​Berlin nightclub Watergate to close permanently after 22 years

Long-running Berlin nightclub Watergate has confirmed to Resident Advisor that it will close permanently at the end of 2024.

The club cited financial pressures for its closure, telling RA that the cost of running the venue has “become too much”. The venue’s co-founder, Ulrich Wombacher, pinned those pressures on “the realities of inflation, the energy crisis, rising costs in general, and, not least, the high rent”.

On top of financial issues, Wombacher also noted the increase in attraction to larger events and festivals, calling Watergate a venue “based on the original idea of the club as a defining place for an entire musical generation”.

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"Now that we see things going in a different direction, it's time for us to take this last step,” Wombacher told RA. “Continuing blindly without sense or reason and risking an uncontrolled financial decline is out of the question for us.”

Wombacher added that Watergate has chosen to "step down" while they still "have control", and ultimately decided to not extend the club's lease into 2025.

Watergate first opened in Oberbaumbrücke, Berlin, in 2002. In its 22-year tenure, the venue has welcomed artists including Carl Cox, Charlotte de Witte, Boo Williams, Richie Hawtin, and more over the years.

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The club has confirmed that it will conclude its tenure with a string of closing parties through October until the end of the year, with exact dates and information yet to be announced. RA confirmed that the likes of Ricardo Villalobos, Marlon Hoffstadt, DJ Minx and Kerri Chandler will make appearances.

In August, Berlin club Renate - which is owned by the same landlord as Watergate - also announced its closure. Both venues have cited financial strain and rent increases.

After its 15th birthday in 2017, Watergate said that its future was in doubt after landlords doubled the venue's rent. To manage the rent hike, the club said it would expand its programming and reach.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter