How New York, Seoul, Sydney, More Scenes Rate

Amsterdam-based consulting and advocacy agency VibeLab has released a new report assessing the health of nightlife culture in six major global cities across six continents.

The report, the Nighttime Culture Index, was first presented Thursday (Oct. 22) at ADE, the dance industry gathering celebrating its 30-year anniversary this week in Amsterdam. The Index is a joint project by ADE and VibeLab, which sent representatives to Amsterdam, Lagos in Nigeria, New York, São Paulo, Seoul and Sydney to conduct research. See the Nighttime Culture Index here.

Major takeaways from the report include the disparity in the price of a night out across cities, with nightclub entry costing approximately an hour of minimum-wage work in Sydney, nine hours in São Paulo and 25 hours in Lagos. (These figures exclude transportation, drinks and other costs.)

Additionally, inequality persists, with female and gender-diverse artists making up just 27% to 32% of line-ups across the six cities. Experts across five cities also rated diversity in venue ownership and leadership as poor. Safety is also cited as an issue, with respondents reporting feeling less safe in the streets surrounding nightlife areas. The issue is particularly acute in São Paulo, where 73% of respondents feel safe inside venues, compared with just 11% in the streets. In Lagos, the figures are 74% and 20%, respectively.

In New York specifically, the Index cites the main challenge in nightlife as how expensive it is, saying that “as with many major cities, cost was regularly raised as a barrier to entry for both promoters — particularly venue hire and permits — and audiences. It was suggested that the DIY scene was thriving, but costs were also blamed for making careers within the industry difficult to sustain. Many called for more funding for marginalized groups to put on events, as well as for informal and DIY spaces. Gentrification threatening venues were also raised regularly, as well as a need for more sustainable wages for workers at night.”

In terms of what’s working well in New York, the report says the city’s legendarily vibrant nightlife culture has something for everyone, “with 94% agreeing that there is a variety and diversity of different scenes, styles, sounds and genres in New York. When asked for up-and-coming sounds and artists in New York, no artist, sound or style was named twice, reflecting the diversity [on] offer in the city. Our focus group felt strongly that New York was a place where new artists, sounds and styles can emerge and that New York’s nightlife community has the power to shape its scene.”

The Index also notes that in terms of New York venues, “survey respondents rated free or outdoor events in public space almost as highly as clubs when asked which were the most important nightlife spaces in the city.”

“But despite their popularity,” the Index continues, “promoters recognized the financial and legal risks of holding DIY parties — and one participant said she would be concerned inviting Black attendees to a DIY party for fear of ‘overpolicing’ if it were shut down. However, audiences were generally positive about nightlife inclusivity, with 84% of survey respondents agreeing that people from diverse communities, races, social classes and other parts of the city participate in nighttime culture.”

Additionally, New York received a 30/100 on festivals with sustainability commitments, 45/100 on public funding for nighttime culture and 74.5/100 on education pathways into nightlife careers. Two major trends found in the city are block party gatherings and the jazz improv genre.

In total, the Index analyzed more than 12,000 event line-ups, assessed more than 3,000 venues and researched nearly 30,000 non-music cultural events. It had more than 700 respondents to its public survey, 67 focus group participants and 14 nighttime culture experts. 

Working with local coordinators in each city, VibeLab also employed desk research, expert interviews and data collection to assess trends in each. The Index assesses each city based on creative ecology, space and infrastructure, diversity and representation, community and belonging, policy and civic health and sustainability and environment.

“Behind the numbers is a night culture that is thriving, even as the business around it is under immense pressure, VibeLab co-founder Mirik Milan said in a statement. “New ideas often come out of crisis. Let’s give nightlife culture the space to do what it does best: bring people together.”

“You can’t have a nighttime industry without a nighttime culture, and that culture depends on people being able to take part,” added ADE managing director Jan-Willem van de Ven. “When a club night costs a day’s wages or more in some cities, that is a question for all of us, including the industry.”