Generation Z is often maligned as a ‘homebody generation.’ Battered by the rising cost of living and stunted by the COVID-19 pandemic, today’s youth would seemingly rather sit at home, scrolling and focussing on ‘self-care’ than socialising with friends. They prefer matcha lattes and Pilates to wild nights out.
The impact of this is being felt across Western Europe. In France, 70% of nightclubs have shut down since the 1980s. In Amsterdam and Barcelona, venues are calling last orders much earlier than they used to. And in formerly lively Berlin, you’re now just as likely to get chucked out at 10 p.m. as 4 a.m. The UK, too, has lost around 400 clubs—more than a third—in the last five years alone. In London specifically, a city once world-renowned for its vibrant nightlife and music scene, just 6% of venues open past 2 a.m.
