The city\u2019s most iconic clubs are notoriously difficult to get into. And as it turns out, pants are optional<\/p>\n
Author of the article:<\/p>\n
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Washington Post<\/p>\n
Natalie B. Compton, The Washington Post<\/p>\n
Published May 12, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 8 minute read<\/p>\n
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Berlin\u2019s legendary nightclub Berghain by light of day. Photo by Mathias Lochner \/ADOBE STOCKArticle content<\/p>\n
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.<\/p>\n
BERLIN \u2014 Even in the light of a Thursday afternoon, Berghain looks impenetrable. The former power plant turned nightlife venue is housed in a massive brutalist building, its base covered in graffiti. A maze of metal barricades stands ready to wrangle the club\u2019s notorious line.<\/p>\n
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Since the advent of social media, Berghain has become one of the most famous clubs in the world for its state-of-the-art sound system, anything-goes kinky atmosphere and notoriously strict door policy. Getting in has gone from a fringe experience for techno enthusiasts to a rite of passage for the average young(ish) tourist. It\u2019s not that everyone suddenly got into electronic music. It\u2019s about the bragging rights. Most people are turned away at the door at the whim of bouncers.<\/p>\n
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There are endless videos online of travellers recounting their attempts. There\u2019s even a video game \u201csimulator\u201d to practice the screening process. Money and fame cannot guarantee entry, as Elon Musk allegedly learned in 2022.<\/p>\n
As lore of the club has spread, the line to get in has grown. Some people have waited up to 10 hours, and the odds are not in the waiter\u2019s favour \u2014 tourists and locals alike.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t call yourself a Berliner without having been rejected at Berghain at least once,\u201d said Jeff Mannes, a tour guide, social scientist and sex teacher, who\u2019s been both accepted and rejected at the door.<\/p>\n
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Jeff Mannes is a social scientist, tour guide and sex educator in Berlin who hosts nightlife tours. Photo by Natalie Compton \/THE WASHINGTON POST<\/p>\n
But Berghain is just one club in a city synonymous with nightlife, and not representative of the scene as a whole.<\/p>\n
A common misconception is that Berlin\u2019s club culture only exists in extremes with \u201cdrugs and chaos and excess,\u201d Ralf Ostendorf, a spokesperson for Visit Berlin, said in an email.<\/p>\n
Instead, \u201cthere is a strong emphasis on music quality, community, and self-expression,\u201d he continued. \u201cMany people actually go primarily for art, sound and atmosphere and some spaces feel closer to cultural institutions than \u2018clubs.’\u201d<\/p>\n
I booked Mannes\u2019s \u201cUltimate Berlin Club Tour\u201d to get a primer before trying to experience a few of them myself. Like many travellers, I love to find opportunities to get to know a place through a local custom. Berlin\u2019s club scene felt like an important slice of life to investigate.<\/p>\n
But being married, monogamous, mid-\u201930s and with my wildest days of partying behind me, I felt out of my depth. Where does an outsider even start?<\/p>\n
On a Friday night, my husband, Dan, and I followed the advice of a server at dinner and ventured to Crack Bellmer, a modest venue in East Berlin where we danced to house music. There was no line to get in, and the place was sparsely populated. We were way too early, even at midnight.<\/p>\n
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Berlin has no nightlife curfew, which has given way to a tradition of marathon partying. That\u2019s not hyperbole. Some people bring toothbrushes into Berghain knowing they could be inside for days if they get in.<\/p>\n
\u201cA weekend party means starting on Friday and going to bed on Sunday evenings,\u201d said Robert Sommer, a tour guide and historian who grew up in East Berlin.<\/p>\n
Some people stay awake with party drugs, others with disco naps back at home between parties.<\/p>\n
The novelty of it all may also keep you going.<\/p>\n
![\"Barbara](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BTW-BerlinClubs-XIRL474OHRDGBPXMFDCG6TOEGY-1.jpg\")
Barbara Woolsey, who DJs under the name babxi. Photo by Unfamiliar Festival<\/p>\n
On Saturday night around 3 a.m., Dan tapped out after we hit Kater Club at Holzmarkt 25 and I continued on solo to KitKatClub, a popular venue Mannes had shown me on my tour, known for its kinky fetish parties \u2014 potentially shocking for outsiders but commonplace in Berlin.<\/p>\n
Since Berlin\u2019s clubs were often built by marginalized communities, they often served as \u201csafer spaces for marginalized people,\u201d Mannes said, \u201cand in some cases, also for people who want to explore their sexuality.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Berghain was born out of gay fetish parties, and \u2014 like other clubs including KitKat \u2014 remains a place where public sex is sanctioned (so is semipublic sex, taking place with more privacy in dedicated rooms).<\/p>\n
When I got to the door, the bouncer said I could come in if I took my pants off.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d got dressed that night with a Berghain attempt in mind, and followed the advice of a friend who had been before. He recommended combing my hair into a \u201csevere\u201d slicked-back bun and wearing a black leotard. The best I could do was a black one-piece swimsuit. In absolute opposition to the vibe, I couldn\u2019t bring myself to leave my hotel room so exposed and slipped on black cotton pants and my navy chore coat over the ensemble. Now I looked modest enough to go to a museum.<\/p>\n
But at the KitKat coat check, I dropped trou and proceeded into the club\u2019s labyrinth in my swimsuit. I soon realized I would have been in good company in my underwear alone \u2014 or even fully bottomless. Club goers dressed in lingerie, leather gladiator skirts, demon horn headpieces, glittering pasties and complicated harnesses. Some wore only the shoes on their feet. I danced in a sea of sweaty bodies, feeling free and anonymous \u2014 albeit a little guilty for not being there to partake in the more \u2026 intimate affairs going on.<\/p>\n
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MINQ, a DJ from New Orleans who moved to Berlin in the summer of 2016, told me tourists should feel welcome going to clubs, so long as they come with the right attitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy rules are that it doesn\u2019t matter who you are, where you come from,\u201d they said. \u201cThe people I like to party with are people who like to contribute to the environment and not just people who are there to consume the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Barbara](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BTW-BerlinClubs-YXMQUT4LZECHV5OQPN5ELOJEMI-1.jpg\")
Barbara Woolsey has lived in Berlin for more than a decade and became a DJ a few years ago. Photo by Maria Ullrich \/UNFAMILIAR FESTIVAL<\/p>\n
Barbara Woolsey, a DJ who goes by the stage name babxi (pronounced \u201cBabsi\u201d), has a non-negotiable for Berlin\u2019s nightlife tourists: follow basic club etiquette, like don\u2019t use your phone on the dance floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis idea of get out your phone and film the whole thing \u2026 that\u2019s just such a vibe killer,\u201d Woolsey said.<\/p>\n
In fact, many venues have strict no-photo policies, asking patrons to put stickers over their phone cameras when they enter to protect those inside. The bouncer does a similar job at the door. Mannes said it\u2019s not necessarily about judging who\u2019s cool, but determining whether they\u2019ll play by the rules and contribute to the spirit of the place. Some venues \u2014 including Berghain and KitKat \u2014 also have \u201cawareness teams\u201d available for club-goers to report any misconduct once inside.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s not a perfect system. Last year, Berlin police investigated a claim of an alleged sexual assault at Berghain, and KitKatClub has also faced sexual assault claims, among other controversies.<\/p>\n
After a recent allegation, KitKatClub\u2019s founders said in a statement that \u201cunfortunately, it is not within our power to prevent every crime in our space; people, with their desires and personal histories, are simply too complex.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mannes gives a similar message to his tour clients.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to talk about \u2018safer\u2019 spaces and not \u2018safe\u2019 spaces because I don\u2019t think that a 100 per cent safe space can exist,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have clubs like KitKat, where many different communities come together that might have different consent languages, there\u2019s, of course, always a reason for potential conflicts,\u201d Mannes continued. \u201cSo learning about consent and different consent rules is crucial, really, before you go to these spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew I was not the target demographic, but I couldn\u2019t write this story without a swing at Berghain. So deep into Saturday night, ill-advised cotton pants back on, I hopped on an e-bike and headed over to begin my humiliation ritual.<\/p>\n
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In line, I smoked a cigarette to play it cool, feeling deeply uncool behind a lithe, androgynous couple wearing outfits worthy of a Spice Girls photo shoot circa 1997.<\/p>\n
Many people advise sticking to all black, although I\u2019ve heard plenty of stories of people gaining entry in hiking clothes, sundresses or jeans. Mannes told me he was dressed casual the first time he got in, and turned away a time he was fully clad in leather.<\/p>\n
After just 20 minutes of waiting (a Berghain miracle), it was my turn at the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old are you?\u201d the bouncer asked.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t remember. My heart pounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm, 34! I\u2019m 34!\u201d I finally said.<\/p>\n
The bouncer walked over to his associate, whispering something in his ear. He came back and let me down easy, something along the lines of: \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I can\u2019t let you in tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
I licked my wounds and walked to Tresor, another famous club in a power plant that Mannes told me \u201cbrought techno from Detroit\u2019s Black community to Berlin in the beginning of the \u201990s.\u201d It was huge and cavernous, hazy with smoke machines.<\/p>\n
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Stamp evidence of the author\u2019s night out in Berlin. Photo by Natalie Compton \/THE WASHINGTON POST<\/p>\n
After 6 a.m., I decided to give Berghain one last shot. Maybe there\u2019d be a new bouncer now that the sun was up? As I approached, I recognized the face at the door. The face recognized me back. Curses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still can\u2019t let you in,\u201d my familiar bouncer said.<\/p>\n
MINQ, who\u2019s been to Berghain on multiple occasions, said I didn\u2019t miss out entirely.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou suffer outside. The line sucks. You stand outside for hours, maybe it\u2019s raining or snowing \u2026 no one\u2019s talking,\u201d they said. (There\u2019s a myth that you\u2019ll have a better chance of entry if you do not talk, smile or laugh in line.) \u201cThe last time I remember trying to go there, so many people were skipping the lines that I was just like, \u2018I don\u2019t want to party with you people if you\u2019re so unfriendly outside,\u2019 so I left and went somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woolsey also made me feel better about my rejection. Sure, partying for hours (or days) at Berghain is a \u201cspecial, once-in-your-lifetime thing to do,\u201d she said, and worth trying to experience.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBut if that\u2019s going to just eat up your entire day and you\u2019re not going to see anything else,\u201d she said, \u201cthere are at least 10 other clubs in Berlin where you can go and really properly get that Berlin feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woolsey suggests checking out the events website Resident Advisor, where you can find cool smaller parties with shorter lines. If you don\u2019t want to subject yourself to lines and door deliberation at all, you can also look for events where you can buy tickets in advance.<\/p>\n
Poke around the site for a few minutes and you\u2019ll see there\u2019s something for everybody, from the usual suspects (techno, house), as well as \u201cmore niche, different sounds,\u201d Woolsey said. That could be pop, Afrobeats, disco or classical music at dark raves in industrial warehouses or colourful, open-air parties in the city\u2019s parks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just young people that love it,\u201d Woolsey said. \u201cIt\u2019s really people of all ages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alternatively, you could always microdose a club adventure in a Teledisko, a coin-operated, phone-booth-size contraption that bills itself as the \u201cworld\u2019s smallest nightclub.\u201d You can find them scattered around the city. No bouncer, no line.<\/p>\n
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