5001: The bizarre festival taking place in a nuclear bunker
Berlin. Where the Wall fell. The home of the Brandenburg Gate. The city of vibrant street art. But most importantly… the epicentre of techno. Whether it’s Tresor, KitKat Club, or the world-famous Berghain, Berlin is the place to be. They say not to leave a spare warehouse lying around in Berlin, it’ll become a techno club overnight. Well, as it turns out, warehouses aren’t the only buildings at risk. Even secretive nuclear bunkers aren’t safe. This is the story of the 5001 Festival.
Around 30 miles north of Berlin, hidden deep in the forests, lies the Honecker Bunker. Built in 1983, the secretive bunker was intended to protect East Germany’s top commanders. As the main headquarters for the country’s National Defence Council, the building was made to withstand chemical, biological and nuclear attacks. But apparently not the attacks of drugged-up techno lovers.
It wasn’t until the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that the bunker was discovered. Although many of its impressive features, such as washrooms, a broadcasting studio and even a photogenic darkroom, were destroyed, it’s still a building that boasts three floors and over 7,500 square meters of floorspace. Now I’m not 100 per cent sure of Berghain’s blueprint, but that sure sounds like a techno-head’s wet dream.
After lying dormant for a decade, the bunker was declared a historical monument in 2003 and has since been preserved by ‘Projekt 5001’ for “cultural and museum purposes”. Apart from the odd opportunity to book a visit, the entrance passages were sealed with concrete and entry was prohibited. This was until 2018. It’s Berlin, there’s only one way to re-open a historical monument – that’s right, a good old-fashioned techno festival.
The creators of the 7001 Festival, which is held at, you guessed it, a World War II bunker situated about 50km from Berlin, came up with the genius idea. What’s better than holding a festival at one nuclear bunker? Holding it at two nuclear bunkers! Offering the whole shebang, including on-site camping and stages all around the surrounding woodlands, the weekend of August 17th to 19th, 2018, was gearing up to be a historic few nights in the rich history of Berlin nightlife. But did it even happen?
I’ve scoured the internet for anything. Photos, videos, even an official website. Nothing. Berlin as a city is rooted in secrets hidden deep below its surface, both anecdotally and literally. This event may just be the perfect microcosm of the German capital. There is no proof that the event happened at all. The 5001 Festival website is dead; the 7001 Festival website is now a page promoting online Indonesian casinos. I would link it, but I can’t promise it wouldn’t put a virus on your device.
Despite this lack of evidence, I choose to believe that it did happen. In true Berlin techno spirit, I believe that the weekend was experienced by a couple thousand people and never had a word muttered about it since. Who knows, maybe it followed the Fight Club mantra: “The first rule of 5001 Festival: you do not talk about 5001 Festival.”
