Over the years Berlin has become famous for its cultural scene, especially its nightlife and clubbing culture. People from all over the world visit the German capital to experience a night out in the famously libertine city. After the succesful transformation of the Tempelhof Airport into a leisure hotspot, the former Tegel Airport is bound to become the new place to be, as a new nightclub opened in the airport’s food court in September.
Opened for commercial aviation in 1974, Tegel Airport (TXL) used to be the main international airport of Berlin, handling the majority of air traffic to the city and serving over 24 million passengers in 2019. After the opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport, all of Tegel’s operations were gradually moved, the TXL serving its last flight on 8 November 2020 and being decommissioned as an airfield on 4 May 2021.
Most parts of the old airport had already been allocated for one of the biggest urbanisation projects in Europe, aiming to transform the premises into a “bustling hub of diversity focused on business, industry and science”, providing at the same time 5,000 new housing units.
However, there was still room for innovation, as the “Alte Frachtkantine”, the former canteen of the strikingly orange, brutalist building, remained unused. Until Turbulence, a group of 6 young artists, decided to transform it into the new place to be for a night out.
Taking over the 3,747 square metres of outdoor space, Turbulence equipped the former food court with a DJ booth, a stage for performance art, as well as enough seats in quieter spaces and even ping pong tables for those who want to leave the music more in the background and just relax. The new venue officially launched with the “Lift off” party on 30 September.
After a very successful lift off and another rave mid-October, Turbulence has announced that they are closing for the winter season, as the weather no longer permits the use of the outdoor space. However, Raulito, Jakob, Anna, Paula, Laura and Johannes, the masterminds behind the projects, are promising “big things for the open-air season next year”, remaining true to their values of inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability.
“Our club and festival culture is characterised by tolerance, solidarity and a clear “no” to any discriminatory behaviour”, turbulence states on their website, the Exberliner reporting the collective only books artists with backgrounds clear of anti-discriminatory behaviours or practices.
