COVID Crisis: reopenings, support schemes and sector survival
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brussels’ nightlife sector was among the hardest hit, repeatedly shut down, labelled “non-essential,” and left facing prolonged uncertainty. In this context, Brussels By Night played a central coordinating and advocacy role, working relentlessly to ensure that clubs and nightlife professionals were not only heard, but concretely supported. Through constant dialogue with political decision-makers, administrations, and health authorities, we acted as a catalyst for collective negotiation, transforming scattered voices into a structured sectoral front capable of influencing reopening strategies and emergency aid mechanisms.
Our Contribution
Structuring the sector’s voice in negotiations
From the earliest stages of the crisis, BBN multiplied high-level meetings with regional and federal authorities, including repeated exchanges with ministerial cabinets and crisis-task teams. BBN helped articulate common positions for club operators and promoters, ensuring that the specific realities of nightlife were properly understood in political discussions: long operating hours, dense crowds, freelance-heavy employment structures, and seasonal fragility.This sustained lobbying contributed to the creation and adjustment of regional aid schemes specifically targeting discotheques and nightlife venues, including emergency grants ranging from €80,000 to €120,000 per establishment. BBN was closely involved in the discussions surrounding the Tetra premium and other regional support mechanisms, helping clarify eligibility criteria and accelerate access for operators in distress.
Designing reopening protocols
Beyond financial aid, BBN played a hands-on role in shaping how nightlife could safely resume operations.Through roundtables bringing together venue managers, health experts, public authorities, and police services, BBN co-developed reopening protocols adapted to the sector’s realities, including: the implementation of the Covid Safe Ticket at entrances, controlled entry flows and capacity limits, reinforced ventilation and air-quality standards, contact tracing procedures, or signage and communication to audiences.
Ensuring survival through combined measures
Financial aid schemes and reopening protocols alone were not enough.
Combined with initiatives such as Club Open Air, BBN’s crisis interventions formed a survival package for the sector, providing both emergency income and medium-term recovery pathways. At a time when cultural nightlife was publicly framed as secondary, BBN insisted on its economic and social importance. This narrative shift was crucial in legitimising targeted support and differentiated reopening strategies.