Door policy at the Berghain nightclub - Berlin

gay or not gay , that doesn't really matter. what actually matters - the 'no pix' signs...
bouncers are rude- sure, it is their job,they are not selling cakes there.
pity for the lost camera and the bad experience but 'life must go on' .

It was pretty harsh but at the same time I seem to remember at least one "no camera" sign whilst queueing to pay after being told a couple of times "no cameras"... They feel VERY strongly about that policy and if you stumbled upon a darkroom or the toilets, you may understand why. Anyway, Berghain is not the only club in Berlin/the World with that policy. First time I went they told me about the policy, I had noticed the sign anyway, so I took my camera out and they suggested that I check it in at the cloakroom.

I'm sorry you had a sh*t night but there are other clubs perhaps more suitable in Berlin where you won't be exposed to this kind of rudeness. Next visit pop over to this forum or the Resident Advisor and you'll get lots of great tips !

The "black bouncer" has a name. His name is Mike and he is head of security at Berghain for several years now. Mike is also a veteran in Berlin nightlife and has been working security clubs here for the last two decades. I know Mike well enough to know that the person who started this thread had to have run her mouth back to him. I have not asked Mike about this particular story but I have witnessed him lecture people before for taking photo's inside the club. If you listen to him without arguing back he will ask you to go downstairs with him to get a voucher ticket for the camera. He is not going to just throw you out on the street for taking a picture. I'm quite certain that the person who started this thread definitely mouthed off. Mike can come off as menacing at first sight but he has a heart of a gold. He is American so he is not going to play the foreigner card on you. As for your camera being stolen. I can't picture(no pun intended) anyone in security their doing that. If this really did happen you should of have made police report on it immediately.

As for the door selection policy of Berghain. I am not a big fan of it and neither is anyone else I know but they do an excellent job there of keeping the riff raff out. I do find their selection to be very random and unfair at times but they are very good at not letting those in the Proll/Meathead/Jock/Drunken Tourist category which is what the Berghain audience does not want to mixed in with. In my opinion if someone looks questionable then security should just ask them why they are interested in coming in. If they mention a few artists names who are playing on the night without reading it off of a flyer then the high chances are that person came to Berghain for the music. On the flip side of the coin if they had a less stringent door policy, their would not be enough room inside for everyone. So it surely is not an easy job there doing security & selection.

Regarding whether Berghain is a sex club. Yes for a small amount it can but for most it is an awesome venue for a night and day of dancing to underground techno & house one of the best club sound systems in the world. The audience is also not exclusively gay. I would say the audience between Berghain and Panorama upstairs is 50/50 regarding gay and straight.

Nobody deserves to be treated that way after paying to get in to somewhere. The signs are hanging arround....but don´t we all make mistakes??? And to steal from somebody is just f*ck*d up. Get your shit!!! Go to the Polizei!!!
What´s the big deal with the Berghain annyway??? One of the best in the world??? Ung ung!!!
I had heard so much about it and really wanted the experience...now I realise it´s been from people who still need to go and explore some more clubs.
I was there saturday. After being at great clubs all over the world i have to admit....it didn´t impress me much. First the door: with so manny people wanting to be in there...they must have this kind of controle and selection. That i agree with. The bouncer looked at me like i was disturbing him, up and down 3 times, then to point at me and say "you in". I felt good when i was admited in, after seing all those who got rejected...it gived me a feeling of exclusivity.
After this i was expecting a circus inside....didn´t happen.
The building was impressing....but that´s it. The b*tch*s at the guardrobe looked like they´re angry about something. And that hand clapping finger snapping "common common" shit gat to go!!! I pay to go in there and having you hanging my coat, so you might as well be happy for that. We are party goers and clubheads...dus happy people. We don´t need no sour a**hole ruining that. You are not popular...it´s the club, so don´t let it get to your head. Else check out the Mac, they don´t mind loosers with attitude.
I have to give my props to the DJ´s, they kept it hot and coming. Respect for that. But it irritates me that in one of the best clubs in the world the music kept skipping!!! What´s up with that??? Clean them CD´s ya´ll. Once it´s ok..but several times during the night..no no no!!!
Then....there was nothing else to it. No gogo dancers, no fire eating lads, no extravagance, no mixing barman making super cocktails with fire work, no great light shows, no vocalist or MC, no VJ, no candy girls, no glam Tranis. These all things that i´ve seen in clubs who don´t claim that higher grade. They can work on that.
I will not be planning going in there again if it´s not to bring one of my friends over just for "the experience". They wount believe this sh*t!!!

Oddly you mentioned not one thing about the sound system. Seemingly you are there less for the music and more for the social aspect part of it. In Berghain the focus is on the music and with the sound system in the club they are pretty much unbeaten for major clubs worldwide. If you know anything about sound their system is world famous for being one of the best. Combine that with the lineup they had down there on Saturday night and it was perfect night of techno music. I did not hear any skipping of music but at times was at the bar so it was possible that is happening. The dj's on the night were also playing a lot of vinyl and not just CD's and I saw them switch out a deck. Again as stated previously Berghain is the place to go for hearing quality techno on a great system in a dark environment with like minded people. Their is plenty of decadance going on if you seek it. It's not always right in your face but I have seen plenty of freaky things going on there that I have not seen in other clubs.

This has got to be the funniest thread on this site...hahaha!!!

LOL I know right. hahahahahha It's just a club people, who cares. Berlin has plenty more to go to, which are just as good. I never even heard of Berghain and I been in Berlin for 4 years. I am sorry but with a 50/50 crowd of gay to straight, I definately won't be going. I aint trying to see that shit. Like I will wait in line for an hour, just to get in and go to the bathroom to see two dudes kissing. Nope, not me!

I wish kissing was the worse thing you could see there.

Berghain is so not the club for you. You might like Matrix, or maybe a Hard Rock Cafe?

What, "Jock" as in Scottish?

I am a teacher.from Ireland.

Beautiful...

One of my friends in Dublin is a well known (non INLA) bouncer. Dublin's most famous gay club is "The George" - story years ago is that some local women were upsetting some of the men getting their thing on in the "bathroom" - disturbin their rhythm I assume - so they ended up raping one or two of them as a lesson. I'm sure that the OP is well familiar with the story since he/she's been "going to these places for ages", probably representing Irish teachers.

A Jock in Scottish is called a Ned.

You sound quite a bit homophobic and very clueless about nightclubs in Berlin if you never heard of Berghain. Perhaps your into hip hop or some other form of non electronic music? How would you know the other clubs are just as good since you obviously have not been to Berghain let alone heard of it. Don't pass judgment on something you obviously know nothing about. If you knew much about Berghain you would know the hardcore gays stay on one side of the club which in itself is a very big venue. The majority stick to using the toilets in one specific area. I was there all night on Saturday and don't recall any guys making out anywhere around me. Also just so you don't get it twisted, I'm 100% straight and their were plenty of beautiful girls to be seen there this past Saturday.

I would also be the very last to say their are not other good clubs in Berlin. Their are many but Berghain is very different in it's own right because of the space , the sound and atmosphere. Also for music heads such as myself you can see a lot of international artists/dj's who only play there when they come to Berlin. Berghain is just one of many places I go to listen to music when the right artists are playing.

The Outlander: I agree, Berghain is a unique space and an experience!

RIO (2002-2007 R.I.P.) was alot better in my opinion...buts that just my opinion. Anyone remember RIO?