All About Kater Blau Berlin

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Berlin, Germany

Club / Indoor & Outdoor / S – 500-2k

City

Electronic

$$

Casual, Alternative

Casual

The name Kater Blau has an almost magical quality to it, translating to “blue cat” – a phrase that aptly describes the club’s nonstop all-night dance extravaganzas.

During the summer of 2014, Kater Blau opened its doors in the Holzmarkt 25 cultural center along the picturesque banks of Spree River – a vibrant area known for its plethora of restaurants and bars.

Featuring an inviting terrace that offers spectacular views across to the other side of river, it’s no wonder why this intimate club has gained such popularity so quickly. With its eye-catching facade adding further character to already dynamic environment, Kater Blau is truly one hidden gem worth discovering.

Here is everything you need to know about Kater Blau Berlin. 

Bar25 is dead, long live Kater Blau

Both raw and anarchic, Kater Blau – whose name translates into “blue cat” – testifies that Berlin’s clubland isn’t ruled only by roaring names like Watergate and Berghain. 

Berlin’s legendary club might seem like your average rookie nightclub. Although the hippie hub was baptised in Spree’s waters in the summer of 2014, it is far from being a nightlife greenhorn.

The heath that now shelters Kater Blau’s raving sessions was once home to an infamous techno shack. Back in 2010, Bar25 closed its doors with a five-day non-stop party after serving as a round-the-clock music temple for more than seven years.

But not all of Bar25 was lost. Berlin’s Kater Blau rose from its ashes like a Phoenix, carrying its predecessor’s techno-infused heirloom.

The music DNA was preserved through Kater Blau’s eternal love for all things techno and Bar25’s fervour for the flower child spirit was contagious enough to linger for years to come. 

That’s partly because the two venues share the same creative direction. At Kater Blau’s helm is Christoph Klenzendorf, who nowadays is Kater Club GmbH’s managing director – but if you press the playback button enough to land in 2003, he was one of Bar25’s co-founders. 

Over the years, Kater Blau experienced several refurbs, but some of Bar25’s elements made the cut to keep a bohemian-meets-raunchy energy. 

Kater Blau Berlin is nestled in central Berlin

Kater Blau’s surroundings look like a no man’s land – but, quite ironically, it takes over Friedrichshain. As a central borough, Friedrichshain is imbued with an alternative allure thanks to its graffiti art, vibrant watering holes, and oasis of hippie hubs. 

Through its club-filled areas and themed bars that balance quirky with traditional, Friedrichshain casts a spell upon both locals and tourists that makes them flood the streets like drops of heavy rain. 

It seems like God gave the district a carte blanche selection of visiting-worthy elements, as Friedrichshain enjoys jaw-dropping views over the Spree river and the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall.

Kater Blau found shelter somewhere along the river as part of Holzmarkt25’s urban village.

Sharing the same artsy vibes as the Berlin club, this cultural center screams post-millennial quirkiness while reimagining raving’s future through its off-the-wall structure. 

Holzmarkt25 showcases a hut-like structure made of brick and concrete, but large facades displaying hippie murals and uber-colorful aesthetics give it a bewitching je ne sais quoi.

The techno hub features a moored boat 

What started as a wooden dance floor surrounded by towering, graffiti-soaked brick buildings morphed into a holistic music-fueled playground. Spanning two dance floors and an anchored boat deck, Kater Blau seems like the go-to place for a hide-and-seek session accompanied by electronic beats. 

If you don’t know how to spot it, there is a massive blue cat perched atop the building – since it fits the club’s name like a glove, we can label it as Kater Blau’s mascot. 

The Berlin club’s aesthetic is synonymous with an abandoned circus, with a Las Vegas-like massive sign paving the way to the main entrance. More crusty than chic, Kater Blau’s inside area is scattered with a confetti rain of fairy lights and disco balls. 

Heinz Hopper Floor is the ultimate dancing queen, as most music acts are more inclined to monopolise this space than its slightly smaller counterpart, Acid Bogen. The latter serves as Kater Blau’s platform for experimental beats and live music sessions.

Dark corners hide secret stairs that lead to the mezzanine level, which features intimate booths overlooking the main dance floor. But that’s not the only place where you can enjoy a proper time-out.

Away from the crumpled sofas and outlandish shacks, you are still not immune from the swirls of smoke and music beats – but a whole adult funfair unfolds before your eyes. Berlin’s Kater Blau has a unique selling point – its floating wooden deck. 

At least this is what it was in its previous life. Now called Agnes, the anchored platform has been converted into a chill-out terrace with campfires, lounge chairs, and picnic tables – all under a sky of fairy lights. Alfresco afterparty, anyone?

Did anybody say techno? 

When the sun is out and Berliners awaken from the winter hibernation, Kater Blau turns nights into days with techno-based music sets. With a deep love for electronic music, resident DJs shape a beat-fueled soundtrack where time loses all definition. 

From techno-shamanic sets to heavy kick sounds, Kater Blau Berlin covers the whole electronic spectrum. Those invigorating beats change depending on the event and dance floor, but an ineffable raving session is always guaranteed. 

Although resident DJs – or house cats, as the club calls them – are usually the ones who shower hipsters with fine beats, blue-blooded artists from the international techno scene aren’t out of the picture either. 

Underground producer Claude VonStroke and Hamburg-based duo Moonbootica are some of the names that spun the decks at Kater Blau.

Getting inside Kater Blau Berlin is not a sure bet 

Berlin’s infamous for its seemingly arbitrary and unbreakable door policy – and Kater Blau solidifies that status quo. The mecca’s unpretentious allure would make one think this is not where techno lovers jostle and shove to get inside. 

But a quick look at the queue, which sometimes stretches under the S-Bahn Bridge, would immediately change that naive assumption. With many revelers getting turned without explanation, getting inside Kater Blau feels like taking an exam.

Passing under the bouncers’ radar means matching your party animal energy with the club’s ethos. Yep, this includes following unwritten rules from Kater Blau’s dress code manual.

If you label yourself as a techno fan with a soft spot for bohemian aesthetics, you’re on the right track. 

Depending on the event and headlining acts, tickets for Berlin Kater Blau start from 10€ and don’t go above 20€.

Kater Blau created its own SaSoMo raving concept 

Translated into SaturdaySundayMonday, Kater Blau’s in-house concept is for dedicated ravers who believe that another party should follow the afters. 

Raving sessions usually go all weekend and beyond, making Kater Blau’s opening hours uber-flexible. It officially kicks off the techno celebrations on Friday at midnight and throws in the closing track on Monday morning, the only slight interruption being a lineup break on Saturday afternoon. 

One night of clubbing at Kater Blau is synonymous with a four-day party odyssey with 72 hours of youthful rebellion, music freedom, and high-kicking bass.

One resident DJ founded Kater Blau’s in-house label

Founded in 2010 by techno DJ Dirty Doering, Katermukke captures Berlin’s grungy underground spirit through edgy sounds and bullet-hard beats. One of the most illustrious Berlin labels for all things electronic, Katermukke lives and breathes every sound the city bleeds. 

Embodying everything from deep house to melodic techno, Kater Blau’s music label became a Berlin prodigy for electronic music’s underworld. 

By the end of 2021, Katermukke released almost 300 EPs and 8 LPs – all thanks to its team of artists who are permanently hungry for fresh, liberating, and touching beats.