London’s night scene is becoming known as the worst in the country. What can it take from other cities to revive it before it dies?
The term ’24 hour city’ is often used to describe many cities around the world, including London. However, having recently again returned from New York, one of the world’s most vibrant, overwhelming, non-stop cities on the globe, I began to wonder.
London’s nightlife is somewhat embarrassing for one of the most visited, populated cities on Earth. How many places in London could I walk into at 1:45 am and grab something to eat other than McDonalds, or stay out until 4:00 am drinking? It’s already difficult now but it’s becoming much more of a tricky task.
My thoughts on London’s poor 24-hour scene haven’t just stemmed from a quick hop across the Atlantic a few weeks ago. It gradually developed after having the words “last orders” howled across a number of pubs in Central London at a ridiculously early hour.
The most mind-numbingly absurd “last orders!” howl I can think of being at roughly 9:25 pm on a Thursday night. You’ll forgive me for not writing the exact expletives I used upon hearing this to those also in disbelief sitting around me.
This is an experience that the declining numbers of people who go out in the evenings in London will experience regularly.
The task of trying to walk into a restaurant after 9:30 pm in London is almost impossible, or chancing upon a club that is open past 2:00 am. Of course, there are some, but they’re dwindling in numbers.
You don’t even need to be on a night out to find stark examples of how London is anything but a 24-hour city. Whether it be a sporting event, such as the Euros or a concert in Wembley, the constant reminders in tube stations of “check when your last train is” proves that London is very much closed for business past midnight.
Although London has much to offer, it almost certainly isn’t taken advantage of. The night-time economy in this city is becoming non-existent. The tube only runs 24 hours on a Friday or Saturday night on five out of the 12 lines, whilst the rest of the week your only hope of going from one end of the city to the other is on a night bus.
Not exactly what you’d expect from one of the biggest cities in the world.
Contrast this to New York, where the subway operates 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week, where you could find a club to walk into at 2:00 am within minutes and where you wouldn’t have to trek for miles to find somewhere to eat or drink at any hour of the night.
The Big Apple is the ultimate example of a city that never sleeps. Quick transportation from all five boroughs that operates all hours of the day and night in what I can only describe as an effortless night out.
Speaking to an all-night sandwich bar owner in Midtown Manhattan he told Artefact “We’re open all night because there’s a steady stream of customers throughout the night, enough for us that it makes sense we stay open.”
He added: “We’ve got all different clientele who come in through the night, from the tourists who are out in the city late, to late night workers who’ve just finished a shift at 1:00 am as well as those just on a night out.”
Across the street, there a number of restaurants still open up until midnight, with people walking in for a table at just after 10:00 pm. This would be almost unheard of in London.
From my experience, the typical response when trying to find a restaurant past 9:30 pm in London is “Sorry Sir, the kitchen is closed!”
New York’s bustling nightlife proves that when you provide the transportation and the means for people to go out at night, businesses will benefit and as a result, will boost the nighttime economy.
There are successful examples of this in the UK, with Manchester being the most notable and all the evidence proves that it provides a better all-night scene than the capital.
Information gathered by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) states that consumer spending in the UK night-time economy was £136.5bn in 2022, with 2.08 million employed in 2022, with employment growing year-on-year with the exception of 2020.
In a recent investigation, The Times found that Manchester ranked as the number one city in England for venues open past 2:00 am, with London ranking a poor 10th.
In the case of Manchester’s success, the city’s night-time advisor puts this down to investment in new transport developments and infrastructure projects.
Cities such as Edinburgh, Cardiff and Newcastle have mastered the late-night scene, particularly on a Friday or Saturday night, with London lagging way behind with some of the fewest venues open past 1:00 am out of the major cities in the UK
This may come across as a criticism of the venues in London. It’s not. It’s an indictment of the fact that many establishments feel that they cannot operate late into the night because they either can’t get permission for a license to operate late at night or that it’s just not worth it economically.
When I asked a number of students about the late scene in London, a common trend was that research is needed on a night out in the city to plan ahead because you needed to know where was open late. One student told me that he hasn’t been on a night out in the city for years because everywhere is closed by 1:00 am.
Lucy, who lives in North London, regularly visits the same clubs and bars as they are one of the select few which stay open late: “I just stick with the same places because there really isn’t a huge amount of choice. I’m just staying in more often than not to be honest as it’s cheaper and you can have friends around instead.”
However, it isn’t just clubs, bars and restaurants that don’t open late in London, it’s also fast food establishments battling with local councils for the ability to trade into the early hours.
One event that encapsulates this madness is the Greggs store in Leicester Square and their battle with the council for a late-night license. The chain made the headlines because they had the tenacity to battle with Westminster Council for permission to open their store 24 hours-a-day in a hugely busy tourist area.
The chain had hoped to open the store 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week The Guardian reported, however later reached an agreement permitting the store to open until 2:00 am between Thursday and Saturday and until midnight for the remainder of the week, thus cancelling the three-day appeal hearing against the council who flat out denied 24-hour trading before the agreement above was reached.
The question remains, if a store famous for selling sausage rolls can’t stay open into the early hours in one of London’s busiest areas, what hope is there for hospitality who wish to sell alcohol and food as well as entertainment late into the night.
The truth is that London is not a 24-hour city and won’t be until local councils and politicians at a high level prioritise the night-time economy, otherwise, the City risks effectively neglecting a huge opportunity.
The evidence is clear, if you provide transportation and permit licenses for late-night trading, the night-time economy will boom, jobs will be created and ultimately it will generate revenue for the capital as is already happening in many other cities across the country.
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Featured image by Bruno Martins via Unsplash