Kompass Klub
Kompass Klub is a nightclub in the city of Ghent, Belgium that focuses primarily on the music genres techno and house. The club, which originally started as a pop-up project, moved into an old warehouse in an industrial park south of the city center in 2016. The club disposes of three rooms with a combined capacity of 1,500 people. In November 2018, Kompass Klub was chosen as the best Belgian nightclub at the Red Bull Elektropedia Awards.[1][2]
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| Address | Ottergemsesteenweg-zuid 717A 9000 Ghent |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51.019184°N 3.740683°E |
| Type | Nightclub |
| Genre(s) | Techno and house |
| Capacity | 1,500 people |
| Opened | 30 April 2016 (current location) |
| Website | |
| www | |
Drug issues
In March 2019, the mayor of Ghent Mathias De Clercq (Open VLD) ordered the immediate closure of Kompass Klub for a period of four months. The decision of the mayor was prompted by recurrent issues with illegal drug use that tainted the nightclub, with one of the nightclub's employees dying of a drug overdose two months earlier. The closure order sparked protests, and a petition against the mayor's decision collected more than 10,000 signatures. The nightclub's management for its part appealed the mandated closure at the Belgian Council of State. The Council decided against the mayor and suspended the mandated closure. It considered that mandating the closure of an establishment because of issues involving illegal drugs was justified in itself, but found that the mayor had insufficiently motivated the necessity to close the nightclub to combat the drug issues.[3][4][5]
References
- Lê van, Elmo (17 April 2019). "Kompass Klub: een beetje Berlijn aan de Leie" [Kompass Klub: a bit of Berlin on the Leie]. De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- "Red Bull Elektropedia Awards 2018". Red Bull Belgium. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- Philp, Ray (15 March 2019). "Ghent mayor orders four-month closure of Kompass Klub". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- Lust, Johan (26 March 2019). "Judgment № 244.035 in case A. 227.646/X-17.464" (in Dutch). Council of State. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- Eede, Christian (29 March 2019). "Belgium's Kompass Klub is reopening after Ghent mayor's closure order is suspended". DJ Mag. Retrieved 29 August 2019.