German Court Says Berghain Techno Hedonism Is Culture

The techno mecca has been recognized by a Berlin-Brandenburg fiscal court as a place of cultural relevance—and it pays lower taxes because of it.

Have you ever felt that your multi-day party marathons in Berghain might be something more important than just pure hedonism? If so, you’re in luck because a German court has just provided you with the justification you need to keep on keeping on. German magazine Der Spiegel is reporting that the Berlin club has just won a landmark legal case that defines its events as cultural in the eyes of the tax authorities. All those comparisons to the Bayreuther Festspiele have finally come true!

This comes as the result of a prolonged legal battle between the club and German tax authorities. The club was under threat of being subject to a higher tax bracket—a 19% entertainment tax compared to the 7% culture tax.

Tax officials claimed that a place where people dance, have fun and take drugs is “ruled by entertainment, not by culture.” The club’s management claimed that the same logic could be applied to classical music. The Berlin-Brandenburg fiscal court in Cottbus ruled that events at Berghain are indeed cultural events and will from now on be taxed like classical cultural events.

Read more: Here’s How Berghain Is Viewed From An EDM Perspective