Friday, November 29, the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, gave a press conference at Mazette, in Paris, to announce the launch of a Club Culture designation for party venues. Here’s what you need to know.
The Ministry of Culture has made a welcome announcement for French clubs. From now on, these establishments will be able to free themselves from the status of discotheques – placed under the aegis of the Ministry of the Interior – and benefit from the name “Club Culture – places of artistic expression and celebration”, a recognition program awarded by the Ministry of Culture himself.
A big step to punch (and foot)
After being recognized as cultural actors this year, this is a new crucial step for the clubs. However, this victory did not come out of nowhere. As a reminder, it has been several years – especially since Covid-19 – that collectives, unions, made up of several clubs (notably the Collectif Culture Bar-Bars or Culture Nuit) have been campaigning for more recognition and the attribution of this label which they already called Club Culture.
These clubbing professionals were already calling on the government to demonize their activity and then to recognize that they spread a legitimate musical and artistic culture, deserving to shine.
What is the Club Culture label used for?
The name Club Culture serves, firstly, to recognize clubs as places which “through their programming, production and broadcast of concerts, actively support artistic creation and DJ artists”it is written in the press release from the Ministry of Culture. In other words, this allows clubs to be recognized as essential players in the emergence of certain talents and the dissemination of diverse musical aesthetics on a national scale.
Secondly, this label gives greater visibility to clubs. Still according to the same press release, this recognition “includes concrete promotion tools with the creation of a logo specially designed for communication and signage supports that clubs can display at the entrance to their establishment”.
Essential criteria
To benefit from it, you must meet several essential criteria supported by the ministry, such as: “public accessibility, parity in programming or even the fight against sexist and sexual violence and harassment”. Once the Club Culture designation has been awarded, it is valid for a period of three years. French clubbing seems to have a bright future ahead of it, especially since Rachida Dati also announced the establishment of Paris Music Week in 2025, which will precede the music festival.
