Beirut's nightclub district 'wiped out' in port explosion

Tuesday’s devastating Beirut port explosion, which killed 135 people and injured at least 5,000 more, has vastly damaged the city’s nightclub district.

According to an in-depth report in the Guardian, “a whole nightclub district was virtually wiped out” by the blast. The Central District is just two kilometres from the site of the explosion, caused by a still-unknown ignition of 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at a warehouse for six years, where venues such as The Garten, The Ballroom Blitz, Discotek Beirut, B018, O1NE Beirut, AHM and others are located.

In a statement to Mixmag, The Ballroom Blitz cofounder Moe Choucair said, “The nightclub district is indeed all along the port but the damage means nothing to our team in comparison to the apocalyptic disaster our country went through.”

Lebanese authorities have declared a state of emergency over the capital for two weeks. As the city’s economy already struggled with 35 percent unemployment, half the city’s population living below the poverty line and the pandemic, it has been estimated that around 250,000 people are now homeless in the aftermath of the explosion.

For information on how to support Beirut relief and recovery, see the Guardian and this community-driven resource list.

We’ve reached out to additional members of the local music community for their perspectives, and we’ll update this story when we hear back.

Photo credit: A.K.Khalifeh