I’m happy to still have a roof over my head at the moment. But I’m also angry about what is happening right now.
- How did you spend the lockdown?
I left Freiburg immediately after the ban on events was issued. I wasn’t sure if Freiburg would be declared a restricted zone and if I could not get out anymore. I spent the time with my family in Rhineland-Palatinate. I tried to stay busy with sound engineering and software that I had acquired in the spring, to familiarize myself with it and to improve my skills.
At some point I started planting vegetables and herbs in the garden and doing research on the insects, other animals and plants I found there. That helped me to lower the stress level a little bit.
- Before the lockdown you organized parties, for example in the Harmonie Gewölbekeller, and worked as a DJ. You can hardly implement both at the moment. What are you doing instead?
I run a DJ service for events of all kinds, but have also worked as an organizer in the club area. Fortunately, I was able to hold a few remaining private parties from early August to mid-September.
Unfortunately, it’s currently stagnating again.
- How was it when you realized that you couldn’t have any more parties for now?
I already suspected at the end of January that I would have to reckon with this situation. So it didn’t surprise me. I had my last event on March 12th. That day I had already started cleaning my billboarding cellar and storing event technology. On the following day, a general ban on events was declared.
- How did you cope with the crisis?
The crisis is not over. We are right in the middle. My family gives me support. I have people around me who are fully behind me and who can also rely on me.
- Will the party and club scene survive the corona pandemic?
Obviously, this scene doesn’t play a role in politics. I think that many venues, especially those that do not receive funding and are not already connected with politics and the cultural offices, will be lost.
The music and the subculture as such will not completely disappear from my point of view. No matter what happens. People will go underground at some point. You can see in France or Great Britain that illegal raves take place despite everything that is happening.
I think it makes more sense to give the existing clubs the opportunity to hold parties again. These offer at least a more secure framework with security and possibly contact tracing and so on. There have been clubs operating again in Basel for months.
- Are politics doing enough for nightlife in the corona crisis?
Absolutely not! An entire industry was driven to zero to protect the community. Where is the solidarity for the people who now see their existence threatened because they were protecting others? I saw a cartoon in which a cocktail umbrella was presented as a rescue umbrella for the clubs. That hits the point. Many of those affected feel mocked.
- Is society interested enough in the organizers’ situation?
In my opinion, not only is there a lack of interest in the situation of the organizers, but also in general in all professional groups concerned. I’ve spoken to a few self-employed people over the past few weeks. In addition to the fear of losing your own business and getting into debt, one is confronted with statements such as: “With the emergency aid you can have a great vacation”, “Now you can get something off the cake” or “If you have another event, I’ll throw something in the party box for you”.
I use this “party box” to pay for my apartment, my health insurance and taxes. Some do not seem to realize the seriousness of the situation and that they have just been lucky enough not to have been affected. Of course there are also a lot of people who are aware of the situation. The corona discount of my hairdresser out of solidarity with me is more important to me than the state emergency aid.
- How is your financial situation?
The air is getting thinner. Almost all of my annual income was destroyed. Most orders have been canceled. In the meantime I have lost over 70 planned events that were already open in March. This includes public parties, weddings, birthdays, company celebrations, promotion events such as the Mega-Samstag, but also carnival events in the next year. I also lost follow-up orders and customer contacts as a result. So I can no longer quantify the total damage. Now the club season is actually starting again. We have calculated whether we can start a seated disco event as a replacement. But this cannot be done economically under the conditions. We do not receive any funding. My hope was in private parties.
However, people are so insecure because of the constantly changing regulations that planning security is no longer given.
- Did you get the Corona emergency aid? I submitted an application in mid-May. I received the amount. However, a quarter was spent on my organizer liability insurance. The emergency aid did not even cover the most basic living expenses for three months. From mid-March to August I had a total loss of income. That will continue now. Like many others, I did not apply for the second corona aid. I tried to find a tax advisor because the second application could only be submitted through one of them. However, no law firm is fighting for new emergency aid customers.
After a lot of back and forth, I found someone through the Chamber of Tax Advisors. However, this consultant said that I would have to reckon with a contribution of 600 to 800 euros. He was also unable to give me any information about the fictitious entrepreneur’s wages, which is actually the relevant help for most self-employed people in Baden-Württemberg. I was told to let him know when I found out. After my deliberations, I concluded that the cost and risk of repayment are greater than the benefits.
Various entrepreneurs have now received requests for repayment. A restaurateur close to me had massive financial losses in March, April and May. In June he managed with all his might to get back into the plus. As a result, he had to repay the full amount of his emergency aid.
- How did you spend the summer?
I came back to Freiburg at the end of July to do the last remaining part of my events. Otherwise I met a lot with friends and colleagues. In the meantime, I had a daily breakfast with an affected DJ buddy, a DJ and promoter support group, so to speak.
- When do you expect the first party after the lockdown?
With the best of my will, I cannot estimate that. Meanwhile, I am not ruling anything out. I think that for those who have larger spaces, things are starting again in the form of reduced capacities and seat allocation. The same applies to those who get funding. Since I don’t belong to any of these groups, it will probably take a long time if the currently applicable regulations are not repealed.
I’ve been organizing events, making music and bringing people together for 25 years. It is incredibly bitter for me to see what is happening. I try to stay mentally and physically fit, will pay more attention to my diet and do sports again in the hope that all will continue at some point.