A New French Legislation Recognizes Nightclubs as Cultural Actors

French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati said, “It’s important to recognise clubs and discotheques as popular cultural actors.”

Count France among the growing list of European countries that recognize nightlife for its cultural merit. The country is enacting legislation that designates nightclubs as “cultural actors,” which opens such establishments up to previously unavailable benefits.

French Culture Minister Rachida Dati shared the news via X after a series of meetings with nightlife venue union Culture Nuit. “It is important to recognize clubs and discotheques as popular cultural actors,” she wrote. “I have decided to grant their request: clubs and discotheques will be recognized as ‘cultural actors’ by the Ministry of Culture.”

“Yesterday, we were received by the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati about the need to recognize clubs and discotheques as cultural actors,” reads a post on Instagram by Culture Nuit. “It was one of our main objectives, it was accepted. We thank Madam Minister for her commitment and the joint actions to come!“

What does this mean? According to NSS Magazine, the new legislation will make various subsidies and other benefits available to nightclubs, thereby “improving the operating conditions” of such businesses. Groups like Culture Nuit have been advocating for such policy changes since the pandemic, after which time 19% of French clubs have been forced to permanently close, according to the National Union of Nightclubs and Leisure Venues. Artists like Bob Sinclair and David Guetta had spoken out in favor of government aid for the sector.

The newly announced French legislation follows last month’s development that Berlin techno would be recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The same organization gave techno in Zürich the same designation back in 2017.

It remains to be seen what difference the Ministry of Culture’s policy change will make for France’s ailing nightlife industry in the years to come.