Silencio, the Paris "culture club" known for its David Lynch–styled interior, is taking over the vacant Watergate rooms at Falckensteinstraße 49 by the Oberbaumbrücke. The popup opens 30 October 2026 and will run until May 2027 as part of the Reference Festival.
What the space looks like
Studio Karhard has stripped the interior back to a raw look. The floor was removed to reveal red brick. Toilets and bars remain where they were. The upper DJ booth now faces the windows. Former Waterfloor decks sit in the middle of the room. Artist Marc Leschelier installed concrete DJ stands and a series of concrete sculptures. The old Watergate logo on the facade has been painted black.
Programming and people
Silencio grew from a Paris venue launched in 2011 by Arnaud Frisch, Manu Barron and Anthony Caton. The Paris club has a history of cross-disciplinary bookings and early shows by international names. The Berlin popup marks Silencio’s 15th anniversary and promises to work "in dialogue with the city’s creative communities," according to the press release.
"A club is a form that must be reinvented, not preserved," said Arnaud Frisch, co-founder of Silencio.
On 9 September a pre-opening at the Watergate accompanied the Neue Nationalgalerie’s Maurizio Cattelan show, with sets from Richie Hawtin, Ben Klock and Valentina Magaletti. The popup will host different collectives each weekend; organisers have not published a full line-up yet.
For Berlin, the project matters because it re-activates a high-profile riverside venue with a programme that mixes art, music and nightlife. It also raises familiar questions about who gets access to formerly underground club spaces and what those spaces should protect.
