German nightclubs reopen outdoors after long shutdown

In Berlin, some nightclubs started welcoming party people to their outdoor spaces on Pentecost weekend, as the industry makes tentative steps to reopen following a long shutdown due to the pandemic. Club owners have been fighting for survival since mid-March 2020 to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Many are now hoping that infection numbers will continue to decline and the vaccination campaign will go forward to be able to also hold outdoor events. Berlin's Club Commission represents nearly 200 clubs, about a quarter of which have outdoor spaces. Founded in 2000, it has been campaigning against the displacement of club culture from the inner city and for upgrading clubs to cultural venues. The representatives of the club scene have welcomed the German parliament's decision on May 7, 2021 that clubs and live venues with a demonstrable cultural connection will no longer be defined as places of entertainment, like brothels or gambling halls, but as cultural venues.