All About Sisyphos Berlin

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Berlin, Germany

Club / Indoor & Outdoor / S – 500-2k

City

Electronic

$$

Local, Underground, Alternative

Casual

Do you crave to be part of a club that never sleeps? Then Sisyphos Berlin and its seemingly-endless partying sessions will satisfy your raver soul.

Sisyphos burst onto Berlin’s clubbing scene in 2009, when the old dog food factory transformed into a private platform for partying. Soon enough, its notoriety among partygoers spread like wildfire – and it quickly skyrocketed to become one of the city’s most sought-after nightlife destinations.

Since it is a lesser-known Berlin club, a young crowd of locals are usually the familiar faces that pop in every weekend. 

With a carnivalesque atmosphere and clubbing nights that transform into a three-day rave, Sisyphos is the kind of experience that every techno veteran should tick off their bucket list. 

Here is everything you need to know about Sisyphos Berlin.

Once a dog food factory, now a premier Berlin techno club 

In its previous life, Sisyphos Berlin was no backdrop for paradise-infused movies like The Wizard of Oz, as one would judge from its fairyland appeal. Back in the roaring 2000s, when the city’s clubbing cult translated into five-euro entrance fees and illegal raves, Sisyphos’ venue was a dog food factory. 

Then the infamous duck and its partner – a reference to the nightclub’s notorious gates – took over the warehouse building. Although the site was set to serve as a contemporary art hub, legend has it that a group of friends started throwing raves for their intimate and techno-loving entourage.

Because word of mouth about the hush-hush parties spread like wildfire, Sisyphos club never fulfilled its mission as a north star for Berlin’s creative community.

Instead, Julius Hausl and Lina Thiele – the masterminds behind Sisyphos Event GmbH – put the emblematic techno temple on Berlin’s clubbing map at the end of 2009. 

A first look at its name will cause a how-the-fuck-do-you-pronounce-this reaction. In reality, it showcases how Greek mythology seamlessly blends with Berlin’s insatiable appetite for weekend-long parties.

In Homer’s Iliad, Sisyphus was the king and founder of Ephyra – a rather villainous folklore figure known for his despicable trickery and audacity to cheat death.

When the king died of old age, he was punished by Zeus to forever roll a massive boulder to the top of a steep hill. This never-ending labor hints right at Sisyphos’ club ethos of seemingly-endless partying sessions – although raving in the suburban music mecca is far from feeling like a penalty. 

Although it embodies the type of electronic-soaked session that everybody wants to experience, the Berlin club doesn’t pop on the radar as often as techno church Berghain and iconic nightclub Tresor.

Less-touristy and prominent among Berlin’s fervent party crowd, Sisyphos is a staple for the electronic aficionados who did their homework. 

Sisyphos Berlin shows us that the real party is at the outskirts 

Many of us would dub Sisyphos’ home as Berlin’s unknown – which is not far from the truth. Taking over the city’s periphery, the techno club found shelter in the up-and-coming borough of Lichtenberg.

Under the “Asiatown of Berlin” nickname, Lichtenberg showcases a hotchpotch of block-style modern architecture and traces of Communist-era development. 

Until 1990, Stasi – Germany’s State Security Service – was headquartered in the vibrant neighborhood. In the aftermath of East Germany’s demise, the historic site was converted into a memorial center that houses a museum. 

But Sisyphos club doesn’t fall into Lichtenberg’s contemporary-meets-traditional aesthetic. A stone’s throw away from Rummelsburg Lake, the clubbing destination’s surroundings are a relatively lesser-known part of the city.

Austere warehouses, rusty railways, and industrial buildings reign supreme, which adds an underground allure to Sisyphos’ ineffable vibe. 

This means only one thing – revelers must travel miles if they want to taste the club’s foot-tapping beats. Sisyphos club is all about the lush and bleak setting, so bus stops and underground stations are out the window. 

Adult Disneyland is the vibe that Sisyphos club is going for 

Once you get past Sisyphos’ kissing ducks gate and iron-fisted door policy, you are transported to a rave command center. With lots of nooks and crannies to explore, Sisyphos’ venue translates into a barn-like building that takes over two floors. 

Brick walls, steel structures, and dirty – yet whimsical – dance floors are all leitmotifs of the sprawling complex.

The 1,500-capacity music-fueled ecosystem traverses three rooms, known among regulars as Wintergarten, Hammerhalle, and Dampfer.

Both versatile and dreamy, those dance spaces are far from being the underground and subversive we got from techno temples.

Scattered with wonderland decor elements, such as fairy lights and quirky lamps, Sisyphos is imbued with an urban chic appeal while staying loyal to its raw industrial roots.

When you need a proper time out from the mother ship’s Funktion-One sound system, take a step back from dancing and a step inside the Alice in Wonderland garden. 

Resembling a Thailand beach hideout, Sisyphos is all about the sandy banks, hippie flags, and abandoned cars – at least this is what the village-like site demonstrates.

A small pond – swimming is as prohibited as taking pictures, mind you – sticker-bombed abandoned bus, and a wide array of colorful lampshades on wooden poles are scattered on an artificially raised beach. 

In this student-dorm-under-the-sky mise-en-scène, techno veterans discover an underworld born out of the love for all things electronic.

Besides having the nirvana-like hub trump card up its sleeve, Sisyphos transcended the mere nightlife destination status by integrating a pizza place and a few intimate bars in the garden’s infrastructure.

As you can tell, everything you need to survive a 48-hour rave is at your fingertips. 

Sisyphos is a Berlin techno devotee 

Sisyphos might be a vivid and flaky parallel to gray Berlin, but the premier hideout’s music repertoire is filled with bullet-hard and dirty techno beats. 

Primarily known for being an ambassador for the city’s leading sound – which translates into pounding and mechanical beats – Sisyphos gets the masses flooding in with its chaotically bumpy soundtrack. 

While the main floor’s speakers blast only dark techno and tech-house, the smaller room is for those who are less inclined to bass-heavy offerings by playing disco and funk. International names from the electronic realm take over the decks, but the familiar faces are local names. 

Despite its focus on homegrown talent, Sisyphos solidified Berlin’s label as the world’s techno capital through its relentless commitment to delivering la creme de la creme of electronic music.

“How to get in Sisyphos Berlin” is the question on everybody’s lips

As the night falls into the morning, queues get lengthier and the door crew’s patience gets shorter. But not all revelers who are hungrily waiting for the bouncers’ nods will get in. No one-size-fits-all guide will grant everybody access, but the internet showcases some tips that might do the trick. 

To sum it up, you must act and look like a regular. Although there is no dress code, a casual and monochromatic outfit (black is de rigueur) should fit the bill, so don’t go crazy with all-mesh garments and more quirky accessories than your body can hold.

Once your eyes meet the bouncer, give him your phone so he can apply stickers on the camera. Taking photos and videos is completely banned, so you’d know this routine only if this wasn’t your first Sisyphos rodeo. 

Also, show up after 5 AM, as the queue won’t be that long, and the door crew won’t get uber-selective. Ticket prices for Sisyphos Berlin range between 10-20€, depending on the event. 

Sisyphos is more like a mini-festival than an average techno club 

Yeah, Fabric London is cool with its 24-hour raving sessions – but Sisyphos takes the clubbing concept to the next level. There is a techno festival happening every weekend, as opening hours for Sisyphos translate into a 58-hour techno marathon.

The clubbing destination opens its doors on Friday night and closes them on Monday morning, which makes it the go-to hub for the dedicated clubber who eats unhinged parties for breakfast.

Since it is labeled as one of Berlin’s craziest parties, the club is equipped with toothbrushes, detox juices, and good-for-nap sofas to bring revelers’ souls back to life. 

But since nothing compares to your sweet bed, you can leave the venue for however long you want – but be ready to pay a re-entrance 5€ fee.

Sisyphos Berlin rarely announces its lineups

The whole techno sanctuary is shrouded in mystery, so why would the line-ups be an exception to the rule? When it comes to announcing future events, Sisyphos willingly presses the skip button on the lineup. 

That’s not due to the lack of there blue-blooded names – on the contrary.

Back in 2015, techno powerhouse Richie Hawtin spun the decks at Sisyphos Berlin – and the only ones who knew about it were the revelers who took a leap of faith that night. 

But that’s not to say that Sisyphos Berlin never announces the headlining DJs – sometimes it does, but more often it doesn’t to leave room for the surprise factor when a big name drops in.