Celebrate nightlife culture during Nacht voor de Nacht

Feb 20, 2019 | by Maurice Dharampal | Event, Music

About the author

I’ve been a music hoarder all my life and it was I who coined the phrase: ‘Every genre has something to offer’ (patent pending). My main infatuations are House, Disco, Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop and every subgenre in between. As long as the tunes spark up a euphoric feeling. Writing about Music expresses my passion for the art.

Stichting N8BM A’DAM (Nightmayor of Amsterdam Foundation) hosts Nacht voor de Nacht (Night for the Night) for the third consecutive year on Saturday February 23. With nearly all clubs involved, this year’s annual citywide clubfestival raises awareness for the growing marginalization of the liberal and diverse nightlife of Amsterdam.

Before the events across the city kick off, Stichting N8BM A’DAM plans to host a panel with which they want to take a firm opposition against this marginalization in Amsterdam. As spokesperson on behalf of the city’s nightlife, they want to actively engage in the discussion with the local government and take the initiative to provide solutions to this growing obstacle for cultural spots, clubs, free-minded spirits and nightlife lovers.

The problem at hand

Commercialism is defining the current (and future) state of the rapid growing city of Amsterdam. The ones suffering the most will are the non-commercial/non-exploiting initiatives, with the closing of free haven ADM being the most recent prime example. Additionally, the temporary nature of contracts for clubs and festival spaces obfuscate the problem even further: De School, De Marktkantine and Garage Noord all are forced to close within the one to three years. With the decreasing amount of new initiatives at hand (provided by the local government), the future of Amsterdam’s nightlife doesn’t look very bright if no one acts up.

General arguments against the problem come in the form of short sided comments like labeling the night(life) and its clubs as ‘just social spots/meeting places’. But the nightlife is not just a meeting place, but rather an important link in the chain of our society which can inspire. It provides a safe haven for experimentation, talent development and –not to say the least– cross-pollination between various cultures and cultural disciplines. Amsterdam always has had rich soil from which its clubs, festivals and platforms can flourish. Nurturing this soil is what the Stichting N8BM A’DAM’s focus point is about in the coming years.

Clubbers, artists, promoters, creatives and all other inhabitants of the nightlife altogether contributed to the free haven Amsterdam has today. These individuals (and collectives) were able to cultivate their craft and results in numerous cultural institutions Amsterdam currently holds.

The healthy ecosystem in which a diverse nightlife can flourish is being undermined by recent political and economically driven decisions. With this degradation will have social, cultural and economic consequences, sooner or later. As said, a thriving and diverse nightlife is important for a lively city.

So, in short; the time to take the future of nightlife culture in Amsterdam seriously is now.

Talkshow

How do you cover the entire subject of protecting the spaces of the nightlife in Amsterdam? How do you keep the city versatile and form a countering voice against the increasingly dominant commercialization? These questions will be central during the Nacht voor de Nacht discussion panel Nachttafel at Radio Radio. Our guests will be Touria Meliani (wethouder Kunst & Cultuur, Councillor for Art and Culture), Martijn Braamhaar (Director Bureau Broedplaatsen), Liese Kingma (Clubcommision Berlin) and Maru Asmellash (The New Originals). The talk show will be moderated by Eelco Couvreur (DJBroadcast).

Hold The Night Tight

In collaboration with Amsterdam-bred clothing brand Patta, Stichting N8BM A’DAM presents the Hold The Night Tight campaign. The brand designed a t-shirt representing the clear message of the campaign – protecting the nightlife of Amsterdam – and will be available and seen in clubs shortly. With the support from friends of the city’s nightlife, the united voice against the current problems stands stronger.

The annual club festival connects and promotes nightlife. With one ticket visitors gain access to all 25 participating clubs and their program for the night. Additionally, 11 participating restaurants keep their doors open until 03:00 for visitors to experience late night dining.