Nightlife has been through a lot since the world (temporarily) shut down in 2020. It’s not all been positive: cities like London have seen the closure of thousands of clubs, bars and pubs. The cost-of-living crisis in the UK and around the world has had a huge impact on nightlife. And rumour has it young people just aren’t going out anymore.
So, is nightlife dead? Not exactly, but it’s changed. Where superclubs have become passé, listening bars, word-of-mouth raves and outdoor events have taken their place. Sober clubbing is on the rise, while country music has people filling dancefloors in the US and, surprisingly, the UK. In our brand-new list of the world’s best cities for nightlife, two events discourage wearing shoes.
At Time Out, we’ve been champions of nightlife since our foundation. That’s why we set out to find the world’s best cities for nightlife in 2024 by surveying thousands of people in hundreds of the world’s best cities. As well as being quizzed on their favourite venues and experiences, locals were asked to rate their city’s nightlife scene on both its quality and affordability – because nothing puts a downer on your night like a hefty entrance fee or an £8 pint.
After crunching all that data, we then narrowed down the selection by excluding cities with lower overall scores, and only including the highest-scoring city for each country. To complete the list, we reached out to those who live and breathe nightlife – DJs – to nominate three nightlife capitals that deserve a spotlight.
Some of these destinations have always been legendary nightlife cities; others might not yet be on your radar. But, as our clued-up local experts have attested below, every city on this list is a genuinely exciting place to go out and have a good time after dark right now. So get on your dancing shoes: these are the world’s best cities for nightlife in 2024.
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