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Chasing the after-dark economy

Cathy Buckmaster heads out into the night to find out exactly how the cities of the world operate when the sun goes down — and whether the appointment of “Night Mayors” is a trend that’s here to stay.

Despite the lofty title, a Night Mayor is neither a person who takes on the graveyard shift of the city’s most important job nor a comic book super-villain. Instead, they are a figurehead who works to cultivate a city’s night-time economy — more of an ambassadorial role than a classic government job with traditional authority. 

Night Mayors, or ‘Night Czars’, as they’re known in some locations, serve as liaisons between the businesses that come alive at night and the government, as well as improving night-time entertainment and cultural offerings. A Night Mayor might source after-dark cultural offerings that would act as alternatives to pubs and clubs, organise police presence and help venues attain liquor licenses and extend their hours.

The first city to appoint a Night Mayor, or ‘Nachtburgemeester’, was Amsterdam – Mirik Milan, a club promoter and supporter of urban nightlife, was elected to the position in 2012. The Nachtburgemeester’s flagship project was to create a purpose-built after-dark district with 24-hour venues on the outskirts of Amsterdam, which contained a mix of art galleries, bars and clubs. One of the greatest achievements of the role in that city has been the introduction of 24-hour licenses.

In an article entitled “Why every city needs a night mayor” in Ethiad’s Atlas magazine, Milan says: “When I first started, my team and I positioned ourselves between government, small businesses and residents. We needed to make sure they could co-exist peacefully but not, you could say, in peace; a city has the right, and the need, to turn up the volume sometimes.

“Nightlife is good for a city’s culture and its economy. Any politician who takes the view that it doesn’t matter, or that it’s something that will just figure itself out, is missing the point: late-night culture plays a huge part in a city’s prosperity.”

After the success of Amsterdam’s Night Mayor, many cities followed suit, including New York, London, Sydney, Paris, Zurich and Shibuya in Tokyo. The subject was also a hot topic during a 2019 local election in Ireland when Prime Minister Leo Varadkar referred to a plan to appoint a Night Mayor to help revitalise Dublin at night. To date, however, no appointment of a night mayor for Dublin has been made.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan appointed British television and radio personality Amy Lamé as the city’s first-ever Night Czar in 2016. In her first year in the role, she successfully managed to keep Fabric (London’s infamous 24-hour club) from planned closure by bringing the owners, the police and the local council together for talks.  

Though the name suggests a position of power, often the role doesn’t come with much authority. Lamé was heavily criticised in 2018 by the night-time community and music industry figures after curfews were enforced by Hackney council to make new businesses close at 11pm — something that lay outside her control.

Night-time activities can be a hugely lucrative revenue stream for a city. According to Mirik Milan, the Amsterdam nightlife provides around 13,000 part- and full-time jobs citywide. 

“Late-night people are typically creative, educated, entrepreneurial — exactly the kind of qualities you want in your citizens. Night clubs, it’s become apparent, can be like business schools for young, creative kids. And it’s working: the Dutch dance music industry is worth around $700m a year. That’s the power of nightlife.”

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