Berlin Wants to Turn Its Outdoor Public Spaces Into Open-air Clubs

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to affect people the world over, going to the club just isn't in the cards right now. But the city of Berlin, Germany is finding a creative way to let people dance to their hearts' content while still staying safe.

According to Time Out, city authorities in Berlin are asking to convert outdoor spaces into open-air nightclubs for club venues to rent out as coronavirus lockdown and social distancing measures continue in the country.

While the city is enjoying beer gardens and other outdoor venues, it is distinctly missing the colorful lights and techno beats of the city's clubs, according to Time Out. After all, Berlin is practically synonymous with a bustling nightclub scene. "Berlin misses its diverse club scene," said city economics minister Ramona Pop to the Berliner Morgenpost. "That's why… we want to create legal opportunities to party in public areas for clubs and Berliners."

Pop told the German news outlet that these open-air clubs would be rolling out within the next couple of weeks, according to Time Out.

According to Deutsche Welle (DW), the open-air clubs are also a response to help stop underground parties and clubs from happening. Underground parties started by invitation-only groups are illegal and have the potential to undo progress to curb the virus spread, with one recent party hosting up to 3,000 people at a time, DW reported.

On average, however, these parties host between 50 and 1,500 people. Still, these large crowds can make social distancing much harder to do, and most of the time, they are broken up by police. Even outdoor parties can pose a risk if there are a lot of people, according to DW.

"We're discussing our idea with different districts. This will help to control parties and have a track on people attending them," Lutz Leichsenring from the Club Commission said to DW. "This way, organizers will follow necessary hygiene measures, otherwise, people will continue throwing illegal open-air parties as long as it's summer."