Tegel Airport, which closed in 2020 in favour of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, is now the home of a techno club Turbulence TXL as well as a number of tech start-ups
A huge abandoned airport has been turned into a massive techno club.
The now defunct Tegel Airport in Berlin has been transformed into Turbulence TXL – the airport’s former IATA code. Now instead of early mornings spent bustling to get through security, what was once Germany’s fourth busiest airport is now home to party animals nodding their heads rhythmically deep into the night.
The inaugural event at the end of September featured a group of six bright red wig wearing police officers bopping between the assembled masses to a throbbing beat. Intermittently they led the crowds in dance moves before offering some playfully strict reproaches to those not joining in.
As well as partying out on the tarmac, ravers filled up the large canteen at the “lift-off” rave. There a woman with a sheer German bob spun the wheels of steel at the top of the hall against a backdrop of party people. Qualities that stood Tegel apart from other airports when it was operating – its stark brutalist style, labyrinthine halls and an atmosphere that felt more like a bus station – seem ideal qualities for a Berlin techno club.
The bright orange canteen has been transformed by the jury selected group of six community minded creatives. Now visitors there are entertained by live and DJ’d music, visual installations and performance art. If the BPM and bass levels become a little too much, there is plenty of seating away from the stage and even a ping pong table.
Future events at the space will be free and likely bigger in scope than the opening bash last year, which had a capacity of 700.
Work to rejuvenate the airport has been ongoing for some years following its closure in 2020. Before the techno club moved in, several start-ups entered spaces in the airport. A large development project at the former travel hub will build 5,000 new homes around the iconic aviation infrastructure, which will largely remain in place.
Once completed, 10,000 residents will live alongside flight towers and huge terminals in homes built with one eye on the future. They will be particularly sustainable and be orientated in such a way that drone-delivered packages will have space to arrive with ease.
Techno is serious business in Berlin. So much so that the scene has been listed by UNESCO as having significant cultural value and has been inscribed on the German national Registry of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The latter means that clubs can apply for government funding, which is increasingly needed due to rising rents in the city.
“For more than 30 years, techno has been an important sound of our capital, also for many people who come to Berlin from Europe and all over the world,” said Claudia Roth, the Minister of State for Culture, in a statement. “For many years, Berlin’s techno culture has stood for values such as diversity, respect and cosmopolitanism… [it] is part of the cultural wealth of our country, which is underlined by this inclusion in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.”
If you love travel and techno, and are looking for ways to bring the two passions together, then the Techno Train Nürnberg is an alternative to the Tegel Airport scene. The event combines the thrill of a train ride with the excitement of live techno music performances by piling lots of beat-heads into carriages at Nuremberg and then taking them on a seven hour journey.
All the while high-end sound systems are being put to the test by some of the world’s top techno DJs.
For those who can no longer countenance the prospect of an all-nighter and need a place to stay after a night’s bopping, then you’re in luck. There are plenty of cheap, pleasant places to stay in Berlin that can be booked with a travel package. Travel company First Choice has highlighted three of them.
Just a 9-minute drive from the iconic Berghain sits The Social Hub Berlin, a vibrant and colourful hostel that will help you meet cool new people to go clubbing with. Prices from £367 per person, based on two adults sharing an executive room, on a room only basis for four nights, flights departing from London Gatwick on 29 April 2024. Hand luggage only and transfers not included.
For a more luxurious stay that’s still in the heart of the action, Nhow Berlin is a good spot. With a ‘music’ theme, the Nhow is a 10-minute walk from Berhain with a range of spa and sauna facilities on-site that will help with any sore heads the morning after. Prices from £491 per person, based on two adults sharing a double room, on a room only basis for four nights, flights departing from Birmingham on 13 May 2024. Hand luggage only and transfers not included.
For a bucket list worthy Berlin experience, a slow sleeper train to Berlin with Byway makes the journey just as much of an experience as the party on the other side. With two nights in the city and two nights about a luxe sleeper, you can either watch the views roll by or sleep off the hangover en-route home. Prices from £844 per person, based on two adults sharing a twin room, on a room only basis for four nights, train departing from St Pancras on 21 May 2024. Hand luggage only and transfers not included.
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