Germany's nightlife in danger: Club forever Clubs?

Germany's nightlife in danger: Club forever Clubs?

The German club scene faces an unprecedented change. Using the example of Krefeld, it becomes clear how much nightlife suffers. The trend in the city is clear: the starting loses attractiveness. In particular, the celebrations on New Year's Eve have been shaped by uncertainties since it became known that there will be no traditional New Year's party this year. " WZ reports that visiting party goers have to pursue alternative opportunities in the changed nightlife. However, many people remember the lively New Year's parties of the past few years, in which clubs overturned goods.

The nightlife in Krefeld is not only struggling with the Covid 19 pandemic. Even before the crisis, well -known locations, such as the Königsburg area, which was demolished in 2018, and the Club Meilenstein at the main train station, which closed his gates before the pandemic, began to disappear. These developments raise the question of which alternatives for spontaneous celebrations still exist. For numerous Krefelders, this means to spend New Year's Eve on a small scale at home.

The decline in the discos

The situation is not limited locally, as a comprehensive analysis shows. According to the Neue Musikzeitung , the number of discos in Germany has almost halved over the past ten years. This applies in particular to metropolises such as Berlin, where clubs like "Wilde Renate" and "Watergate" close, while almost half of the clubs surveyed think about a permanent closure. The reasons are diverse: falling number of visitors, rising costs and poor state support. Ulrich Wombacher from the "Watergate" emphasizes that subsidies do not represent a real solution.

In addition, the Federal Association of Music Plays (Livekomm) speaks of an alarm sign for the industry: Almost two thirds of the clubs are in a worse economic situation than in the previous year. A sixth of the clubs is considering a closure for the next twelve months. The closures are a direct result of the changing leisure habits in particular of the younger generation. According to the current results of a survey by Havas, which responded 13,000 participants in 30 countries, it can be seen that Generation Z, which is between the ages of 18 and 25, is less interested in excessive nightlife.

new ways of meeting

The causes of the sunken enthusiasm of young people for nightlife are complex; Safety concerns, attacks and the influence of digital music services play a role. Many young adults decide to stay at home at the weekend, which questions the importance of clubs as social meeting points. Clubs have to adapt and find new approaches to win young people again. So Flo Paloma of ": // About Blank" does not see the developments as the dying of club culture, but as a transition to new forms of celebration.

Finally, it shows that nightlife is faced with huge challenges in Krefeld and beyond. It is to be hoped that creative solutions and support measures strengthen the cultural scene and that the clubs are preserved as places of encounter. With new events and creative uses, a renaissance of nightlife could be initiated, which meets the needs of those involved and restores the connection to club culture.