Can 24-Hour Drinking Zones Transform a City?

When Frank Sinatra sang about “a city that never sleeps,” he probably wasn’t thinking about the economic boost that vibrant nightlife can bring to a metropolis.

Yet a growing number of cities around the world are increasingly looking for ways to strengthen their nighttime economies.

About a hundred cities now have some form of “night mayor” or “night tsar” to stimulate this work.

But most of these cities, including London, Sydney and Sinatra’s beloved New York, don’t stay up all night. In other words, they don’t allow bars and nightclubs to stay open and serve alcohol 24 hours a day.

However, later this year, Montreal, Canada’s second-largest city, plans to make the leap to 24-hour nightlife.

Following in the footsteps of Berlin and Tokyo, establishments in a new all-night district in downtown Montreal will be allowed to stay open and serve alcohol all night.

City officials say the measure will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue. Currently, bars and clubs in the city must close at 3 a.m.

On a warm Friday night in July, downtown Montreal is bustling with activity; lively bars and restaurants line the wide pedestrian streets.

“It’s an opportunity for economic growth,” said Ericka Alneus, the city councilor who initiated the 24-hour plan.

“But it is also to present and strengthen the cultural scene.”

In 2022, the annual financial value of Montreal’s nightlife was estimated at CA$2.25 billion (US$1.6 billion; £1.3 billion), according to advocacy group MTL 24/24. Of that, CA$121 million was paid to the government in taxes, the group says.

Clearly, Ms Alneus hopes those numbers will increase when venues are allowed to stay open all night.

But not everyone is in favour of the change: “We don’t have enough security for this,” says one worried party-goer.

Another citizen is concerned about the practical consequences: “It’s nice for people who like to party, but the metro closes at 1:30 in the morning,” she says. “We have to find a way for people to get home.”

Sergio Da Silva’s Turbo Haus Club live music bar is located on Saint-Denis Street in Old Montreal. He says the planned changes were not adequately studied.

“You can’t just say, ‘Here are bars open 24 hours a day, go crazy!'”

“There is no infrastructure to maintain it. There is no 24-hour public transport, there is no additional security.

“There’s also the cost of living. If people can’t afford to go out, no matter what 24-hour lockdown policy you put in place, it doesn’t change anything,” he adds.

As the sun sets outside another bar, L’île Noir, owner Michelle Lavellee disagrees — he has a different opinion on the closing time situation.

“In Montreal, we close at 3 a.m. People are drunk at 1 a.m., and they’re super drunk at 3 a.m.

“One of the problems we have is that at 3 a.m. it’s crazy. But if you expand the hours, there are fewer problems and fewer security needs,” he says.

Ms Alneus agrees, saying that the fact that many bars and clubs close at 3am poses problems for the police.

She believes that by allowing alcohol consumption 24 hours a day, establishments that do not wish to stay open all night will be able to close at different times of the night.

She argues that staggering closing times will bring “a little more security in nightlife areas.”

In 2012, the Dutch capital Amsterdam became the first city to appoint a nighttime mayor – a role that went to club promoter and festival organiser Mirik Milan.

He says that during his six years in office, alcohol-related violence and nuisance reports have decreased by 20% and 30%, respectively. Those statistics, he says, have been essential for local officials to demonstrate to voters that “we’ve really managed the party better.”

Mr. Milan later co-founded VibeLab, a nightlife consultancy that advises governments around the world.

He says that when a city considers nightlife as one of its top cultural assets, it can have billions of dollars of positive impact on the local economy.

“It drives tourism. It attracts a lot of entrepreneurs and creative businesses that want to set up shop in this city. And it has a huge impact on the city as a whole.”

VibeLab co-founder Lutz Leichsenring has been instrumental in promoting nightlife within the Berlin Clubcommission – the organisation that, since 2000, has represented around 280 nightclubs in the German capital.

“One of the strongest arguments for nightlife is that it attracts talented and skilled workers,” he says.

“It’s a very important factor that motivates people to move to a city or to want to stay there and not move elsewhere.”

Mr Leichsenring adds that rising temperatures brought on by climate change will only make the night-time economy more important during the summer months for many cities.

He argues that “from construction to education to cultural gatherings” everything will increasingly move into cooler nighttime hours.

“We need to manage the night better, because the more we move towards that – towards the night – the more we create conflicts, because people also want to sleep at night.”

Meanwhile, efforts to transform cities into night zones have proven – in some cases – disappointing.

In 2017, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced his proposal for a 24-hour city, appointing American comedian Amy Lamé “to champion nightlife”.

Both were criticized earlier this year After suggesting they had succeeded in their vision, social media users expressed frustration at the hashtag “LameLondon” on X.

The work of Sydney’s night mayor has also faced with skepticism.

Sticking to a nightlife plan isn’t always easy, especially when governments change, says Jess Reia, an assistant professor of data science at the University of Virginia.

“The challenge is how do you sustain good policies after a change of administration – instead of just doing a pilot project for a few years and ending up with nothing,” she says.

Back in Montreal, no date has yet been set for the launch of the 24-hour service. Ms. Alneus says the intention is to launch it in the fall.

“We’re trying to be pioneers and promote something that everyone enjoys,” she says.

“There are places, artists, initiatives and nighttime performances that deserve to be highlighted – for the economic growth of the city, but also for Montreal’s cultural identity.”