Berlin Searches for Outdoor Venues to Revitalize Club Scene in the Wake of COVID-19

Berlin's economic minister Romona Pop is calling upon district mayors to help revive their suffering club scene. 

"Clubs and bars are suffering economically during the corona crisis," Pop told the Berliner Morgenpost. That's why, in addition to providing immediate aid, we want to create legal opportunities to party in public areas for the clubs and Berliners." 

"Unfortunately, the time window for this is short, as the summer months are of central importance for open-air festivals," she continued. "It is therefore important to quickly put the industry in a position to realize at least part of its revenues via open-air events this summer."

Clubs in the city closed on March 14th, 2020. While some have reopened and thrown a handful of small day parties, there is currently no timeframe for when clubs will open to full capacity once again. However, some dedicated ravers have refused to be deterred by COVID-19 and officials are feeling the pressure to find a solution due to recent unrest In Stuttgart and Frankfurt. Reports of illegal raves have been occurring in Berlin for weeks, according to The Local.