Some of the events industry doom and gloom of last year has seemingly steered clear of Amsterdam, as a recent study uncovered a 90% participation rate in the city’s nightlife.

The report by VibeLab and PennPraxis including expert interviews, focus groups and an online survey of more 2,000 residents found most of them go out several times a month or weekly. Average spending ranges between €41–€60 per night, with under 25s tending to spend less.

One advantage to consider in comparison to other cities is Amsterdam’s small geographic area and thus shorter travel times, with 49.4% reporting a short 15 to 30-minute average commute to venues.

However, many respondents reported insufficient late night transport options, considering all service in the city stops at 12:30am aside from infrequent night buses.

Alongside calls for later transportation hours, around half of participants also supported the opening of more clubs, alternative spaces and outdoor venues. There was further demand for higher affordability, expansion of awareness teams, better wheelchair accessibility, more queer spaces, and better geographic spread of venues.

Alongside acknowledgement of the progress to be made, Amsterdam night czar and VibeLab co-founder Mirik Milan expressed his optimism over the high participation rates.

“This report shows it’s time to abandon the negative narrative that nightlife is dying,” he said. “Instead, we are witnessing a cultural shift from alcohol-driven nightlife towards curated night culture that is community-based, safe and diverse. The demand for night culture is growing, particularly among younger audiences.”

Milan’s role itself reflects a broader shift in how cities are approaching nightlife policy. The post-pandemic period has seen a growing move to formally support nighttime culture, with more than 80 cities worldwide appointing “night czars” or similar leadership positions.

Action has continued in this vein in the UK in 2025, with the establishment of a 11-person “Nightlife Taskforce” initiative in February of last year.

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