As anyone who is aware of the clubbing scene in Berlin, I knew of Berghain’s notoriety. Famous for being highly exclusive and hosting the best 24/7 parties with the best DJs, I myself wanted a slice of the action. Over the past few months that I have lived in the city, I have tried 3 times, unsuccessfully, but as they say, 4th time is a charm.
I won’t explain all of the details of the club and what it’s like inside, because that spoils the allure and everything the club stands for. The reason why they allow no photography and only want certain people in the club is because they want to create a comfortable and dynamic environment for party goers. They don’t want gawpers or tourists. They want their clubbers to feel at ease to do whatever they please, and they don’t want a smartphone shoved in people’s faces. Of course, there is an element of arrogance and I’m sure the bouncers are on a power trip when they are able to turn so many people away, but I understand what they are trying to achieve.
Admittedly I have read many forums and posts similar to these detailing every aspect of the club, mainly focusing on the door policy and what to expect inside so when I finally found my place on the dark dance floors I was a little underwhelmed with the experience. I had built up this image in my head and was having a hard time matching it to the reality. With the banging techno and the topless sweaty men dancing in a factory setting, it reminded me of the Simpsons episode when Homer takes Bart to a gay club by mistake.
I would love to go again to consolidate my opinion of Berghain, and of course to party, but I am very glad I can put my mind to rest over what it is truly like and stop worrying if I am worthy or ‘cool.’
I can offer a few tips if you wanted to go yourself. Here are my top three.
1) If you don’t get in, try again. Standing in the queue in the first place will maybe point you in the right direction to understand this scene. The first time and any time I queued I enjoyed people watching and looking at what people wore and how they carried themselves. If you don’t get in in the first place, then don’t worry, you can always try again. I think by the time I was successful, they might have recognised my face perhaps, or I had learnt from my previous mistakes. Also, you have to understand that they want to create an atmosphere in the club, and if they have too many of the same type of person then they won’t let anymore in.
2) Take an interest in the music that is playing and learn a bit about their residence DJs as well as the history of the club. If you don’t even like the music in the first place, why are you even going? I assure you, if you don’t like techno or dance music, then you are wasting your time. The club doesn’t like posers. When I went, I went because some of my favourite DJs were playing and I was just lucky to get in to see them.
Here’s the Berghain program - http://berghain.de/events/
3) If you don’t get into Berghain, always have a back up plan. Don’t devote your time to queuing for the club to wind up disappointed and going home not partied out. If you are just visiting the city or you can see the queue is gonna be super long, don’t even bother. Berlin has so many other amazing clubs to offer, and a 2 hour wait to be told no is just not worth it, trust me. If you can, befriend someone who can get you on the guest list, or go at certain time such as sunday morning when it won’t be as busy.