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Finally, I want to touch on that “governments actively limiting/forbidding” nightlife piece again. Going out in Seoul, the nightlife districts feel very well-defined and very official. It’s a quick change when you walk from a dark, quiet, sleepy residential neighborhood into Hongdae, and it’s suddenly all restaurants, arcades, nightclubs, bars, etc. and it’s very well lit with tons of neon lights and there are people of all ages walking around even on weekdays. Compare that with Boston, where nightlife is more haphazardly spread across a few different parts of the city. The whole area is super dark and deserted especially on weekdays. This is all by design. The city doesn’t want bustling entertainment districts. There used to be some, and they were actively destroyed. The lack of good nightlife is purposeful.
TBH this also vary from city to city in the US.
You mention Seoul. Tokyo is actually similar i.e. you can be in the "main area" of Shinjuku or Shibuya and 5 minutes walk away, you're in some residential street that's basically dead. They really focus nightlife into certain area which makes "nightlife" look better as you have a concentration of people.
For Tokyo another thing to mention is that often "nightlife" happens b/c people work really late (due to overtime etc.) - this mean some restaurants (izakaya, ramen shop, etc.) still gets business at 11pm. This was actually toned down post-pandemic, though. Last time I was in Tokyo (December 2022) things were still a lot milder than it was, with many places closing much earlier.
Who are the customers for nightlife entertainment venues?
Retired baby boomers are already in bed.
Generation X is thinking about going to bed.
Millennials are putting the kids to bed.
Generation Z is awake but on their iPhones. Some are too young/can't drive.
Gen Alpha is being sent to bed.
In my small metro of 1 million +/-, the sidewalks are rolled up at 9 PM. There are few places that are open later. Mostly bars but no real entertainment scene.
Why is that? There is a very serious DWI problem. Too many people are packing heat. Recreational Cannabis is legal. Gotta go to work in the morning.
Lastly there is a worker shortage. I know of a restaurant/bar that is nice and welcoming, but it has a kitchen than needs a staff of 27 and has only 12 kitchen workers, mostly inexperienced. They would like to bring in bands for night performances but can't support the influx of patrons. They are making good money as it is, so they close early, clean up and go home.
Who are the customers for nightlife entertainment venues?
Retired baby boomers are already in bed.
Generation X is thinking about going to bed.
Millennials are putting the kids to bed.
Generation Z is awake but on their iPhones. Some are too young/can't drive.
Gen Alpha is being sent to bed.
In my small metro of 1 million +/-, the sidewalks are rolled up at 9 PM. There are few places that are open later. Mostly bars but no real entertainment scene.
Why is that? There is a very serious DWI problem. Too many people are packing heat. Recreational Cannabis is legal. Gotta go to work in the morning.
Lastly there is a worker shortage. I know of a restaurant/bar that is nice and welcoming, but it has a kitchen than needs a staff of 27 and has only 12 kitchen workers, mostly inexperienced. They would like to bring in bands for night performances but can't support the influx of patrons. They are making good money as it is, so they close early, clean up and go home.
I don't know. Probably because Americans are super uptight and do not know how to relax and have a good time. The post Covid fallout and the looming threat of some gun-wielding psycho mowing everyone down certainly does not help.
In some parts of the US (particularly the rural south), you’re expected to be married with kids in your early 20s. “Going out” goes from 18-21.
In larger but still conservative cities, that might get pushed to 24.
In places like Miami and Vegas, being in your late 30s and being out and about is acceptable.
I also think that the 21 year old alcohol drinking age has a negative effect as far as nightlife goes. They make it harder for young adults to enjoy going out to the point that it gets faded in the culture.
Everything people said above about the car centric, suburban lifestyle and all are absolutely a factor too.
I need to start by vehemently disagreeing with posters that have blamed covid for our bad nightlife. Yes, it didn’t help, but the nightlife has been bad for much longer than that.
I can only speak for Boston here, but I have a feeling the same things might be true of other parts of the country. The primary thing holding us back from having nightlife like Europe or Asia is a deeply ingrained cultural association between nightlife (e.g. drinking and dancing) with violence, debauchery, and poverty.
It’s this association that makes people in the country afraid of going to nightlife districts downtown. It’s what led the US to try prohibition in the 20s. It prompted the Boston city government to actively dismantle or destroy entertainment districts (Scollay and Kenmore Squares in particular) back in the 50s-80s. And it prompts certain towns and neighborhoods to officially forbid or limit nightlife via zoning and licensing.
Also important, the association causes us to collectively believe that nightlife is primarily something for young 20-somethings. You should be moving away from it by the time you’re 26, and by 30 you should have a child and a career. People who are 30+ are judged/shamed for wanting to go out because it’s seen as immature and irresponsible. The flip side to all of this is that the crowds out at bars and clubs in Boston tend to be much younger than in Europe/Asia which makes them more likely to be immature and rowdy as a group than if there was a better mix of ages. Which makes the whole thing a self-affirming loop.
It’s been mentioned, but the lack of walkability and transit definitely plays a role as well. I think something that changed to make access to nightlife even harder was the increased focus on road safety that started in the 90s. My dad tells stories that he and his friends would practice drunk driving by buying a 12-pack and cruising around the neighborhood so that they’d be prepared later to get home after going out. With drunk driving (rightly) being vilified in the country, that removes an option for people who want to go out and don’t live near public transit. They either need a DD or resolve to pay big $$$ for a late-night rideshare, or they aren’t going, which adds a level of complexity to planning.
Finally, I want to touch on that “governments actively limiting/forbidding” nightlife piece again. Going out in Seoul, the nightlife districts feel very well-defined and very official. It’s a quick change when you walk from a dark, quiet, sleepy residential neighborhood into Hongdae, and it’s suddenly all restaurants, arcades, nightclubs, bars, etc. and it’s very well lit with tons of neon lights and there are people of all ages walking around even on weekdays. Compare that with Boston, where nightlife is more haphazardly spread across a few different parts of the city. The whole area is super dark and deserted especially on weekdays. This is all by design. The city doesn’t want bustling entertainment districts. There used to be some, and they were actively destroyed. The lack of good nightlife is purposeful.
These are good points. Good post!
And with the United States being such a very large geographic country, density does not exist overall, to the degree it does in European countries. With the exception being a handful of northeastern and midwestern cities.
The US is vast and large and does not embrace density--on the whole--allowing for most everyone to drive automobiles everywhere they go. (DUI's)
In many cities and villages in Europe you can get wrecked and walk home, ride a bike, grab a bus or take a train ride. It's similar here in NYC, and nightlife and going out is embraced by a much larger age group demographic than the rest of the US, I would think.
And of course, as you eluded to and someone else mentioned, the US is still largely (but getting a bit better at it) puritanical. Going out is considered "bad form," a "sin" and "unproductive" by the "adults" in the room (ie, today, mostly baby boomers)
Its because the US was founded by Puritans in Boston.
And the English culture isn't as loose as Spanish or French Culture which is why Miami and New Orleansfeel more fun.
YES
Then its also a (over)reaction to US violent crime rate is very high in most central cities to the point where it doesn't feel "first world". So the reaction is to limit and restrict because its cheaper and less controversial than policing.
For example, a new place opened in Downtown Boston on April 15th to cater to a young club going inner city type crowd. Already its had 1 shooting outside its doors.
Another spot for nightlife for the inner city crowd- in Dorchester, had a double shooting the very next night (yesterday).
Its a "this is why we cant have nice things scenario"
Every club I have ever enjoyed in Boston has had multiple shootings or stabbings outside of it. Every single one.
And subsequently changed ownership or lost a liquor license at some point. most cant last over 6/7 years.
Most cities with good nightlife in the US- Miami, Atlanta, Houston and New Orleans as examples- are the most violent and homicidal cities in the OECD world.
Yes, Boston was my first experience in the US and I remember feeling like the nightlife was pretty sketchy. The city was not well lit at night and at the time when I was there there was a lot of shootings at the nightlife districts. I loved the city otherwise but the nightlife didn't feel very safe or plentiful. To be fair, though, we didn't try much of the nightlife in the university areas so maybe those have a different feel. Either way, it was not what I was expecting for such a prominent American city.
And with the United States being such a very large geographic country, density does not exist overall, to the degree it does in European countries. With the exception being a handful of northeastern and midwestern cities.
And some West Coast cities are pretty dense (SF, Seattle, Oakland, parts of LA, etc.) - but overall your point is well taken. It's interesting that aside from NYC and Chicago, the denser cities are not the places with the relatively good nightlife. Vegas, Miami, and Nashville for example all have "good" nightlife (by US standards) and are driving-oriented cities.
American cities are much different than European cities. Demographics have much to do why Americans don't live in the cities with exceptions, however most Americans live out in the suburbs. You're more likely to find smaller bars and club going on in larger towns than cities in many cases.
Also, age demographics vary by region. Americans in the south (with exception of Florida mostly) get married young. People in the Northeast and parts of California settle down later in life.
Americans eat dinner early. I don't why this is, but most places are closing up shop around 8pm-9pm where probably many of Europe and South America people are probably not going out to dinner until 9pm maybe even later.
I was in Cahersiveen Ireland 6 years ago to the day, and was in a pub that just started to get very intimate with music around midnight. I realized I was in a very rare, special moment, when local talent started playing string instruments with percussion. The setting was where tourists don't spend an evening and the busses pass these small places by. Anyway, I just sat back and observed, watching improvisational performances continue until about 3:00 am when everyone there was tired enough to walk back to their local homes. That's not happening in larger cities. I was totally in my element as I saw my fifth generation roots right in front of me.
That's a very romantic anecdote. That is the sort of thing that makes nightlife appealing to any age, even if you are 70 - a very rare find in North American cities. This scenario is almost nonexistent in the PNW and the weather probably plays a large role in it. This will only happen during dinner seating, 7pm lasting to at latest 12am before the restaurant closes shop and your only option to do much of anything social at that time is to pay a bouncer to skip a line and enter a nightclub.
The generational shift and COVID are two of the biggest factors here that has led to nightlife's precipitous decline. 20 and 30 somethings in big cities are so overwhelmed with housing, job security, debt, marriage and child rearing and might even be having an identity crisis that nightlife is not for them. Those better off are hosting house or condo parties.
Those younger than that would rather be on Twitch, Bumble or Fortnite.
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