One of Berlin’s most iconic clubs, Watergate, will close its doors permanently by the end of 2024. The club’s operators explained the reasons behind their decision, citing financial pressures and changes in club culture.
Watergate, located along the Spree River at the Oberbaum Bridge in Kreuzberg, will shut down permanently on New Year’s Eve 2024. The club’s management announced the closure on Instagram on Tuesday morning, following a report from the Berliner Zeitung. “With heavy hearts, we have decided not to renew the lease,” the operators wrote. They stated that, given the rising costs and shifts in the club scene, this was “the only reasonable and responsible decision.”
Impact of pandemic and cultural shifts
Ulrich Wombacher, one of the three managing directors, explained to Berliner Zeitung that the club had struggled to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic. “People just didn’t come back,” he said, referencing the lack of return to pre-pandemic attendance levels.
Final events planned
Before closing its doors for good, Watergate will host a series of events for guests in the months leading up to the final New Year’s Eve party. The club, which opened in 2002 in a former office building along the Spree, was recently recognized in April of this year as one of the top 100 clubs in the world.
