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Berlin’s Watergate nightclub will close with New Year’s Eve last dance
Upmarket Kreuzberg club blames economic pressures, a pandemic hangover and Berlin’s dated image as factors leading to end of 22-year party
In an interview with Berliner Zeitung newspaper, co-founder Ulrich Wombacher cited numerous reasons for the closure, including financial pressure brought by inflation and rising energy prices, a younger generation’s preference for outdoor rather than indoor music events, high wages commanded by top DJs, and a decrease in cheap flights bringing tourists to the city. Watergate, which is located next to the Oberbaumbrücke bridge in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district and has a downstairs “Water Room” looking into the river Spree, was founded in 2002 by Wombacher, Steffen Hack and Niklas Eichstädt. Originally specialising in drum’n’bass with the occasional hip-hop and R’n’B night, Watergate has over the years transformed into one of the city’s more upmarket venues, whose high-profile deep-house and techno DJs draw crowds from across Europe.
Or read this on The Guardian
