The club opened in 2012, before Bassiani and KHIDI. It says it has “only a few nights left” but has not set a closing date, and it marks its 14th anniversary on Oct 23.
Mtkvarze, one of the first clubs of Tbilisi’s techno scene, is closing. The team said in an Instagram post on Oct 21 that the building it calls home was sold without its knowledge, Resident Advisor reports. The club “only has a few nights left,” according to the post, but it gave no closing date. For Georgia’s club culture, the loss reaches back to the start of the scene: Mtkvarze opened in 2012, before Bassiani, KHIDI and the clubs that followed.
Mtkvarze’s last nights
First comes a party. Mtkvarze celebrates its 14th anniversary with a ten-hour event on Friday, Oct 23, RA reports. RA’s listing for that night names Kraumur, Zurkin, Tomma and Parna. In addition, RA still lists two club events at Mtkvarze on Saturday, Oct 31.
After that, the timeline is unclear. The club has not said how many nights remain. It also has not named a buyer.
Who owns the building now
Georgian outlet Commersant reported the sale listing on Aug 28. Mtkvari LLC, which Commersant named as the owner, asked $1.25 million for the building and 570 square metres of land. However, Commersant also noted that the public registry lists seven owners of the building in total.
On Sep 29, Commersant reported that Blockstone Capital had completed its purchase of Mtkvari LLC. So Blockstone bought the company, not the building directly. Blockstone told Commersant it plans to keep the building’s identity and turn it into a modern high-end project. It says it will present the concept later.
“This is not the end”
The team struck a hopeful note. “This is not the end, our journey will continue for a long time,” the post read, according to RA. RA says this hints at something new in the future.
“We believe in our team, our many years of experience, your trust and love, and our shared legacy,” the team added in the same post.
A pioneer of the Tbilisi scene
Mtkvarze sits in a mid-century former fish restaurant. RA dates the building to the 1950s, while Commersant says it went up in 1960. It opened in 2012. Bassiani, KHIDI and other techno clubs followed in the next few years. Since then, Tbilisi has grown into one of the best-known techno cities of the past decade. Still, Mtkvarze came first, and it is still open 14 years later.
The closure also fits a wider pattern. Across Europe, clubs keep losing the buildings they rent, often when owners sell or redevelop. Mtkvarze’s team says it learned about the sale only after the fact.
We will update this story if Mtkvarze announces a final date or a new home.
Sources: Mtkvarze closure statement on Instagram (@mtkvarze), Oct 21; Resident Advisor, Oct 22; Commersant.ge: building listed for sale, Aug 28; Commersant.ge: Blockstone Capital acquires Mtkvari LLC, Sep 29
