Elon Musk opens "Giga Rave Cave" nightclub beneath Brandenburg factory
South African billionaire Elon Musk has opened a nightclub beneath Tesla’s gigafactory in Grünheide, Brandenburg, exclusively for employees, called the "Giga rave cave."
Musk Unveils Hamster Nightclub at Tesla Factory
A new nightclub named Hamster has opened beneath the Tesla gigafactory in Grünheide, Brandenburg, near Berlin. This initiative stems from a 2020 poll Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter), where 90.2% of respondents supported the idea of a "mega rave cave" under the Berlin gigafactory. Musk had promised an epic sound system with woofers the size of a car.
Four years later, the "rave cave" is a reality. Grünheide factory manager Andre Thierig shared a video on X showing a dark tunnel leading to the underground club, captioned “Giga Berlin rave cave (aka Hamster) now alive! Party on.”
Berlin’s Clubcommission, an organization dedicated to protecting and developing the city's diverse club scene, welcomed Tesla's move, recognizing music and club culture as integral to Berlin’s identity. They noted that Tesla's support contrasts with past instances where companies exploited Berlin's cultural appeal for recruitment but displaced creative spaces.
Tesla Factory Expansion Approved Despite Local Opposition
The Hamster nightclub opening follows the approval by Brandenburg’s State Environment Office for Tesla to expand its gigafactory, despite a local referendum in February where 76% of Grünheide residents voted against the expansion. Tesla argued that the expansion is beneficial for the community, while the Grünheide Citizens' Initiative, which has opposed the factory since its inception, hailed the referendum as a victory for forest and water protection in the water-scarce region.
Local authorities ultimately allowed the expansion, which includes a freight depot, storage facilities, and childcare for Tesla workers. The new development requires felling an additional 250 acres of pine forest surrounding the already extensive 740-acre site.
Since the factory's opening in 2022, several incidents have raised concerns about employee safety and environmental impact, including a battery fire causing contaminated water leakage and an illegal petrol station leaking 250 liters of diesel.