE in Kraftwerk will open to the public for the first time.
- Opening: Oct 3, 17:00, SOURCE in Kraftwerk, details
- Opening Hours: Oct 4-Nov 9, 15:00-21:00
Lilly Mortis’ KABARET KLUB
Lilly Mortis is bringing cabaret into the modern age with her event, all about glamour, resistance and radical joy. Traditional ghosts of cabaret’s past intermingle with the club kids of today through live music, performance, high fashion and sharp satire for an emotionally charged spectacle of an evening.
- Oct 3, 19:00, Ballhaus Berlin, details
OCT 4
15 Years Gretchen: SILVAN STRAUSS & SO SORRY
As part of their 15 year anniversary, Gretchen is hosting a whole weekend full of events, and this Sunday’s performance by Silvan Strauß and SO SORRY promises to be a highlight. Quartet SO SORRY’s music that sits somewhere between jazz, alternative pop and R’n’B, framing their songs from a FLINTA* perspective. Silvan Strauß will also perform his genre-bending jazz. As a drummer and producer, his music is beat driven and heavily improvised. It promises to be a night filled with boundary-pushing, genre-bending tunes.
- Oct 4, 19:30, Gretchen details
OCT 5
ĠENN and Junokill
Riot grrrl act ĠENN is where Anglo-Maltese experimental rock, underground post-punk and Mediterranean folk (finally!) meet. As part of their European tour, the intimate Berlin show is a great chance to see this much-hyped talent that embodies rock sisterhood. And believe us, you want to see them live.
- Schokoladen, doors 19:00, details
OCT 9
DRIFT KYIV
DRIFT Kyiv collective, born in Ukraine, is throwing an event made up of a panel talk, DJ sets, performance, a zine presentation and visual art to ask the question: what is the core of Berlin’s club culture today? Bringing together a diverse group of Ukrainian, African, German and queer and other voices at GIRI event venue and project space in Neukölln, the event promises to bring together many different communities in the music and arts scenes.
- Oct 9, 18:00, GIRI, details
OCT 10
Sonic Commons
Listening bar, record shop, café and event space Pastiche is hosting an event that takes a deep look at Tag der Clubkultur’s theme, ‘Stay Core’. Their Sonic Commons event asks the question: what brings us together through sound? For this event, the space is celebrating the community they’re a part of and supporting by opening their doors for 12 hours of DJ and live sets. This full day of music, spanning genres and formats is open to anyone who wants to stop by for a listen, a coffee or a browse in the shop.
- Oct 10, 10:00, Pastiche International, details
OCT 11
tracey ZERO
Much like Coke Zero dominating the sugar-free fizzy drink market, our gal Tracey aims to do the same with clubs and chems. This alcohol- and drug-free event encourages clubbers to take a sober approach to the dance floor, and aims to create a space that’s community-driven and clean.
- Oct 11, 17:00, Kreuzwerk, details
For more events, check out the full Tag der Klubkultur programme.
