Dancing at Kater Blau: My First Time Clubbing in Berlin
Kater Blau. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
I didn’t know clubbing was such a thing in Berlin until last summer (what?! you’re thinking). The more I went down that Internet rabbit hole, the more intrigued I was about Berlin’s dance clubs.
The consent factor in Berlin’s nightlife culture was a huge deciding factor for me to try it out. After some unpleasant groping incidents at the clubs and social dancing bars back home, I stopped going to those sorts of events, but I was curious what Berlin had to offer that was different.
I also had an affinity for techno music from my youth, despite never having followed it, so I was excited to experience live techno music.
In my last 3 days there, I went to Kater Blau, the Body Language party, and Berghain (!), in that order This article will focus on Kater Blau.
Entrance Fee: €20 (Friday)
Suggested Amount to Take: €50
*Note: no cameras are allowed in Berlin clubs, so I don’t have any photographs of the interior.
The Buildup
Berlin’s nightlife is shrouded in a sea of mystery, and I’m glad I wasn’t the only person nervous about getting past the bouncer.
I enlisted a girl from my hostel to come with me, and she brought along another girl whom she’d met at a conference, also visiting Berlin. Neither of them had been clubbing in this city before.
We originally decided to go to KitKatClub (“KitKat” for short). It’s supposed to be one of the cooler places to get into (and also harder to get into). We looked up some clubwear images online, and the other two girls went shopping. I had the fortune of having a friend in Berlin who let me raid her wardrobe, so I picked out some accessories from her (kitty-ears headband and gold necklace) and paired them with a black mesh sports bra and bright aquamarine jeans. I threw my red peacoat on over that.
Waiting in line at Kater Blau. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be wearing all black, unless you’re going someplace extremely specific like Berghain or attending a theme party. In fact, my friend told me I looked more like a real Berliner in my colour outfit than the other girls, who opted for all-black lace shirts and skirts.
You do, however, have the option of going all-out. I originally planned to wear a tiny white tutu I’d borrowed from my friend with black mesh stockings that showed quite a lot of bum, but I chickened out of that and switched to the jeans. There’s a first time for everything, and nobody’s forcing you to do more or less than you’re comfortable with.
On the night of, the girls and I met up for dinner at Restaurant Mittmann’s near KitKat. We were all impressed with their large portions of authentic German cuisine (although, I’ll leave the authenticity judging of it to locals). We also ordered some alcohol to calm our nerves. This was when we all agreed to not engage in any drugs, sex, or following strangers away; we’d stay close together at all times and just dance.
Note: Restaurant Mittmann’s only accepts cash, so make sure to bring enough for both food and the club! ALWAYS bring cash for the club.
The waitress eventually had to shoo us out because they had to close. We had some time on our hands, so after more ATM and cash mishaps (I even returned to my hostel to grab more), we bought a bottle of champagne and sat down on a bench outside the convenience store to drink up.
We didn’t have the courage to go up to KitKat’s door yet, and I could feel our uncertainty affecting our moods. When we arrived, there wasn’t a line yet, so we weren’t sure if the entrance was, well, the entrance. We’d walked by it several times already, trying to seem inconspicuous.
Several groups of partygoers were having pre-drinks like us, and we noticed many of them were men in next-to-nothing latex straps.
After we finished the bottle and a line had formed, we finally got up and tried our luck. I think it was around 10:30 PM by this time.
KitKat (Rejection)
A young boy had come up to us at the bench, and, being the only one of our group who understood German, one of the girls translated that he wanted to come in with us. The bouncer hadn’t let him in before because he was a single male, and that always looks suspicious to them (safety reasons, to protect the integrity of club culture in Berlin).
It was a bit awkward, but we let him come with us to the line. Once we got to the front, the bouncer gave us all a quick once-over and then spoke. Our German-speaking friend replied to the bouncer’s questions. We didn’t get in.
I asked what he said, and she said stuff like, “Who’s playing tonight? What’s the name of the party?” etc. Information that, as all true and local partygoers know, you should read up on beforehand. It’s all posted online. Not knowing, in Berlin, shows you don’t really care about the theme or are “just another tourist.”
Ah, well. Turns out that weekend’s theme (they party all weekend) was something geared toward gay men.
I was still determined to try out a club, so I suggested we go to nearby Kater Blau. One rejection wasn’t going to put our efforts to waste.
The girls agreed, and we set off. The boy who’d wanted to join us followed at a distance for a while but eventually disappeared.
Kater Blau — The Lineup
Kater Blau, according to netizens, is much more tourist-friendly. I could feel from the group energy in line that there were many visitors just like us who wanted in on the action. The club is located by the waterfront, and the lineup passes under a bridge.
It wasn’t particularly chilly, and we only waited in line for about 30 minutes. There was a standard bouncer dressed in black at the door and another skinnier man beside him, dressed in a bright red unitard. When it was our turn, the man in red didn’t ask questions like the KitKat bouncer had, and I didn’t feel him give an obvious outfit judge. The whole vibe was much more relaxed.
He shouted out the rules of the club while giving us stickers to cover our phone cameras with. The golden rule: “Go in, have fun. But don’t make anyone uncomfortable. If you do, I will come and make YOU uncomfortable.”
We paid our €20 entrance fee at the ticket booth, and they stamped a mark on the back of our hands.
Then he pulled the stanchion rope aside and ushered us in.
Kater Blau — Inside the Club
Kater Blau is full of graffiti. There’s a very grungy look to the place mixed with bohemian. The main area is a medium-sized open-air space with sofas and bar chairs. It was pretty crowded. If I had to remember Kater Blau with a colour theme, it’d be green and blue.
Image provided by Unsplash
Curtains mark the entrance and exit. On the inside to the left are the toilets. Something you should know about Toilet Culture: it’s where people go to do drugs (even though you’re not supposed to bring those into the club), smoke, have lengthy chats, and other activities. We definitely heard a couple having sex in one of the stalls during a break.
Also, the toilets in clubs are definitely not the most hygienic, and it’s not uncommon to get stuck with no toilet paper. Bring your own sanitizer or alcohol wipes if you need a little extra protection.
At the end of the space is the coat check room and more toilets. Coat check costs around €5. There’s really no orderly line for this, so it depends more on who can get the attention of the attendants first.
Then we headed back near the entrance, where there’s a bar, and ordered some drinks. Partygoers lounged lazily on the sofas, and cigarette smoke filtered through the air. It’s a strange thing, to be in club where no one had their phone out.
Kater Blau has two DJ rooms, one on each side of the space. We chose the one on the left and ended up in the larger of the two.
Kater Blau — The Large Room
Both rooms make you walk into a twisting dark hallway that opens up onto the space. The first room has some steps that lead down onto the main dancefloor, but you can dance wherever you want. Just be careful of these steps if you’re dancing on or near them.
The music in this room had a strong beat and drops, and you’re very much right up in front of the DJ, who’s playing on a slightly taller platform. He smoked while he played.
Fog sprayed out at regular intervals, and it doused the whole place in blurry obscurity, so that all you could focus on was the music and the lights. I remember the LED lights flashing red and blue. It’s a complete sensory experience.
One thing I learned about dancing in Berlin is that everyone stays in their own little square (there’s not enough space to move further out, anyway). A bit of accidental brushing or bumping is inevitable, but not once did anyone grope me inappropriately. If someone is interested in you, they ask for consent. Of course, this is the ideal situation, and there’s no telling what actually goes in these places, but Berlin clubs are generally safer for both women. Plus, they are very LGBTQ2+ friendly.
We positioned ourselves near the front, at the DJ’s. Once we had enough of this room, we tried out the second.
Kater Blau — The Small Room
This room is much smaller and, for some reason, has a tree growing right in the middle of it. (Was it actually a tree, or is my memory playing tricks on me? I’m no stranger to obstructions, since Canadian architecture loves having huge poles smack dab in the centre of the room, and my high school had two trees growing in the atrium, so I’m going to say it was a tree.)
When you walk in, you’ll notice another bar. I get the feeling this room has a reputation for being “the smoking room.” Cigarette fumes polluted the air like you wouldn’t imagine.
There are also some steps along the outskirts of this room. The lights didn’t change as much here, and the music was more acid-style — slower and more bass-y. If the first room gave me “purple” impressions, this room gave me “green.”
I was surprised at how fast I developed preferences. While the music was still good, I didn’t like it as much as the first room’s. There are people who prefer acid house over more energetic beats, so it completely depends on you.
What left the strongest impression here was seeing a wheelchair user swaying and dancing to the beat just like everyone else. At one point, they stood up against the tree, arms never stopping their bopping motion.
The reason people are so attracted to Berlin nightlife is the culture of acceptance. I’d never seen a wheelchair user dance to EDM like that before, and I was so glad to have seen what’s possible in the night.
We spent a shorter time here and headed back to the first room.
The Wrap-Up
After another bout of dancing in the first room, it was about 1 AM, and we decided that was enough excitement for one night. We gave our coat check numbers back to the attendants and left through the exit curtain.
It felt almost unceremonious, really, what with the hyped-up entrance. Once you leave, you can’t go back in, so make sure you’re absolutely done for the night if you decide to head out — unless you’re going to another club.
Berliners can be hardcore; they’ll party all weekend from Friday night to Monday morning if they want. The clubs are usually only open from that time frame for that purpose.
I didn’t go out for an early breakfast, but I’ve heard some places open early to cater to the weekend crowds.
Was it awesome? Yes. Would I go again? Absolutely.
Kater Blau isn’t just for tourists; locals love it too. Someone told me this club always has great music, so if you’re an audio aficionado, Kater might be for you.
I wish I’d taken note of the artists’ names. Some people follow their favourite DJ’s religiously, and it helps to know who’re going to see before you get into the club. Unfortunately, official club websites are not known to be the most user- and timeline-friendly, so it’s difficult to find out past artists once the event has happened.
Point is, if you hear somebody you like, get their name!!!
I’ve never been one for constant clubbing, so there’s no need to copy the party locals, but I highly recommend dancing in Berlin at least once in your lifetime. It’s an experience, not an attraction.
Who knows? Maybe I’m more of a party animal than I thought, and more time in Berlin will bring out sides of me I didn’t know I had.
Tip: For the latest parties and theme events in Berlin, check out Resident Advisor.
Image provided by Unsplash