The Clubcommission Berlin held their press conference for the release of the club culture stats on the top deck of Hoppetosse, the city’s infamous floating boat transformed into a club – a fitting setting for the discussion. The conclusion? Club culture isn’t dead! Phew. But we’re not out of the woods yet. Dance floors remain pretty full these days, so why are the cash registers empty? The Clubcommission has some ideas, as well as proposed solutions, but everyone can agree: there are some big hurdles to overcome.
The release of the findings from a study conducted by Goldmedia about the status of clubs was discussed by some big guns: founder of Goldmedia, Professor Dr Klaus Goldhammer, the state secretary for economy, energy and business, Michel Biel, and two members of the Clubcommission, Kai Sachse and Katharin Ahrend. They conducted the study in a few parts. The quantitative side surveyed clubs (and many of those clubs answered the call – 102, to be exact), as well as a qualitative study asking young people (22-28) about their take on clubbing.
Map of Club Closures and Openings
The study found that the perception that clubs are dying is a bit of a stretch. In the time period since 2020, 24 clubs closed but 25 opened. Cool. But are they profitable? That’s another question entirely. In 2025, 39% of the surveyed clubs reported operating at a loss, compared to 21% in 2017. And those making profit? Only 30%. The study looked into why that was the case, and between all of the different reasons, a few stood out. People have less money to spend in general and, more specifically, people are spending way less money on alcohol. The qualitative surveys confirmed this: the younger generation just isn’t drinking as much, and this has changed the landscape significantly. Sixty percent of clubs reported an increase in the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages and 73% reported a decrease in the consumption of alcoholic beverages. People are either not drinking or drinking less in clubs. This probably isn’t a huge shock given the dialogue around Gen-Z’s behaviours, but it does explain why it feels like the entrance fee to clubs keeps going up. It’s one of the only ways clubs can keep their doors open.
This presents a whole pile of problems. Clubs are no longer accessible to those with lower incomes. Tourists are less interested because it’s so expensive. At the end of the day, clubs can’t make ends meet. The biggest reported reason for the financial difficulties was the raising cost of personnel (63% of clubs reported this as a pain point). Surprisingly, high rent was only reported by 54%, beat out by operating costs (62%) and less purchasing power from the public (60%). Still, very few clubs have a secure situation. Most are renting their space (only 8% own) and 31% have short-term leases that last for less than five years. So what can be done about all of this?
Club Profitability and Income Breakdown
Michael Biel from the Senatsverwaltung assured the press that, “The Clubcommission has the Senate’s ear.” He stressed that the international perception of Berlin, and thus its economic future, are intertwined with club culture. He expanded, “There’s a sentiment that Berlin is spoken about negatively, especially following the closure of clubs like SchwuZ and Watergate.” A general pessimism about the city has landed not only here, but internationally. What’s bad for Berlin’s image is bad for Berlin.
Biel also offered some hope of structural solutions he would like to work on with the Clubcommission, in light of the study. First of all, clubs need their own sector in the Senatsverwaltung to get rid of bureaucratic red tape. But the big point of discussion was funding. Clubs need help. Luckily, there were some concrete ideas being thrown into the ring – like giving clubs a €1 subsidy per head – that had worked in other cities. There’s a discussion. There are ideas. There’s reason to be optimistic. But whether that optimism translates into action… Let’s see.
