​Berlin nightclub Wilde Renate to close permanently in 2025 after 18 years

Long-standing Berlin nightclub Salon zur Wilden Renate, also known as Wilde Renate, has announced that it will close permanently at the end of 2025 after 18 years.

The venue, which first opened in 2007, cited financial issues and problems extending its lease, confirming that it will “have to close its doors at the current location at the end of 2025.”

“Despite our best efforts to extend the lease or find alternative solutions, the reality is that Renate will no longer be able to exist in its current form after that point,” the club said in a statement.

The club said that it’s dealing with a “notorious real estate investor”, claiming that they are known across Berlin for “maximising profits through rent hikes”, leading to “displacement and evictions”.

Wilde Renate also claimed that it has become a victim of these rent hikes, saying its own rent has “more than doubled in recent years”, and now suffers “severe financial strain” as a result.

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“Now, with the lease set to expire, it seems our efforts to keep the current location viable have been undermined,” they said. “Renate’s displacement is not an isolated case.”

The club referenced the loss of other venues across Berlin, calling it “a blow to the club scene but also the entire city and its cultural diversity”.

“Clubs like Renate are essential meeting points for connection, exchange, and creative expression, contributing to Berlin's international reputation. Beyond the preservation of cultural venues, more than 100 jobs will also be at risk if Renate ceases operations,” they said.

Renate will continue to operate “at the current location” until the lease ends in late 2025, adding that it will “continue Renate’s operations, either in a different form at the current location or at a new site”.

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In March 2023, Renate announced that it was teaming up with Berlin club ELSE to launch a new venue in Friedrichshain, M01. It’s unclear whether the club’s sister venue will continue to operate.

“Renate is and will remain a vital part of Berlin's club culture, and we will keep fighting to ensure it continues to be a place of music, dance, and community in the future," the team said.

Wilde Renate first opened in an abandoned apartment block in Friedrichshain in 2007. Over the years, the venue has hosted renowned parties including Pretty Ugly and Marlon Hoffstadt's Savour The Moment.

In 2020, a former Wilde Renate employee told Mixmag about instances of racism that he was subjected to by colleagues while working at the club. The club published a statement shortly after in response to the allegations, claiming they were "deeply sorry for what happened and for the hurt that was caused."

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