The most exclusive nightclub in the world might actually be the most inclusive
You could wait in line for six hours. There are no shortcuts or VIPs. You don't deserve to be here more than anyone else.
The rain pours down the industrial streets of East Berlin, but it doesn’t deter any of the people in the queue ahead of you. The line to Berghain is shaped into a snake by zigzagging barricades, and the club opens sharply at 11:59 p.m. on Friday. You arrived early to increase your chances of entry, as advised by Sven Marquardt, the most infamous nightlife gatekeeper alive.
There’s a parallel between the cunning bouncer’s all-black ensemble, tattooed face, lower-lip piercings, and don’t-give-a-damn attitude and the vibe that all the attendees, including you, are desperate to serve. The German city is known as the world’s techno capital, and Berghain is the eye of its musical hurricane.
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It’s ironic how hard people try to look like they’re not trying. The fashion merges everything from t-shirts and jeans to punk rock and bondage. A social group spanning leather daddies, lawyers, ravers, college girls, and, of course, tourists disguised as locals await their hopeful turn to get lost within Berghain’s massive concrete estate of various techno worlds.
The building looks like a correction facility, covered in graffiti, except no one wants to be sent home. More than half of them will. Sure, other nightclubs might have higher rejection rates, but money and beauty are worthless here, which have typically fueled the engine of nightlife.
If you’re lucky enough to be waved inside, you will receive a stamp that grants you the freedom to leave and re-enter for a €5 fee in addition to the €20 ticket price. This luxury should not be taken for granted, considering the party lasts until 9 a.m. on Monday.
Then again, this assumes the bouncer won’t sense your nervousness. The rain has stopped, and you realize it’s sweat dripping down your neck as the line inches closer. Remember the most common advice from thousands of Berghain regulars, rejects, and wannabes on the internet: keep cool; you’re meant to be here. Acting won’t do any good—feel it ingrained in your blood and bones like your queerness.
After all, Berghain history stems beyond when it was founded by two gay party promoters, Michael Teufele and Norbert Thormann, in 2004. Their journey to techno greatness began running the gay club Snax in the 1990s, which recently celebrated 30 years. Its no-frills attitude makes it apparent how Berghain came to life, as shown in their promotional advertising: “Pervy party, men only, play safe, no to them! Dress code: fetish gear only!”
In 1998, the duo masterminds signed a lease on a grey, nondescript factory building that previously had been used for train repairs. They called the club Ostgut, which did not cater to sexuality, only techno lovers.
DJ and producer Daniel Wang told Medium, “It didn’t even have a street address. If you looked it up on a map, it was just a big, vacant lot. There were no street lights; you had to fumble your way through the dark until you’d see the entrance and the doormen in their boots and bomber jackets.”
When the German capital acquired the railway zone for construction, Teufele and Thormann combined the identity of all their nightlife efforts into one beast, named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. This is why you’re here. No matter what people say, they all agree: it’s worth it if you truly love underground techno. The club’s mission accomplished. There are rumors that Berghain gives preference to gays. But tales and folklore won’t help you at a place that has managed to keep its door policy shrouded in myth and legend.
You mentally practice answering questions about which DJs are playing and try to ignore the two girls behind you commenting on the ridiculousness of the line. Do they know nothing?! It will enrage you if they get in instead of you, a fate allegedly already decided. Marquardt and his assisting bouncers are rumored to determine who will be allowed entry before you reach the entrance. With secret eyes where you’d least expect them – maybe the annoying girls are paid bait – they filter out tourists, posers, the inebriated, and any signs of drama. Anyone speaking would be wise to do so only in German.
Berghain is the second most notorious club in the world, second only to the immortalized memories of New York’s Studio54. Even Plastic in Milan, dubbed the Studio54 of Europe, hasn’t come close to achieving the kind of worldwide fame as Berlin’s most legendary party enclave. Historically, the most celebrated clubs have merged queerness and straightness into a phenomenon of “club kids” culture, a torch still proudly carried by the remaining living eccentric personalities who helped pave it.
In a way, these larger-than-life nightlife venues reflect a perfect world where straight clubs and gay clubs are not separate from each other – where identity doesn’t dictate your sense of belonging. It’s all about the music, the fun, and the human connection.
In his Die Nacht Ist Leben memoir, Marquardt echoes Berghain’s swirl of sexualities in nightlife.
“I don’t mind letting in the odd lawyer in a double-breasted suit with his Gucci-Prada wife. If they make a good impression, let them in. We also take guys in masks and kilts, or Pamela Anderson blondes in run-of-the-mill high-street outfits who tag along with bearded blokes, licking the sweat off each others’ armpits.”
In a column for Paper, New York party it-girl Linux confirmed the glorious diversity when she made it past the dragon’s den: “Countless people from all walks of life, countries of origins, tax brackets and sexual orientations come to this techno center of the universe with one common attribute: coolness.”
Ironically, a club that has taken every measure to preserve its underground mystique is the most renowned in the world. But is it worth it when there are so many fun and lively queer spaces that will welcome you with open arms? You quickly kick that insecure thought to oblivion—a rookie mistake.
Yes, you’re offering your ego up for the slaughterhouse, but you’re doing so without hesitation. That’s the point! There are no shortcuts or VIPs. You don’t deserve to be here more than anyone else. You want this. You need this. And if you’re turned down, you will try again another time.
You step to the front of the line and take a subtle breath. One of the bouncers will say a polite “Wilkommen” or “Nein” without the slightest hint of attitude. That’s the beauty of the inclusivity in their exclusivity: it has nothing to do with you.
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