For the first time, Renate wants to take people for a little walk down memory lane by sharing the journey of how they have taken an unused house in Friedrichshain from a living room-afterparty space to the globally recognised nightlife institution.
TAKE A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE BELOW
2007: A classic post-reunification tale: making something special spontaneously and out of necessity.
A handful of creative and cultural professionals (some of these people still work for Renate to this day!) were looking for storage space for their openair party equipment and stumbled across the building that is now Renate. The building was old, sitting empty for a long time and was rumoured to be a bordello of sorts. Fun fact: what is now our cloak room was once kebab shop.
What was initially intended to be storage space gradually developed into a completely new club experience with endless design possibilities. Starting with an opening of the first floor, expanded into what is now the Green floor and Red floor. These were living spaces for our community that were converted into the backstage at the weekend.
2008: Welcome to the Renate Horror Picture Show!
Diversity is at the heart of our club's identity and we have always encouraged the team and guests to show who they are and to present themselves on stage. A fond memory is the production of the Renate Horror Picture Show, an immersive interactive theatre throughout the house as an opportunity for amateur actors and guests to crawl out of their shells.
2009: Transforming Renate from a residential building into an internationally celebrated club
In the ground floor entrance area we integrated a pub that was also open during the week and was soon to present a new attraction: the infamous labyrinth! After months of expansion, the Peristal Signum was opened - a psychedelic labyrinth and spatial installation made from mystical, recycled relics of civilisation and lovingly handcrafted objects.
Until 2014, the labyrinth drew tens of thousands of guests from all over the world into a bizarre, surreal experience.
2010: Welcome to the stage: Miss Renate!
Our humble living room is a vibrant club, with an atmosphere characterised by the people around us. YOU, our guest have always been what Renate is! With our annual Miss Renate Contest, we ridiculed and radically exaggerated the traditional beauty contests. At the same time, everyone was free to slip into the role of the wild Renate and grow out of themselves. Here is a recap of our 2013 pagent.
2012: Opera in the Renate Garden anyone?
The Kiez Oper celebrated its debut on July 20th and 21st 2012 in our garden with a performance of Henry Purcell's opera "Dido & Aeneas"
2015: Renate skatepark
A well-known shoe company transformed the Renate Garten into a skate park for "Smoke under Water" event.
2016: A star is born
Renate becomes home to Berlin’s most creative souls - House of Red Doors, renamed House of Lunacy from 2020 started in 2016 as an adult sensory playground and a sex positive space where consent and comfort are central. Every event has a creative theme that guests can explore with their clothes, costumes and bodies.
2020: Overmorrow looks beyond the COVID pandemic
2020 was characterised by the pandemic, shutdown, change and adaptation. Our roots are with the arts, so in times of crisis we wanted to give space to artists who represent our subculture and guests, pushing the boundaries of society and addressing generational conflicts in the new 21st century.
Wilden Renate’s Overmorrow was an immersive walkthrough art experience created by over 40 artists and the installations, performances, and exhibitions occupied most of the indoor spaces of Wilde Renate.
The audience enters in groups of two, with 5-minute intervals, for 1 hour of exploration of dark, morphing spaces ranging from exhibitions of oil paintings through interactive installations to performances, loosely tied together by the themes of isolation and future.
2025: A last minute lifeline comes our way
2025 was not our favourite year – a fire in the garden and the ticking clock towards our closure sat above us. That is until mere days before our closure, we received a new lease! With 10 years ahead, we could breath and dream of what could come next
2026: Welcome to the new Renate!
A short pause after receiving our new lease turned into a soft-reopening in January, where the club was partially open on weekends and then in full renovation mode during the week. Three months later in April, we were able to reopen for real and finally celebrate the whirlwind of hard work, relief and excitement that got us to a new chapter we didn’t think would happen. But here we are! 19 years strong with nothing but love for the work we do and the community we do it for! Renate forever! We’re here for a long time. We’re here for a good time.
