Watergate, the Berlin club, which celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2017, says the only way to counter the spike in costs is to “expand conceptually.”
A spokesperson for the Falckensteinstraße spot, which turns 15 this year, describes the club as a victim of its own success and that it “inadvertently contributed to gentrification” in the area. Steffen “Stoffel” Hack, who set up the venue alongside Ulrich Wombacher in 2002, adds that “In unbridled capitalism, the market regulates the price and there is no protection of business tenants or rental ceilings to counter this, [which] leaves the successful management of Watergate on very fragile terrain. In the end, we will all leave.”
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Watergate says the only way to counter the spike in rent is to “expand conceptually as well as in terms of content.” To start with, it will celebrate its 15th anniversary with an extensive world tour, hosting events at various clubs and festivals in Brazil, Russia, France, Morocco, Spain and more. A handful of these will go down in Berlin, with the likes of Solomun (April 29th), Soul Clap (August 5th) and Hot Since 82 (December 1st) stopping by. See below for the full list of dates announced so far.