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Night culture in need: Mainz needs a new night mayor!
In Giessen and other cities in Germany, night culture representatives mediate between the interests of nightlife and tranquility.
Night culture in need: Mainz needs a new night mayor!
In the nights of Rhineland-Palatinate there is an exciting dynamic between lively entertainment and the pursuit of peace. Here, clubs and restaurants are on one side, while the authorities are trying to maintain a certain level of control on the other. The use of night mayors or night culture officers arises from this need to strike a balance between different interests. Borkener Zeitung reports that The example of Maximilian Naundorf, who has been night culture officer in Landau since August 1, 2023, shows how these roles can be designed.
Naundorf brings extensive experience as a democracy researcher and aims to make the city's cultural life more colorful and inclusive. He plans concepts to revitalize the city center and promotes the independent cultural scene. In Koblenz, Adissa Ibrahim will take over at the turn of the year 2024/25 with the same goal: to revitalize night culture, which has suffered greatly due to the corona pandemic.
Night culture in Mainz
The situation in Mainz is completely different. The city currently does not have a night culture officer after Timo Filtzinger resigned from his voluntary position. The Mainz people Jusos report that clubs are about to die out and call for nightlife to become more attractive. The situation around clubs like the “Caveau”, which could only be saved thanks to public protests, is particularly dramatic. The closures of the “50Grad”, the “Panama Bar” and the rock club “Alexander the Great” raise questions about lively nights.
In order to revive night culture, especially for young people, the Jusos are calling for the position of night mayor to be converted into a full-time position. In addition, the abolition of the entertainment tax, which in Mainz amounts to 20% of the admission price, is suggested. These measures could provide a boost to nightlife, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.
The role of the night mayor
The night mayor concept has already proven successful in many cities. Pioneers like Amsterdam have shown what potential this role has. Borkener Zeitung reports that more and more cities are developing interest in this type of nighttime entertainment. The idea of a night mayor is also being discussed in Kaiserslautern, but this is currently on hold.
In the expert literature, such as a recently published book on night culture, it is clear that this role is becoming increasingly important not only for leisure activities, but also for cultural policy. Matthias Rauch The question remains how cities like Mainz and Kaiserslautern can reinvent their nightlife and make it attractive to the population, while at the same time facing the challenges of volume control. The topic is not only locally relevant, but also has immense importance on a national scale. Stay tuned to see how nightlife in Rhineland-Palatinate develops!