Bassiani Nightclub Reopens
Yesterday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs allowed the popular Bassiani nightclub to reopen. The club was closed for nearly two weeks after the May 12th drug raids that saw the arrests of 8 people accused of selling drugs. Representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia were at the venue yesterday and removed the seal from its doors. Café Gallery and Bassiani’s sister-venue Spacehall were also closed on police action. Café Gallery was allowed to open earlier this week.
The nightclub raids and closures brought into question Mayor Kakha Kaladze’s plan for revitalizing Tbilisi’s night economy and the pushback of Georgian society. Kaladze made a statement on Bassiani’s reopening, saying “We encourage the promotion of relaxation, the night economy in the country, city, to support the development of small and medium businesses - restaurants and bars.” Contrary to Bassiani’s own statements, Kaladze said that the club “never faced the threat of closure.”
Bassiani is one of the most well-known and well respected electronic music venues in Europe, praised by Techno Moves, Resident Advisor, Vice’s Thump, and even W magazine, and listed as one of the 20 best nightclubs in the world by Hostel World. Bassiani reached out to its customers to help save the club and its regular queer party Horoom Nights as it prepares to mount “a legal battle and stop the state oppression.” The Bassiani website still directs visitors to a donation page, and there are not yet any events advertised for this coming weekend or further into the future.
By Samantha Guthrie
Photo: BASSIANI Facebook
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