Article: Berlin’s Ultimate Sex-Positive Clubbing Weekend
Berlin’s Ultimate Sex-Positive Clubbing Weekend
When’s the best weekend to go out in Berlin? If you’re into sex-positivity, kink, play and fetish, there’s a strong case for saving yourself for the first weekend of every month.
Why? Because three of Berlin’s biggest sex-positive parties line up perfectly. Friday: Four Play at KitKatClub. Saturday: Klub Verboten. Sunday: Berghain.
Three parties. Three very different experiences. And a 72-hour journey from the colourful hedonism of Four Play, through the perverted kink of Klub Verboten, into the darkness of Berghain on Sunday.
You could make a habit of it. Save yourself for the first weekend of every month, spend the next three recovering, then do it all again. Or, if you’re planning a trip to Berlin, this might just be the perfect weekend to come.
As with all of Berlin’s best nightlife, none of these clubs guarantees you entry. You’ll need the right outfit, the right attitude and, in some cases, a little luck. But if you want to spend 72 hours exploring Berlin’s sex-positive nightlife, this is how I’d do it.
FRIDAY: FOUR PLAY AT KITKATCLUB
Start your weekend with colour. Four Play is KitKat at its brightest: open, playful, fun and hedonistic. It’s a safe space to experiment, explore and try something new without everything feeling too serious or hardcore. Come to dance, play, test some boundaries (if you like) and definitely make some new friends.
Taking place on the first Friday of every month, Four Play is one of KitKat’s biggest parties. Six floors, a huge line-up of DJs, performers, play spaces and awareness teams, with the party running from 20:00 until 09:00. Expect big production, lots of colour and a fun crowd that comes ready to make a night of it.
It’s a little straighter than some of Berlin’s other sex-positive parties, although that is certainly changing. What hasn’t changed is its popularity. Expect it to be busy. Really busy.
Never been to KitKat? Read our KitKatClub Berlin floor-by-floor guide before you go.
THE CODE TIP: If you still want to keep going after the main party ends, Prisma Bar inside KitKat runs an after-party, and you can go outside the club and come back in.
What to wear to Four Play
Think colourful, sexy, playful, festival and individual. There isn’t one Four Play uniform, and that’s part of the fun. Make an effort, but have fun doing it.
If you're wondering what to wear to KitKat more generally, check out our KitKat dress code guide before you start pulling your wardrobe apart.
DOOR DIFFICULTY: 8/10
The door staff expect you to know which party you’re attending and why you’re there. Make an effort with your outfit. Bring a good vibe. Remember: when it’s full, nobody is guaranteed entry.
SATURDAY: KLUB VERBOTEN AT ROSA
One night down. Two still to go. Hopefully, you got as much sleep as you could. Eat something. Stay hydrated. Tonight is Klub Verboten at ROSA.
Klub Verboten is a carnival of perversions, where sex isn’t a sideshow, built for people who want to explore their kinks, push their boundaries and see just how far things can go. Consent is key, the rules are taken very seriously and, within them, the opportunities are almost endless.
ROSA's two dance floors have very different energies. One leans towards house, the other towards techno. There are also dedicated play spaces and plenty happening beyond the dance floors.
If you want somewhere you can dance, explore, meet like-minded people and be proudly perverted without judgement, Klub Verboten is for you.
Before going to Klub Verboten at ROSA
Read the rules. Not skim them. Read them.
Klub Verboten takes its code of conduct seriously and you may be asked about the rules at the door. You can have a ticket and still not get inside if you haven't done your homework.
The music usually finishes around 06:00, although the play areas can sometimes continue a little longer.
DOOR DIFFICULTY: 6/10
Compared with the other two stops, the expectations are more explicit. Know the rules, understand the party and dress appropriately.
SUNDAY: KLUBNACHT AT BERGHAIN
Why Berghain only on Sunday? Because on Saturday you’re at Klub Verboten, obviously.
Berghain Klubnacht begins at 23:59 on Saturday and continues through Sunday into Monday morning. And while people have been declaring that Berghain “isn’t what it used to be” for approximately forever, there is still nowhere quite like it.
The sound. The architecture. The darkness. The freedom. The dance floors. Panorama Bar. The main Berghain floor. The spaces between them. Klubnacht is the party everyone talks about, and this is the place to be. If you want good music and a real Berghain experience, go Sunday.
Berghain can also be intensely sexual. Sexual freedom has always existed alongside the music and club culture here, and that combination remains part of what makes the place unique.
How do you get into Berghain?
If somebody claims to have a guaranteed answer, they don't. There is no magic outfit. No magic time. No sentence that gets you past the door.
Know why you’re there and what you want to experience. Be comfortable in yourself. Don't fall into the trap of trying to dress like what you think a “Berghain person” looks like.
Our stylist, Sophie, has put together a Berghain dress code guide, where she describes what she wears to different Berghain parties. Check it out.
DOOR DIFFICULTY: 9/10
It’s difficult. Because it’s Berghain. If you got it, you get in. If not, it’s totally fine. Move on. Try again.
I always say this: what you feel inside Berghain, only Berghain can give. What you feel inside KitKat, only KitKat can give.
That’s why they’re the clubs.
HOW TO SURVIVE A THREE-DAY BERLIN CLUBBING WEEKEND
You have nothing to prove. Take breaks between parties. Eat proper food. Drink water. Get your electrolytes. Sleep.
I always have a protein shake before going out, but whatever works for you, make sure you're giving your body something to work with. Three nights of partying is still three nights of physical exertion.
And if you’re visiting Berlin, here is perhaps the most important advice in this entire article:
DO NOT BOOK YOUR FLIGHT HOME FOR MONDAY MORNING.
I've met so many people inside Berghain who suddenly remember they have a flight in a few hours and end up missing it and having to rebook.
Don't be that person.
If you're doing the whole weekend, book Tuesday. Preferably Tuesday evening. Give yourself Monday to become a functioning human being again.
WHERE TO STAY FOR BERLIN NIGHTLIFE
If this weekend is the reason you're coming to Berlin, look for accommodation in Mitte, Kreuzberg or Friedrichshain.
All three put you within relatively easy reach of Berlin's major clubs and nightlife. Prenzlauer Berg and Neukölln can also work, but for this particular itinerary, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Mitte make more sense.
Less time travelling means more time sleeping. You'll need it.
BEFORE YOU GO
There is one more stop. THE CODE is directly across the road from KitKatClub, and on Four Play Fridays we're open until midnight.
Come in before the party. Say hello. Get some advice. Find your outfit. Then cross the road and put it to good use.
And if you're going to destroy yourself over three days, you might as well look good doing it.
See you on the weekend.
