In 1989, the fall of the Berlin wall ushered in the city’s reunification and an embrace of liberal values. It also brought the advent of the German techno music scene. This genre has permeated into German counter-culture through underground parties held in illegal venues such as power plants, hangers, and bunkers. The most prominent of these were E-Werk, Der Bunker, and Tresor (the last of which still thrives to this day.)
Over the decades, this scene has evolved into a mainstream staple of Berlin, which reigns as the techno capital of the world. The city’s most notable techno venue is the infamously exclusive club Berghain, which is notorious for its strict door policy. Though Berghain is but one of many hot spots in Berlin.
Looking for techno-infused nightlife options in Berlin? We’ve mixed together this list of the city’s best clubs:
Club OST
Nestled between Treptower Park and Ostkreuz, Club OST boasts that it “consciously focuses on musical gems with warm sounds from Berlin and the celestial planes.” For gay visitors, the club is most prominent as the newest home of the newly resurrected CockTail d’Amore. This techno dance party lives by its motto “inspiration, relaxation, and collective pleasure.”
Founded in 2009 by the Italian DJ duo Discodromo, this nomadic nightlife event has bopped between various Berlin locations before going on hiatus in 2022. CockTail d’Amore has started up again.
Warning, the event runs from midnight to noon the following day, so be sure to stay hydrated.
KitKat Club
Musical theatre queens may know the KitKat Club as the backdrop for Liza Minelli’s Academy Award-winning turn as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, which served as the inspiration for this real-life Berlin hotspot. It’s also home to Piep Show, KKC’s monthly pan-sexual techno party. Colorful, kinky costumes are highly encouraged, so be sure to pack your most extra ensembles.
M-BIA Club
This stark, industrial nightclub evokes the minimalist aesthetic of Berlin’s communist era, juxtaposed against the techno beats of the city’s freshest DJs. Heads up to our jet-setting circuit queens, M-BIA serves as one of the venues for Hustlaball 2023.
This club doesn’t accept cards, so be sure to snatch a stack of Euros before heading out for the night.
Renate
Renate also follows the Berlin techno club tradition of squatting in an abandoned structure. Originally an unrenovated apartment building, the nightlife venue that is Renate now features a troika of dance floors serving techno, house, and trippy beats. The musical acts are a mix of international and local DJ talent, and an outdoor courtyard is open during the summer, so you can take a breather from all the sweat-drenched twerking.
Tresor
Tresor, along with the now-defunct Der Bunker and E-Werk, played a major role in establishing Berlin’s then-nascent techno scene. Tresor started in 1988 as the Ufo Club and was an illegal, underground party held in the basement of a former department store. Its current incarnation reopened in 2007 in the decommissioned power plant Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Mitte, continuing the trope of Berlin techno venues’ use of derelict urban structures. Some may know Tresor as the home of the hypersexual dance party Herrensauna, which shuttered in 2021 due to COVID-19, but has since risen from the ashes like an MDMA-fueled phoenix.
