Nightclubs in decline: Why aren’t young people going nightclubbing? 🏙️💃 | ABC Australia

Who the heck wants to spend time in a club with a bunch of people on their phones? 😢

I'm from that "party animal" generation mentioned, clubbing was brilliant fun in the 90s and early 2000s probably because it was more communal and interactive - we'd go out and make bunches of new friends, there were fewer rules, and there were no smartphones or social media feeds to fill. Nights out were were spontaneous and light. People's behaviour in clubs is generally more closed off these days and venues and nights are self-consciously "cool", but often lack atmosphere. Plus, it's just too expensive for young people in cities like Sydney with eye-watering rising rents to pay to their boomer landlords.

$25 door charge $15 beers

I blame dating apps, bad music, increased BMI and people would rather look at their phone than dance.

Drinks are so damn expensive. Who would want to go bankrupt after 1 night of dancing and drinking. Young people are also more broke these days.

It's not just nightclubs, they just don't go out in person much anymore. My kids are in high school and they just wanna stay home and be glued to their phones. I try to get them to go out with friends, but they say none of their friends would want to do anything. Of course alcohol/drug use by young people is also at the lowest point in decades, and I should be happy that they aren't going out and possibly getting pregnant or in a wreck or other trouble. But I just think it's sad they don't have the fun time I did in the 90s...

Nightclub only function by fleecing guys out of money.However they treat guys badly,their business model regarding fleecing guys is over.

Relaxing with friends over a few drinks is much more enjoyable then being in a crowded night club and yelling to someone's face because they cant hear you. I think restaurants, bars and pubs are still popular in Sydney especially on a Friday night for after work drinks. Having said that most places are pretty empty by mid-night. Clubbing can also be very expensive when paying for new cloths, entry, over-priced drinks then paying $100+ for a taxi home because the trains have stopped running. Then you have the sleaze bags harassing women, violence, people throwing up in the back of taxis and wasting a whole day of your life getting over a hangover. I think the decline is due to a number of reasons such as on line dating apps, lock out laws, covid/working from home and younger people in their 20's being more health conscious and not seeing and getting involved in the whole clubbing culture. Millennials were the last clubbing generation whilst Zoomers at my work place are more likely to be non-drinkers and vegan than party animals.

I think because the music sux now!😂😂

$20 drinks + $25 entry fees endless queues pretentious stuck-up patrons a "set-men-up-to-fail" atmosphere too many women looking for free drinks, validation/attention and dodgy "business deals" (pregnancy trap to get on cento/child support) fights galore give me a quiet neighborhood bar any day

it's happening here in america too.

As a Millennial in my mid to late 30s, I guess I'm part of the "party animal" generation, but I've never been to a night club, I find the whole thing ridiculous: I have to wait in line and screened (the sheer audacity of the club owners: determining If I'm worthy to enter their club..) like an illegal migrant, and then pay just to enter and then pay exorbitant amount for drinks?, why would I do that?

1995-2008 were the best club years. There was ALWAYS a scene

Clubbing in the 90s... 1. Entrance was $5 to 10 2. Drinks started at $5. Happy hour was 2 for 1 specials 3. We were actually dancing and sweating. Dancing was fun. 4. VIP was not to be scene but to be hidden 5. Women were socialable and more attractive that today's woman with all of the fake shit. 6. We had an amazing time and people actually smile 😃

I went to a big nightclub in Thailand with an Int'l DJ well known. Everyone had their phones out and no one was even "enjoying" themselves. Never go to another club again

Clubbing is my favorite pastime despite my infrequent visits, but the only purpose of my presence is to 'dance as much as I want on any dancing style' without any bureaucracy. So to 'preserve' the quality of my dancing experience, I don't drink [alcohol] or/and dating etc.

I disagree with the reasons stated. I’d say in AUS it’s a mix of the over commercialisation of music genres being played in venues charging an entry fee (not many big venues playing what you’d hear in the US / EUR clubs), therefore crowds who actually enjoy the dance music culture don’t go out as much and the other “normies” get bored of the same tracks on repeat. 2. We don’t have the culture europe and USA does. Nor the population. Meaning that in Europe, TALE OF US (a popular melodic techno act) will sell out an arena. Here they’d struggle to pull 1-2k people to a venue. And their fee would be too ridiculous for people to cop as the door entry price. This has led to more commercial 🧀 being played at the clubs here, deterring people from spending big bucks as the older generation 23+ don’t go out as much due to this and the lack of quality music and now it’s up to the covid 18’s (those turned 18 during covid) to spend on vip tables / drinks / tickets weekly. Finally: we don’t have big international acts like overseas do daily. Where it’s a special event. Thousands of People will flock and pay €70-200 to just enter to see big name acts (on top of drinks). That just isn’t the case here, so you’re relying on profit to be brought in by what then? Mediocre djs and expensive tables + expensive door tix ? (Let alone living costs on top of someone’s night out). That’s why festivals get sales in big part. Big name acts bring people out. We don’t have that here due to our distance and lack of budget that clubs have. Look at the big djs instagrams of them touring daily in big clubs PACKED (or those clubs roster and attendance) and you will see what I’m trying to say. Some other factors too but these are the main in just opinion as someone who’s played for many years here in aus & in Europe and speaking from experience.

Pokies dens replacing the DJ rooms. Also: if young people can't afford it - housing affordability is crazy. Also boomer generation has NIMBYed entire night out districts.

After covid lockdown. Everything has changed. Nightclubs is no exception. Cost of living sky rocketed and less jobs. Nightclubs become too expensive and ppl are tired playing the dating games. Who wants to pay hunderds of dollars for drink? It isn’t worth it

Men are no longer getting scammed by expensive drinks to give to drunk 304s. They saving their money for a better future.