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NIGHTLIFE

‘Madrid nightlife has lost a bit of its magic’

Madrid is world famous for its wild nightlife but locals say the recession, unemployment and higher sales tax are all acting as serious party poopers.

'Madrid nightlife has lost a bit of its magic'
Dani Marin (left), co-owner of the Costello Club, says his revenues are down by half. Photo: Gerard Julien/AFP

"There's no denying the crisis. It affects the whole country, and Madrid's bars and nightclubs are no exception," said Dani Marin, joint owner of Costello, one of the city centre's hundreds of drinking establishments.

On a Friday night around Christmas, its basement throbs with live rock music, while upstairs drinkers chat leaning on the bar to the mellower rhythms of a DJ.

It is a typical bar scene in a country devoted to partying out on the town — but people in the business say Spaniards are spending less on that pastime.

"Consumption has fallen a lot," said Marin. "Sometimes the bar still gets as busy and lively as it was six years ago, but overall our revenues are down by about half."

People listen to a concert at the Costello Club in Madrid on December 5th. Photo: APF

After the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 the Spanish capital responded to the country's newfound freedom with an explosion in creativity in theatre, music and nightlife dubbed "La Movida Madrilena", which loosely translates as the Madrid scene.

Times have changed, however. The economic crisis that erupted in 2008 due to the collapse of a decade-long property bubble altered things.

"Madrid used to be a city like Berlin or London are now, full of opportunities. It used to have more on offer," said one bar-goer, Juan Cañadas, strolling in Madrid's trendy Malasana district. "It has lost a bit of its magic."

The crisis drove up unemployment to a current rate of 24 percent and prompted tough economic austerity measures by the conservative government.

These included raising sales tax from eight to 21 percent in 2012, which has cramped consumption.

"I love Madrid. At our age you find everything you want," said another festive local, Quiara López, a student of 20, out for a night on the town with a friend.

"You have all kinds of places to go and you can do what you want. But you have to watch what you spend."

Shorter weekends

With 75,000 people working in them, Madrid's bars, casinos, theatres, restaurants and nightclubs are crucial for the region.

They generate up to €7.5 billion ($9.1 billion) in revenues a year, about 4.7 percent of the region's economy, according to some estimates.

The decline in nightlife has erased nearly one percentage point from the region's output, said Vicente Pizcueta, spokesman for a Madrid leisure business association.

The drop in business is striking.

"Thursday used to be like part of the weekend," with the bars packed, said Marin. "Now it is just another day of the week. That is the most remarkable change we have seen."

Madrid city hall insists it is working to support restaurants and bars, which it says are two of its main tourist draws.

With fewer drinkers coming out to play, bar owners are adapting to survive.    

"We have been reinventing ourselves, doing all sorts of things," German Hughes, manager of the La Palma cafe, which has been open for 20 years.

"We used to have three concerts here a week. Now we have five, plus two book launches and a play. We are putting on more activities so that people have more incentives to come."

After six hard years, figures suggest that consumer spending is slowly taking off again in Spain. As the economy gradually heats back up, bar owners hope this city's nightlife will do the same.

"Madrid has changed enormously since the Movida," said Hughes. "But we who work in nightlife are continuing to fight. We continue to believe that like everything in life, this is part of a cycle that soon will turn better."

Are Madrid's glory days for partying over? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. 

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NIGHTLIFE

Bavaria mulls reopening clubs – but only for the vaccinated

Bavarian revellers could once again be able to hit the clubs in their home state this autumn - but only if they've had their Covid jabs.

Bavaria mulls reopening clubs - but only for the vaccinated
Guests partying at the exclusive P1 club in Munich. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Nicolas Armer

Markus Söder, the Bavarian state premier, told his cabinet on Tuesday that he wanted to reintroduce much more freedom for the vaccinated over the coming months, according to a report on BR24.

This would include opening night-time events and clubs for the vaccinated in autumn, and allowing immunised people to attend sporting events without counting in the official attendance numbers. 

READ ALSO: German football fans get green light to return to stadiums next season

Since Thursday, sporting events in the southern state have allowed up to 20,000 attendees – around half the capacity of a football stadium.

People who’d been fully vaccinated could also avoid quarantining on their return from holiday – though it is unclear how this would differ from national rules that exempt inoculated people from quarantine when they return from risk areas and high-incidence areas.

Under federal rules however, vaccinated people must quarantine when coming from a ‘virus variant area of concern’.

The timeline for introducing the new privileges is still unconfirmed, though the clubs could reopen after summer.

However, Söder believes that much more young people need to get vaccinated in Bavaria for his nightlife plans to make sense. 

Markus Söder, Bavaria and CSU leader. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

Jabs in shops, mosques and fast-food restaurants

The promise of getting to enjoy nightlife again isn’t the only way the Bavarian government is encouraging vaccination.

The state premier also wants see pop-up vaccination clinics set up camp in supermarkets, shopping malls, kebab shops, mosques, restaurants, pubs, and leisure centres. “Whatever works for each local area,” Söder said. 

READ ALSO: Car parks, job centres and festivals: How Germany is trying to get Covid jabs to everyone

In addition, mobile vaccination teams will head to markets, major sports events and businesses to offer spur-of-the-moment shots to anyone who wants one.

Meanwhile, the big state vaccination centres will become a lot more like drop-in clinics, with no appointment or prior registration needed for first-vaccinations. 

“The incentive to get vaccinated isn’t a currywurst or a beer,” said Söder, “The incentive is the ability to live a normal life again.”

Getting jabbed is the only way to “free ourselves from the Covid sword of Damocles,” he added. 

Söder has been considering ways to speed up Bavaria’s flagging vaccination drive for a number of weeks now as the state continues to trail behind the national figures

READ ALSO: Bavaria opens up Covid vaccines to all adults in bid to speed up jab drive

At present, 57 percent of people in Bavaria have received at least one jab, while 42.7 percent of the population are fully vaccinated.

On a national level, 58,9 percent of people have had their first dose of vaccine, while 43.7 percent are now fully immunised. 

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