Is American night life "trash" now?

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officerboba@reddit

Redditors aren’t a good indicator for anything night life or partying related.. for example, Reddit was trashing Justin Bieber performance at Coachella when it was a vibe and everyone was enjoying it.

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thechurchchick@reddit

It’s just the times that are changing. Partying and clubbing were a big part of the young millennial culture. Gen Z culture is completely different.

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bigkapex@reddit

A lot of inflation killed businesses ability to cover overhead

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LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit

Nightlife was amazing when our parents were strict. We had no place to hang out with friends exact in parking lots and fields and stuff. We didn't even have a phone we could use. By the time we got out of the house it was after 18 years of boredom.

Now people have insane porn to look at, can be connected with their friends via phone, parents already made sure we could be social.

No one needs the release of getting shit faced and trying to hook up anymore. People do things like go see live music or trivia or something but most people are up for having bouncers be dicks to you while you spend 20 bucks for a drink.

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WellWellWellthennow@reddit

This is quite insightful.

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wildwasabi@reddit

I'd definitely say price is a massive factor. It's like minimum $6 for a single beer, sometimes up to $8 for nicer ones at a local brewery.

I can get an entire 12 pack of really nice beer for usually under $1.50 a beer.

It used to be easily affordable to go out and casually hangout/have a few beers but prices are just absurd now.

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ThisWillBeOnTheExam@reddit

Most bars have priced people out. And it isn’t entirely the cost of product going up, beer and liquor have only gone up marginally at a wholesale level. I saw it happen in real time over the last few years.

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LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit

But even back when I did it -- we pregamed went out late so we only had to buy a drink or 2. People ARE def paying for shit like coffees and food deliveries.

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wildwasabi@reddit

Food delivery is the most absurd way people spend money today honestly. Getting mc donalds delivered cause you're too lazy to go to mcdonalds is always crazy to me lol

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LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit

Well, that kind of laziness probably says something about why kids aren't going out to clubs and stuff.

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djsuperfly@reddit

Sure, but back when you could get a beer at a bar for $3, those same beers were .50-.75 cents apiece from the grocery store. The markup hasn't really changed.

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itsthekumar@reddit

Idk I usually only get 2-3 drinks when I go out.

It is a little costly, but you're paying for both the drink and "admission" to the venue.

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wildwasabi@reddit

Yea I get what you're saying but still, 6+ dollars for a singular beer is crazy these days $12+ for a cocktail. Hell restaurants are even charging like $3-4 for a soda.

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ThisWillBeOnTheExam@reddit

I’ve worked in mostly bartending since 2013 in California… I don’t make as much as I used to, every bar closes earlier, I’ve got less food options after work, nothing 24 hours downtown, there are less events, less young people out and about, and numerous bar & restaurant closures in my town… It absolutely it not what it was, for a number of reasons and I actually don’t anticipate it coming back.

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Traditional-Roof-980@reddit

As a pretty-introverted American who doesn't get out much (to say the least), I've always considered the "American idea" (at least) of 'nightlife' to be incredibly-limited and/or boring- like, from what I can tell, what's mostly-described by "nightlife" here is

...mainly bars and clubs?

and maybe strip clubs (at least, for those who're 'really horny', lol), concerts, occasional karaoke and maybe- if you're lucky- a few comedy clubs and/or troupes (esp. in bigger cities like Chicago and New York), as well as, perhaps, extra stuff like Broadway in New York and the like.

and then there's other stuff, once in a while, like maybe arcades, let alone 'barcades' (lol)

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Ancient_Broccoli3751@reddit

Ya know, I used to go out a lot and now not so much, like a lot of people. But looking back, it doesn’t really seem like people ever liked one another all that much at all.

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HoldMyWong@reddit

I never go out because the only way to/back from the bar is driving

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j_g_g22@reddit

Uber has made this concern extinct.

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Nomahs_Bettah@reddit

That’s not something that would change with COVID, though.

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KartFacedThaoDien@reddit

Uber does still exist

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GreenBeanTM@reddit

Can’t speak for St. Louis but in a lot of small towns it’s never existed. If I were to magically find a club somewhere near me I’d have to drive there.

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girkabob@reddit

Uber and Lyft are both plentiful and cheap in St. Louis. No need to drive if you don't want to.

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lokland@reddit

Cheap…?

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girkabob@reddit

Yeah? The city is geographically small and traffic is almost nonexistent.

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SkiMonkey98@reddit

It sure adds to the cost though if you live in a more spread out area

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animepuppyluvr@reddit

Same! An Uber one way for me to go downtown is like $50 on a weekend night and like $60 on the way back. So I got a sober man as my husband to be my forever DD lmao

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RumpleDumple@reddit

StL in my 20s was drunk driving to Uncle Bill's at 3 am on a Saturday or Sunday. So lucky I didn't ruin my or someone else's life.

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durandall09@reddit

It used to be so bad. People are still resistant to Uber/Lyft until they take it once and then it's "this is awesome!"

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Stan_Deviant@reddit

Thank you for recognizing that.

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durandall09@reddit

Uber bro! Unless you live in BFE or something.

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DaisyCutter312@reddit

Nothing says you have to be the one driving though?

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BluesPuckHard@reddit

Ughhh I so badly miss my nights on Wash Ave & Soulard.

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Zaliukas-Gungnir@reddit

I know in the area where I live it has really taken a nose dive for sure. We had one of the top ten collage music scenes in the United States maybe 20-25 years ago. I honestly have only gone downtown a couple of times since 2014. That was to a comedy show last year. No real music scene, no clubs or decent places to hang out. Some alright restaurants, but most aren’t in the downtown area anyways.

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SushiAndKetamine@reddit

This has to be Seattle or Portland. Because SAME.

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No-Contact6664@reddit

Late night and 24 hour businesses took a massive hit not from Covid but from the inflation after.

It's more expensive to be out so people stay in.

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Uffda01@reddit

And for the companies: keeping the doors open and staffed wasn't maximizing profit which is all they actually care about.

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No-Contact6664@reddit

At one point in time it was profitable and they could stock stores at night.

I think with labor costs, utility costs, theft, and liability it just wasn't worth it when prices rose and traffic didn't justify it.

Plus you have Amazon delivering things in less than two hours in some cities, a day in most, and 3 days in even far flung places.

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DaneLimmish@reddit

I worked at Walmart overnights during COVID and all the old heads loved not being open 24/7. "No more 2am rush, we can get our job done!"

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b0jangles@reddit

Most bars tend to be locally owned and running a restaurant/bar is notoriously low margin. They’re care about profit because that’s how you keep the doors open.

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Uffda01@reddit

Sorry I was more meaning 24hr grocery and stores like Walmart.. bars can’t be open 24 hrs cause of liquor laws.

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Chillow_Ufgreat@reddit

This. Inflation/prices have diluted the value proposition.

Going out to a nightclub is Uber + cover + drinks for me + drinks for someone else ideally + Uber home. Very easily $200 for a night out.

For $200 I can buy weed for a month and maybe have enough left over for the Netflix subscription.

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ElijahNSRose@reddit

Also the people out drinking at 2am looking for dates are the same guys refinancing their car for the 5th time. If you haven't noticed, rising interest rates have made living off debt impossible.

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DaneLimmish@reddit

It's always been trash imo.

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WOTrULookingAt@reddit

American Life right now = trash.

So any subset also = trash.

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DismalNitchfish@reddit

I live in a smmid sized west coast city, before the pandemic we had several 24 hour diners, late night spots and bars that closed at 2:30am, now everything is closed by 10pm.

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bureaucrat473a@reddit

Pretty much every Walmart near me was 24 hours pre-pandemic. It was like that for years. As a night owl it was great because I could shop there in peace. Now they all close by 10, maybe 11 at the latest.

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funklab@reddit

I lived practically in the suburbs in the mid 2000s and there was a 24 hour grocery store walking distance from my apartment… you couldn’t safely walk there, because it’s the southeast and there are no sidewalks, but it was super convenient. There were also a half dozen 24 hour restaurants including 24 hour drive thrus.

Now I live in a trendy neighborhood near the center of the city with way more traffic at night and you can’t get any sort of food groceries or prepared between 10 pm and 7 am. Which sucks. Because I often get off work at midnight.

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thepineapplemen@reddit

you couldn’t safely walk there, because it’s the southeast and there are no sidewalks

Too true

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TrixieLurker@reddit

Yeah, my area's primary city has 100K people and its 24-hour locations have been reduced to:

One IHOP
two 24 hour McDonalds
One grocery store (although the biggest one)
Kwik Trip and Speedway gas stations

It used to be so much more, including Walmart for us nightowls, at least I can do my grocery shopping at night, nothing else really, unless I want gas (for the tank, not for the intestines).

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big_sugi@reddit

I live in the DC area. I used to have two 24-hr supermarkets within walking distance (although one of them is about two miles away, which is pushing it.)

Now, I think there’s just one 24-hr supermarket in the entire metro area.

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RealTrapShed@reddit

Dude I went to one in Austin TX last year and was blown away that I had to order everything to go. At 10pm on a Friday… wtf?

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cwcam86@reddit

Too many trash customers have forced that to happen. You dont have to kick someone out if they never go in.

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ghjm@reddit

Right, and a lot of this came from BS exaggerated memes on Reddit and TikTok about fights at Waffle House. There were always rowdy drunk people when the bars closed, but the kids who believe everything they see online started to come to Waffle House to find trouble, or make it if they didn't find it. This is why we can't have nice things.

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cwcam86@reddit

Yeah I mean I've been to a Memphis Waffle House at 2 am and it was chill. All of these videos are exaggerated isolated incidents'

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ghjm@reddit

Back when I traveled for work all over the southeast, I lived off Waffle House, and I never even once saw an actual fight. It was never a thing until suddenly everyone started talking about it on reddit.

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bluecifer7@reddit

Who the fuck orders Waffle House take out lol

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mcgoran2005@reddit

People who want to do their fighting at home?

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SucksAtJudo@reddit

They like their violence the same way they like their beer and their pickup trucks... DOMESTIC

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spaceyfacer@reddit

😂

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quasifun@reddit

You can eat in your car if you want.

They just don't want to deal with serving you inside.

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0x706c617921@reddit

Eating in a car car. 🤮 🤡

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hawkwings@reddit

That's unfortunate about Waffle House, because I went there when the power went out after a car hit a telephone pole.

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Pete_Iredale@reddit

Pretty much all of the the Waffle Houses by me are takeout-only after 8pm.

I was in Louisville a few months ago and was absolutely shocked when my Uber driver dropped me off at a closed-for-the-night Wafflehouse. I didn't even know such things existed!

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HammyOverlordOfBacon@reddit

Another victim of inflation and (justifiably) rising wages. Companies don't want to pay for overnight shifts since it costs more than they're making on it so customers like us who want to do things late at night are shit out of luck.

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pinniped90@reddit

Takeout waffle house just sounds gross. That's not a thing that travels well. You have to eat it hot.

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TokyoDrifblim@reddit

I'm in Atlanta and except for a few specific sections of town , where the clubs are, everything is closed by 11. Most restaurants earlier, I even see bars closing at 9 now. Waffle house is takeout only after dark . It sucks . It was not like this before COVID

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Sensitive_Event_5453@reddit

I blame so much on Covid-the biggest scam put on Americans. Yes, it was real but so over blown. You died of a heart attack and death certificate said Covid related.

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pdxjoseph@reddit

I used to read in a coffee house on NW 21st well after midnight and it was always full of people drawing, reading, chatting with friends. Portland feels so dead now especially late nights :/

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Malfunkdung@reddit

It’s 4am and I just got home as a bartender in Portland. It was popping tonight. Fridays and Saturdays are still nuts and the warm weather is bound to bring more people out. Night life is still definitely alive.

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Pete_Iredale@reddit

I loved hanging out at Powell's and Everyday Music late at night back in the late 90s. There was a lot of weird shit going on, but at least there was an actual nightlife of some sort. It'd just dead dead dead now.

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DismalNitchfish@reddit

The Roxie closing was a death nail.

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Pete_Iredale@reddit

Eating Out is Fun at The Roxy! Man I wish I'd bought that shirt before they closed. We used to hang there a lot in the late 90s. I remember when smoking got banned and The Roxy put signs above the ashtrays saying that the nazis were winning and that you totally weren't allowed to smoke inside anymore, while everyone continued to smoke anyhow. Then they got fined and had to start enforcing the ban.

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straigh@reddit

r/boneappletea

I think you mean death knell :)

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DismalNitchfish@reddit

And now I realize I’ve been using that idiom incorrectly for 41 years.

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BolognaFlaps@reddit

We live and learn. In your defense, death nail sounds more badass.

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DismalNitchfish@reddit

I thought it was an idiom to due with coffin nails. Live and learn.

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OkiePanhandler@reddit

I think you meant do, not due.

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jlt6666@reddit

It makes perfect sense. Which should have been your first clue it was wrong in English. 😀

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bchevy@reddit

It’s an eggcorn.

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Adventurous-Chef8776@reddit

Well the earlier closing times seem to be down to the whole teen takeover trend

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mercury973@reddit

I'm in Seattle and the exact thing happened here. There's really not much to do after 10pm anymore

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itsthekumar@reddit

I've visited Seattle twice since Covid and each time the Downtown didn't seem to have much going on after dark.

I mean I guess everyone just hangs out in like Cap Hill and other neighborhoods, but still.

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DismalNitchfish@reddit

Is it a NW thing or an everywhere thing?

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Pete_Iredale@reddit

I was in Louisville a few months back and the nightlife was for more alive there. I closed bars on a couple of weeknights with great crowds almost till the end.

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sunburntredneck@reddit

Don't think it's everywhere. Plenty of places in the South (Austin, NOLA, a lot of college towns, at least some smaller cities like Mobile and Birmingham) have at least some nightlife that doesn't close until 2 or later on weekends and the bigger cities have things going at least until midnight on any given weekday

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WrongJohnSilver@reddit

Heck, just trying to find a way home from the ballet when you get out after 10 in Seattle was a bloody chore. Thankfully the bus took us.

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GBreezy@reddit

I'm in a small-midsized Midwest cities. I do not have that problem other than 24 hour diners if I am not exclusive to Tango.

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Serious-Ebb-7223@reddit

Same. I'm from a mid sized city in the Midwest, and there seems to be no noticeable difference.

I worked at a bar starting around summer 2022, and we were already reaching pre-pandemic sales by then. And most entertainment districts seemed plenty busy. I'm not sure about 24-hour diners since I never really went, but they seem to be all operating as usual.

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PuzzleheadedMoney262@reddit

i thought portland is a major west coast city. Not mid sized at all in my opinion

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TikkaKebabi@reddit

Portland is a small city, hell the whole eastside feels like slightly more dense suburbs.

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DismalNitchfish@reddit

I mean, we're 3rd in the NW, 6th on the west coast and 26th in the nation. I wouldn't call us a major city.

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WellWellWellthennow@reddit

OK, it sounds like you actually had a very fun night life!

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DismalNitchfish@reddit

had...

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Specialist_Stop8572@reddit

Same

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Mr_Kittlesworth@reddit

It’s weird

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Illustrious_Code_347@reddit

Not at all "trash," but here's the thing: Compared to a lot of other countries, nightlife is very much tied to age in America, so if you are somewhere with a lot of colleges (universities) then you will definitely find lots of people from ages like 21-26 bustling about in a thriving nightlife.

But if you're in your 30s you might begin to feel old. Not that it's that weird, I still consider people in their early 30s young enough to do that sort of thing, but when I have been out in other countries I see a lot of late-30s or even people in their 40s or 50s out clubbing and drinking late at night and stuff, and that just does not seem to be a thing in America

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PDXEng@reddit

Nightlife was peak in the mid to late 90s. So much was 24 hours, most major grocery stores even. Boomers were in their 50s mostly but still went out/socializing more than GenZ. Gen X were in their absolute savage stage trying to set new drinking records. I did not have any friends in this era that didn't binge drink 1-3 times a week and grab a late meal. Even the non drinkers were out at diners smoking cigs or all night coffee /book stores.

I noticed around the Great Recession many grocery stores and restaurants that were once 24/7 reduced hours or closed completely, then COVID drove a nail in their coffin. One the inflation hit, boomers are now never going out much and GenX are just trying to pay for everything, when Applebys costs 80% as much as a foodie joint...well the decision is pretty easy.

Never mind that tourism travel (which fuels a lot of nightlife) has been a real nightmare for about 6 years on an off with Government shutdowns, Boeing fuckups etc., and again inflation.

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Quisqeyano@reddit

I’m almost certainly unqualified to comment on this (see my location flair).

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Outlaw_Josie_Snails@reddit

The OP seems to be in an environment in which they are impressed by "nightlife." For some odd reason, he thinks there is an importance for his country (UK) to have a better nightlife than the US. As if its a competition?

Look at his posts:

r/askUS

• "Hot take: Manchester UK might be clearing New York City’s rave scene right now"

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUS/s/tK9Uc0tnwg

• "Do you think Manchester UK has a stronger rave/nightlife scene than all major U.S. cities"?

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUS/s/QoxOtBgANU

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jennafleur_@reddit

Weird. I mean...who cares?

Glad you outed the ridiculous behavior!

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ShaunCold@reddit

It truly has everything to do with location. The US is massive. The nightlife in small towns is way different than large towns which are way different than beach towns.

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Whatswrongbaby9@reddit

Vegas is relatively dead after 11pm. Yes the casinos are 24hrs, they’re pretty sad late night. You can get food in Chinatown pretty late but that’s not the main tourist area. Los Angeles is more like 10pm and they don’t have anything that’s 24hrs, legally bars have to close at 2 and the vast majority aren’t open that late

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jennafleur_@reddit

I just got back from Vegas, and I noticed this! It was so bizarre! My husband and I got out of a big concert, and I think it was like after midnight. I thought there would be bars open and stuff, but surprisingly, there really wasn't much around. The casinos are there, but those are...meh. Whatever.

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itsthekumar@reddit

LA is dead after 10 pm? Hmm.

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SkiMonkey98@reddit

There's nothing sadder than a casino in the early morning. I used have to walk past one coming home for late nights and going places early in the morning and always felt bad for the couple of guys I'd see playing video slots through the window

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ElijahNSRose@reddit

Nightlife in a farm town often involves knowing people that throw the parties.

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happy_llama__@reddit

I don’t know why, but places with like really hard-core security to get in on a Saturday night just don’t hit the same

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CharlesDickensABox@reddit

It's because you're old

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LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit

You think 21 year olds are up for waiting an hour in line, spend 20 bucks on a cover, to stand around and pay 20 bucks a drink?

The rich kids have amazing places to hang and those that aren't? They got 5 hours of tik tok and weed.

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lokland@reddit

This is accurate.

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glemits@reddit

That's not the only kind of nightclub.

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LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit

What kind of nightclubs are there?

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waynofish@reddit

I go local and with my local ID, there is no cover in those places except the rare occasion in which they have a more known cover band.

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SkiMonkey98@reddit

I love that your town has that. I've never had a "free for locals" venue like that. Closest I've come was a climbig gym where the guy at the front desk would just sometimes decide not to charge regulars

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waynofish@reddit

It could be that its a major tourist beach town on the mid-Atlantic coast and locals bring and suggest places to tourists asking questions. It's been this way for years in all the clubs that charge a cover.

We also have a tendency to "ping-pong" around as in a drink here, two there, another at another place, "hey lets go back to so and so" and then it begins all over again until close.

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Impressive_Flan_411@reddit (OP)

To be fair, I think that further proves the idea that maybe American nightlife is getting worse. For example, and older person can get into the club, or other nightlife establishments in a place like Manchester, UK. I would know because I visited, went on a "bender" of clubbing and raving, and met multiple people who were visibly 40 years old or older (sometimes looking in their 50s).

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shammy_dammy@reddit

Older people can get into the clubs. This makes it sound like can't instead of they don't want to.

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waynofish@reddit

57m here. Out every weekend bar hopping. The area I head to is a dive bar to a little club with live music and a couple regular bars that sometimes have a band or a singer with an acoustic guitar.

In all those places there are people who just turned 21 to those pushing 70 and we all get along.

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Jackso08@reddit

Old people can get into clubs bro. Theres plenty of college bars with older men and women looking for younger dates

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Snoo_33033@reddit

Nah. It’s because we don’t want to get knifed.

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IllustriousRanger934@reddit

Personally, other than bouncers in Nashville being dickkhead off duty cops, I like security and think it’s a necessity.

If you ever been at the night life in a big city you’d know.

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ratbike55@reddit

any location 2 weeks far

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Heretek1914@reddit

I mean, I live across the river from NYC and all but like four places are closed by 10 pm. They close at 2 am. Trying to make advantage of Manhattan is painful, transit sucks after 1 am, but even then, there's not actually that many places open until 2, and even then, they'll have early closings if the bartender just doesn't feel like it. Went into a bar in Chelsea a little after midnight that was supposed to close at two and the bartender says last call has happened twice now.

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Pinkfish_411@reddit

My trusty old 24-hour diners just outside NYC in Westchester now close at 10. It's sad.

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strongbob25@reddit

Your two sentences here is genuinely all that is needed for 99% of all questions on this sub.

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waynofish@reddit

I live in a beach town, and it is quite lively. From decent sized clubs with assorted bars and a nightclub to smaller mini clubs/bars with bands, to regular bars to Dive bars with a Jukebox with country, metal or classic rock steadily kicking, depending on the vibe of the place that night.

And I don't know if it's just here, but line dancing seems to be making a comeback as several bars and bar restaurants outside of town have a night a week set aside, complete with lessons before the start.

I'm on the coast in Maryland.

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anypositivechange@reddit

“The US is massive, therefore you can’t ever say anything generally about it although that never stop us Americans from generalizing whole swaths of humanity ourselves”.

America is suffering right now. It absolutely does suck now more in American today then it did 10 years ago and especially to 20 to 30 years ago.

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ghostfrogz@reddit

I moved from a small city with like 200k to a COUNTY with close to 1 million and the city had better nightlife. The city has like 100 less square miles too. Everything near me now closes super early, is just a bar in a restaurant (and closes super early), or is a sports bar. I guess it makes sense that a small city would have a better nightlife but I’m just still so shocked by it.

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waythrowa@reddit

And don’t get me started on cities!

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lonestar659@reddit

It was weird to my wife and I that Charleston was basically closed at 6pm

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jennafleur_@reddit

Not to me! I live in a mid-sized city in the South, and it's not known for it's nightlife or anything, but we do have a couple of large music venues where really good bands and shows will come. And, there are raves around town, and concerts, and plenty of things to do. I really don't have a problem with the nightlife in my city, and it isn't even that big of a city. I'm also located pretty close to some larger towns, and we have an international airport here, so it's nice to travel for the weekend to get away if I want.

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SideEmbarrassed1611@reddit

Many people want to stay at home and save money by buying the drinks they like for cheaper and listening to music they actually like at a place they don't have to leave.

I don't have to wait in line at a bar to get a drink at home, I can listen to music that isn't God awful, and when I am drunk I just eat something I like and then go to bed.

No Fuss, No Muss!

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draizetrain@reddit

Places that used to be open til 2 or 4am are closed at 10 or 11 now. A lot of the dance clubs closed. And when you do go out, the younger people do NOT dance - and if you do, or have a good time, they might snicker and record you for literally existing. Thankfully we’ve got a new venue that bans picture taking which brings back some of the carefree feeling of going out with friends

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This_Fault_3345@reddit

Ive lived in 5 major us cities and have never seen a bar that changed to closing at 10 apart from small neighborhood dives/restaurants

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draizetrain@reddit

Well I live in SC, not a major US city so idk what to tell you

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ThereIsNo-OneHere@reddit

Not exactly the kind of night life you're probably thinking of, but I'm a coffeeshop guy and I noticed around my town that by the time COVID was quote-unquote over, the average close time of coffeeshops seemed to go from 9-10pm to like 5-6pm.

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definitelyweirdo@reddit

Honestly most things suck in America right now. Just is what it is. Very late Soviet era vibes.

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RotationSurgeon@reddit

Younger generations are consuming far less alcohol than their antecedents, and much of what is considered nightlife in the US has historically revolved around clubs and bars where alcohol sales were a major percentage of the profits. Earlier closing times and restrictions are certainly part of the decline, but alcohol is likely still the largest factor.

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Procrastinatingftw@reddit

America is colossal. I would laugh at the claim but that's because I'm in Los Angeles and not some random small conservative town in New Mexico or wherever I'd imagine nightlife isn't part of the local culture.

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bulletPoint@reddit

I think a lot of “X thing is trash now” discussion is just jaded people who have aged out of being the target demographic for something. There’s plenty to do for young people near me, stuff I’d be glad to do in my 20s. I’m older now and a parent, so yeah, I would think it’s trash. BUT it’s also not for me. I’m old and want a different experience now.

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Tacokolache@reddit

Agreed. I’m not doing shit if it starts after 8pm anymore.

When I was younger me and my army buddies would drive from San Antonio to Mexico. Be back at the barracks by 4am. Sleep until 6am. Then go to PT

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TheNewGildedAge@reddit

Might depend on where you live. Mill Ave in Tempe used to be weird and diverse, now it's all just chain clubs that all feel the same

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grrgrrtigergrr@reddit

Wrigleyville in Chicago is definitely built for younger people that want to share things on Instagram now … which is cool if that’s what you are looking for. I’m old and loved gritty dive bar Wrigley (and I’m a Sox fan). Nightlife feels way les authentic now. But again, I’m old.

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itsthekumar@reddit

Things turned really bad when the Raising Canes moved in.

Like good spot for Canes, but bad spot for the neighborhood.

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TrixieLurker@reddit

All the old buildings and bars got replaced by very expensive, corpritized venues, expensive as fuck condos, and an equally pricey hotel, it isn't you.

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neoplexwrestling@reddit

I used to be a window cleaner on mill ave back in the day, that whole area was crazy at night and super different during the day, back when ASU really was one of the countries top party schools.

My co-worker made so much money selling weed during the day right out of the work van. I'd do the actual cleaning of the windows, he'd just sell weed and then give me a couple hundred bucks at the end of the day. Good times.

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momsaiditsmyturnbro@reddit

Hey, im 21, its just pretty trash.

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helloiamabear@reddit

I agree with this. I keep hearing people my age complaining about how dead my city's nightlife is now, but whenever I'm actually out at night I see tons of 20-somethings dressed to the 9s having the time of their lives.

It's definitely different than it was in the 2010s (I also miss the 24 hour culture and the very specific bars and clubs my generation went to), but it hardly seems "dead".

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JakovYerpenicz@reddit

Actually no, businesses close way earlier than they did, verifiably, so this take is a projection on your part.

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chinchaaa@reddit

I live in Austin and you’re right. When I was in my 20s, I loved it. So many bars, festivals and fun stuff to do. Now that I’m late 30s, I definitely have aged out of a lot. This is a city designed for young people.

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Sanjomo@reddit

Night life in places like NYC, Miami and New Orleans rage all night. A lot of other US cities have vibrant night life that go until 2am. But I think in general compared to decades past wild binge drinking/drug fueled club parties tend to be less crazy and popular in most places around the world as the younger generations tend to drink less, be more focused on healthy lifestyles and , well, just don’t like socializing as much.

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snmnky9490@reddit

Cheap drunk fun is also correlated with cheap rent and underutilized cities. With cost of housing and rent so high everywhere and cities themselves having made comebacks after decades of deindustrialization and suburbanization, high cost corporate tenants aren't gonna be cheap.

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Enough-Corner9836@reddit

Your 30s are awesome if you live in NYC

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bulletPoint@reddit

Your 30s are awesome in almost every large city in the US as long as you don’t have small kids. NYC included.

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IllaClodia@reddit

Not Seattle. We roll up the sidewalks EARLY here, even before covid.

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Enough-Corner9836@reddit

Seattle native who moved to nyc, this is correct

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bulletPoint@reddit

Wow, I’m sorry.

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Better-Delay@reddit

I both agree and disagree. We seem to have made a big shift away from late night and 24hr places, and apparently the younger generations aren't consuming alcohol at the rate we did (thankfully), but I've also aged out of wanting to out of the house past dark so none of that sounds fun anyway..

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KevworthBongwater@reddit

sometimes you just wanna go to Denny's drunk as fuck at 3am and smash a plate of pancakes

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Better-Delay@reddit

Wafflehouse hits different with a high BAC.

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Electric_Rex@reddit

A lot of the Gen Z don’t party and stuff like that is disingenuous a lot of the time for two main reasons. One, is because a lot of Gen Z isn’t 21 yet, but in particular with alcohol it’s because they moved from that to weed

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Better-Delay@reddit

I didnt say they weren't partying, I said less alcohol.

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Xxzx@reddit

Isn’t gen z like 28 at the oldest?

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TokyoDrifblim@reddit

Yeah the oldest ones are 29, youngest are 14. Half of them are well below "going out and partying " age

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Permanenceisall@reddit

I think there used to be more things for different types of people, many of whom aged out of nightlife during Covid, so the stuff that came back is the basic nightlife stuff that’s always been there, but if that’s your only option it feels like “nightlife” is dead.

I’m a bartender in San Diego and the nightlife certainly isn’t dead here, the crowd is just very homogenous and that sucks, by and large.

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Tripleberst@reddit

what do you mean by homogenous?

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Permanenceisall@reddit

When I was younger, going out in San Diego, certain neighborhoods catered to certain groups: you had your hipster bars and area, your punk/goth area, your not-quite-hipster-but-not-quite-mainstream area and finally your downtown club/bachelorette party/“basic” area. Now it seems like the last two are just sorta merged together and go everywhere. I see people going to bars and neighborhoods who 10 years ago would have scoffed at and avoided the places.

It all just feels like the same group of people everywhere you go. Some people may be in that camp and be happy, some people may find it boring and alienating.

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The_Real_Lasagna@reddit

I don't know what it's like near you, but this isn't the case at all near me. There's less clubs than there used to be and they close earlier and they look less crowded if I do go. Than there's no where open to get food and hang out after clubs close

We also have tons of hard data showing the younger generations who would be clubs biggest targets drink much less and socialize much less in person than previous generations. Of course there's still things to do, but the nightlife industry has measurably shrunk

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ucbiker@reddit

I mean maybe it’s still fine in some places but it’s objectively less lively many places (though I wouldn’t make claims about the entire country). It’s easy to say “oh anyone complaining is just nostalgic,” but like, I don’t have kids and there are fewer clubs and people in the street in a lot of my old haunts.

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waynofish@reddit

It isn't cheap and the limits are so low it seems like having two drinks with dinner will get you locked up in many places. I always take an Uber but that adds up. Considerably.

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BrainRhythm@reddit

It sucks that this is the case, but without high alcohol sales, most nightlife-oriented businesses can't operate. So it makes sense that there is less variety and quantity in late night music venues, clubs, bars and restaurants. The primary way to get affordable food and drink prices at late night spots is to have a lot of alcohol sales subsidizing everything else (since the margins are so much higher).

Massachusetts is going to phase in cannabis cafes soon, and I hope on-site cannabis sales start to fill the void a bit when it comes to stimulating the late night food and entertainment economy.

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Tourist_Careless@reddit

This is also reddit where the answer to any question like this is invariably whatever the doomer option is.

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bigmt99@reddit

Add to it in particular, there is absolutely nothing Redditors won’t call trash and shit on

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neuroticpossum@reddit

Cost of living + dwindling opportunities. More and more people are being priced out of existence, so nightlife is permanently past tense for a lot of us.

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dmmegoosepics@reddit

There’s been reports that say the alcohol industry has ‘lost’ billions of dollars because young people aren’t drinking as much as previous generations. There are multiple reasons why that is, but I imagine staying open late isn’t as profitable now as it was before. Personally I hate being away from home past 20:00 and a lot of my friends feel the same way.

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BadJoey89@reddit

Scrolled through a lot of comments and didn’t see anyone mention that Gen Z doesn’t drink, socialize, or have sex as much as millennials and previous generations. Probably too busy posting on Reddit.

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Far-Lecture-4905@reddit

Nightlife might not be trash but it doesn't feel like the same kind of essential part of being young that it used to.

Not to get too fogie here, but when I was in my teens and 20s it just felt like everyone went out all weekend. Different crowds went to different spots, but you were guaranteed to run into folks and meet new folks and just have a nice, interesting time.

Now it seems like people go to bars and clubs with groups of people and maybe only now and then. It's not the essential thing it was for meeting people and socializing like it used to be.

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itsthekumar@reddit

I think people don't want to socialize anymore. They're too busy or emotionally exhausted.

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IllustriousCabinet11@reddit

THIS! I remember talking to my parents and they would mention that either this guy or that couple were stopping by or that they were going to this woman’s house to hang out for dinner. But, like, no. My friends and I don’t really do that either

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Conscious-Zebra-7477@reddit

I used to go to this dive bar, sit at the bar and shoot the shit with random people. during COVID they moved the bar stools away from the counter so the bartender wasn't close to people drinking (fair) and they just never put them back. now it's just random diner tables you can sit at. I'm not gonna go there and sit at a table by myself

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Conscious-Zebra-7477@reddit

also, Uber is expensive now.

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ClassicAdhesiveness1@reddit

Good grief. Do you know how large the United States is?

I live in a college/military/border/coastal city. Our nightlife is the same as it’s always been.

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sysaphiswaits@reddit

I’m having fun and feeling pretty safe. Just took my kid to an “all ages” club, which was weird and awesome.

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Trinx_@reddit

Yes. People don't dance anymore. It's just not that much fun to be out.

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silversurf1234567890@reddit

Nah. It’s just the 18-25 year olds are soft as shit now. They don’t drink

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TheCloudForest@reddit

Post-pandemic, nightlife in many cities ain't what it used to be. And gentrification and the sheer reality that a relatively small proportion of people are fabulously wealthy doesn't help.

All the same, you can go to some amazing clubs in places like Chicago or Philly without spending an arm and a leg.

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

And gentrification and the sheer reality that a relatively small proportion of people are fabulously wealthy doesn't help.

Is this really what you think about when you go out?

Like your buddy hits you up like "dude let's go hit a bar tonight!" and your like "man I would, but Elon Musk is billionaire so I think I'll pass."

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TheCloudForest@reddit

No. But strong wealth inequality has created incentives for prices to rise because catering to the relatively small class of people with enormous amounts of disposable income is a more widespread and more lucrative strategy than decades ago. This distorts the whole scene with running a dive becoming almost an economic self-sacrifice comparing to offering so-called auteur drinks for $20 a pop.

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TheBimpo@reddit

Young people have also been hammered by the economy and aren’t drinking nearly as much as their predecessors.

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wildwasabi@reddit

I'd definitely say price is a massive factor. It's like minimum $6 for a single beer, sometimes up to $8 for nicer ones at a local brewery.

I can get an entire 12 pack of really nice beer for usually under $1.50 a beer.

It used to be easily affordable to go out and casually hangout/have a few beers but prices are just absurd now. It just makes more sense to have your friends over and not spend $100 going out

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QueenJamieMaePalmer@reddit

Bars and Restaurants refuse to lower cocktail prices from Covid 19 and customers in retaliation are not going out drinking as much. It’s made getting drunk harder for young adults thus Gen Z is doing it less often than other generations. It’s pretty bad right now. If prices ever come down it would get better but while theres still some older alcoholics that can afford it I doubt they will even though they arguably could be losing money

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AleroRatking@reddit

Americans drink way less especially at younger ages.

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ElijahNSRose@reddit

Speaking as someone who doesn't party, I understood "nightlife" as wildly overpriced bar&grills that have reputations for being where single people hang out, and people go there just for the off chance they get to have sex with a stranger.

Something about this business model is fundamentally wrong, it depends on a lot of people spending their money stupidly, and it's hype driven so some people leaving results in more people leaving. And right now money is tight for a lot of people due to rising interest rates, there's little dumb money to be had.

Also unemployment is relatively low, so there's less demand for businesses open at strange hours.

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Bear_Salary6976@reddit

I think it depends where you are. Where I live, i think the nightlife has gotten better over the last 10 years. I am a night owl and I don't go clubbing anymore, I sometimes will Uber on weekends. It is often very busy from 10pm to 3am on Friday and Saturday nights.

As huge of a country the USA is, I don't think you can really define what American nightlife is like. It varies from city to city.

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Ricky_TVA@reddit

The younger generations aren't drinking as much as mine was, which isn't a bad thing at all. But so much of the night life is centered around alcohol.

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EarthBear@reddit

No, America is trash now, though.

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thatcoolguy60@reddit

Depends on where you live. I was shocked when I visited L.A. and we got drank until 12:00 and THEN went out to the bars.

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Read_Only_Stuff@reddit

Depends on where you live. I was shocked when I visited L.A. and we got drank until 12:00 and THEN went out to the bars.

Is that unusual? It has been quite some time since I went to clubs, but when I was 17-21 the routine was, meet at 8, drink till 12 at home, go to the bar at 12, then leave the bars when they close at 3am and go to the clubs, till they closed (which was usually between 6-10 am). I assumed America would be similar.

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GandalfTheGrey46@reddit

Old Town Scottsdale is booming. Bigger than ever.

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GandalfTheGrey46@reddit

From the youtuber: "There was a time, when it seemed like everything was open late, in any little town in the middle of nowhere"

lol. No. That was never a thing. Did this woman used to live in NYC?

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Major_Enthusiasm1099@reddit

In the big cities it's still there. Smaller cities not so much when the cost of operating longer or 24 hours is more than the profit

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OyG5xOxGNK@reddit

I'm not sure, I can't afford to go out anymore.
🙃

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Special-Reindeer-178@reddit

With economic decline and a decline in purchasing power, extra expenses are the first to be cut.

Vacations, tourism, nightlife, etc.

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ckotoyan@reddit

Pretty much dead besides Vegas, NYC and Miami.

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New-Process-52@reddit

I like amwf at night

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qu33nof5pad35@reddit

Pretty much

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Prize_Consequence568@reddit

"Hey yall, I've been seeing claims that U.S."

STOP believing everything that you see on TV and the Internet OP.

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bdrwr@reddit

One night out by myself can easily run over $100. I can't do that every week.

And when you multiply that by millions of people, now it doesn't make sense for a bar to stay open till 2am if there aren't enough customers to make it profitable. Or, what used to be a busy nightlife district with dozens of bars and clubs now only has enough customers around to support a few of them, so instead of a nightlife district, it's just a couple clubs near each other.

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ThingFuture9079@reddit

Being in a small town my whole life, there never was a night life. The only thing you could do at night was go to the local bar that's open until 2AM and the gas station that's open 24/7. Walmart used to be 24/7 until COVID but now they're open 6AM - 11PM.

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Background-Humor2642@reddit

Depends on your definition of 'worse'. Is something not fun because it ends earlier than it used to?

As a guy who hasn't properly been to a bar in years and hasn't consumed alcohol in years, American night life was never fun. Bars and venues in Spain, when I lived there, were way better than in the US.

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davidm2232@reddit

It is really hard going out as a 30 year old. Everyone at the bars is 50+. No one my age goes out anymore. Most are having kids and getting married.

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Quenzayne@reddit

Ex-DJ here.

I have definitely noticed a drop in higher-end nightclubs and recurring theme parties that represents a near flatline compared to where it was when I was active in the business.

But it n the lower end establishments— bars, smaller clubs, etc.—it seems like business as usual, only with a bit of an older clientele.

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Aquarius_K@reddit

I'm assuming you mean rubbing genitals in a sweaty stinky club but you can't even get anything to eat around here after 10 since covid. Walmart isn't even open at night. Mcdonalds and Taco bell both close at 11.

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Efficient-Panic3506@reddit

Nightlife didn’t die, it just moved from 2am to like… 10:30pm
and now instead of a diner after, you’re just sitting in your car like “ok guess we go home”

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Bobcat2013@reddit

I dont think so. Night life is what you make of it. Now some areas are better for it than others obviously. I live in a central texas town of about 125k. So not small but not big either. Mind you, my hometown is like 1k so 125k seems massive in comparison. That being said when I was single me and my friends had fun. We'd typically go dancing when going out or sometimes hitting the bars downtown. But if one doesn't like country dancing I could see why some would rather drive the hour to Austin to go clubbing or what not.

The only difference here post covid is that a FEW of the previously 24 hour food places now arent and that kids from the local university dont go out as much. They used to flood the dance hall on Thursday nights pre covid. Now you hardly see them.

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DoomliftDaemon@reddit

Maybe its an east coast thing but I feel like nothings really changed with ours. Most bars are open till 2 still hell philly is currently getting an extension on that for the world cup I believe. We lost a handful of 24 hour diners (they are still open just close at like 10 some close at 12 or 2). Most bars that serve food serve till 12. "Social Clubs" that if you're a member are open till 4. Its definitely more expensive but for the most part most of what we lost to like covid has been replaced in some way.

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Outlaw_Josie_Snails@reddit

I do notice a resurgence of private social clubs, especially in south Philly.

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DoomliftDaemon@reddit

Harrisburg has a good amount of long standing ones that luckily i have enough friends who are members who can just sign me in. But yea PA seems to be fine night life wise

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JakovYerpenicz@reddit

Yeah. It’s pretty shit these days, like most everything else

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Riker_Omega_Three@reddit

The main reason Night life is down is that there aren't enough recent 21 year olds out there partying

It costs too much for one

On top of that, that entire generation mostly socializes online. So public socializing is not really their thing

AND...they aren't really drinking. They mostly vape and take gummies if they want to relax

Beyond that, after the Me Too movement, a large swath of the male population decided that going out to chase women just wasn't worth the hassle anymore because a lot of women (not all) but a lot of women decided to use social media to fuck with dudes who didn't really deserve it.

It wasn't super wide spread, but it was prevalent enough that guys decided that they're just not going to risk it anymore

And if guys aren't in bars and clubs buying drinks and bottles...guess what?

Women don't go to bars and clubs. Because they aren't getting attention or drinks anymore

So yeah...the night life has taken a significant hit

Guys are at home now, gaming with their boys...socializing over the internet.

And the younger generations are all at home on their screens

Sure, in the big cities there is still a thriving social scene

But in a lot of other places, it's almost non existant

Where I live, there used to be clubs all over the city in different places plus one entertainment district

All the random place clubs died during covid

The bars are still active, but prices keep a lot of people out. That as a result, means less money to pay for bands that bring in patrons

And the entertainment district in my city has now attracted the young, wild, don't spend any money and cause nothing but problems crowd. Where you have large groups of people who wander around, fight, do donuts in their cars, and just act a fool.

People see these issues on social media and are all "welp, not going there anymore"

I am sure that is happening all over the place too

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SkiMonkey98@reddit

Yeah, it obviously varies by city and scene but the economic stratification we're has hurt a lot of people's discretionary spending, rent and drink prices are up, and corporate consolidation has eaten a lot of surviving venues. Lots of people still fighting the good fight but the odds are against them

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Zingldorf@reddit

Yes, everything is closed now and the younger generations don’t know how to have fun at bars or clubs

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workerscompbarbie@reddit

NYC is alive and well- although it was also hit by the pandemic. The majority of bars close around 3, some places 4. You can find food 24 hours, but it use to be a bit easier pre- Covid. Like if before if there were 10 places open, now there are 5.

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Tommy_Wisseau_burner@reddit

There will be generations that have never experienced a 3am Walmart run

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JizzCumLover69@reddit

Because everybody is too broke to go outside (see Livenation/Ticketmaster monopoly).

Because the death of "third spaces" after COVID.

Because we have a car culture, which means their night out might be their last (booze, DUIs).

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kjlsdjfskjldelfjls@reddit

Even here in NYC it was never as 'good' as what you'd find in Europe or Asia. There aren't really any cities with entire nightlife-oriented districts like that

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RunRunDMC212@reddit

It’s becoming “trash” all over the world. Nightclubs in Europe are closing or reducing operations because young people don’t go out and drink like they used to.

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meowmix778@reddit

There was a bar I frequented in my early/mid 20s that was open until 1am. Then we'd go over to this pizza place that was open to 230, get a few slices and eat them on the street and uber home.

This past weekend a college buddy was in town and my in laws wanted the kids for the night so I'm like let's go drinking. That place fucking closed at 10pm. We had to wander around finding a bar that was open and the club we found was awful.

At least here it is.

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ElectricMayhem06@reddit

I was looking for this answer, but I didn't see it.

Lots of things that people are saying are true, but something missing is that it's getting harder to find staff for the late hours. Fewer and fewer people are willing to work the hours needed for the nightlife establishments... not just the bars, but also the nearby food spots that cater to the night crowd.

Labor isn't the only issue, of course, but it's certainly a contributing factor.

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cwcam86@reddit

I used to be able to get drunk at a bar on $20. Now that might get me 3 beers? What's the point?

I can get an 18 pack for $20 and just stay home and drink way more.

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Wak3upHicks@reddit

I never bothered with nightlife even when I was in the appropriate age bracket. Too poor and socially awkward for that shit

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Ok-Energy-9785@reddit

No

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adultdaycare81@reddit

Yes. It was cheap during the 2000’s so everyone did it. Regulation of dedicated nightclubs drove everything to “Resto-bars”. Cheap leases became expensive leases. So there are no real nightclubs or party bars where I live now. I feel bad for the kids

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Original_Being2545@reddit

Young people tend to be the ones who go to club.

The population is aging and as a result, fewer young people.

Therefore, less nightlife.

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loganp8000@reddit

I’ll save everyone a read… yes … yes it is!! NYC, the city that never sleeps is now the city done by 11pm

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noawas@reddit

I live in Chicago, you can still drink till the literal sun comes up here at most places.

Late night food on the other hand? - a third of what it was pre pandemic

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Piper-Bob@reddit

We’re getting older. The average age is almost 40 now, compared to about 30 in 1990. Average age is the single most important demographic in explaining a ton of social outcomes.

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raretroll@reddit

Most the normal people here have realized alcohol is complete trash, and that was the main thing most people did while going out at night. Weed at home is much cheaper, safer, and easier on the body etc.

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nopenonvr@reddit

It’s been steadily declining for a while but Covid lockdown really sealed the deal and it hasn’t recovered

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WhenMaxAttax@reddit

Always has been. Built for rich men and single women.

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Eudaimonics@reddit

Someone take this guy to a dive bar, stat!

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baalroo@reddit

My "nightlife" has always been in the underground music scene, and it's always kinda been the same as it is now.

No idea what mainstream nightlife is like in my city.

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WellWellWellthennow@reddit

What is your definition of underground music scene? Just curious.

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Eudaimonics@reddit

Probably house shows and unofficial venues.

Participate in the local music scene and you’ll learn where those spots are. You’ll find them in most cities.

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nametaken52@reddit

Bar shows, house shows, out door generator shows, unoccupied building shows, if you ask what kind of music is kinda location and scene dependent but often punk / metal / folk / electronic / rap but shit, plenty of brass bands and cumbia bands and whatever else

(Not op)

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baalroo@reddit

Indie rock, metal, indie rap, punk, Americana, EDM, etc. Small, locally focused, mostly DIY and small "dive bars," tiny cover charges, tip jars for performers, fairly close knit and welcoming community.

A lot of 30-300 occupancy kind of stuff.

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LunaTheNightmare@reddit

No but you have to know where to look, its a lot harder to find places and they're more and more niche in my experience

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Current_Poster@reddit

yeah, I can't really disagree with any of the points in the article. One of the people in my home county back in MA put it that the people in charge of planning couldn't understand why someone would want to be awake at 11 PM, let alone doing anything. There was a general curfew on businesses (bars and nightclubs would be included), etc.

Also, people have less spare time and disposable income, that's just 101 stuff.

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revocer@reddit

I wouldn’t call it trash. But it is true, it is in decline. The older generations keep it going.

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ch4nt@reddit

it's been shit for a while, covid made it worse

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AtheneSchmidt@reddit

Covid killed off almost everything in my area that was open past midnight. There are a handful of bars open on weekends until 1 or 2 am, this year we had a McDonald's reopen for 24 hours on Friday and Saturday nights. But I can't think of a single club, diner, or even grocery store or walmart that is still open til midnight. They rolled up the carpets and told all of us nocturnal folks to go to hell.

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Wise_Old_Joe@reddit

It is, even in NYC it’s gotten pretty weak. It’s amazing going to a city in Asia and seeing what could be.

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r2k398@reddit

I haven’t had a night life in 20+ years so no idea.

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bryku@reddit

It sort of depends on where you are.

I lived in a somewhat small city (100k) and it had tones of stuff open 24/7. Everything from grocery stores, gas stations, bars, walmarts, and so on.

However, I moved to another city (200k) and everything closes at 10pm with a handful of gas stations and bars open to midnight. After covid it got way worse with most stuff closing at 9 with only a few places open past that. Things have almost gone back to where they where before covid, but most of the cool stuff is long gone. A lot of it is that city, it is just weird compared to most places I've lived.

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Inspi@reddit

The only thing I miss is the 1am Walmart runs to get something stupid and look at something stupid.

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CelebrationFar1351@reddit

No one can afford it.

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neoplexwrestling@reddit

Where I live, people lived for the weekends. You always had the option of spending Friday and Saturday night in the downtown areas, eating, drinking, dancing if it was your thing.

When COVID hit, it all kinda died. A lot of businesses that functioned around the revenue they would generate from the weekends just couldn't really exist anymore

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hiddentalent@reddit

This is just doomer trash. I've heard the same for decades. "It used to be better!" It really wasn't.

No, you used to be younger and less angry about things. You can totally choose to be less angry about things today. Or you can choose to bitch about kids and how the younger generation is somehow terrible, which is a thousands-year-old tradition.

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McFlyyouBojo@reddit

I promise im not one of those I hate everything young people do types, and in fact I find myself defending them more than most.

That being said that my area has a HUGE problem with young people showing up in huge crowds and absolutely running amok and leaving businesses in shambles. You can go back a year or two and literally follow news channel stories and you can use that to mark on a map their migratory patterns. They find a particular club or bar, overwhelm it and send the regulars packing, get drunk inside, and then go out into the parking lot after closing, refuse to leave, act like crazy people, shoot at each other, continue to drink, cause absolute mayhem. Then the city takes action by taking away the businesses liquor license because they fail to control the crowd and because everyone is sick and tired of them shooting each other. When this happens they all collectively decide on the next place and the place they just fucked over closes in a month or two. The next place i guess for some reason only sees the big bucks they are making at the time and I guess they think "we will be different". They arent. Its happened to about 5 or 6 places now. I guess its pretty much like these stupid takeovers you see dumb videos of.

There is not much desire for a lot of us to be a part of this shit.

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ColinHalter@reddit

There are bars in my area that are literally 25+ because the early 20s people were too rowdy and driving away everyone else (specifically, the late 20s-30s people who actually had money and weren't broke)

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lorribell1964@reddit

I love in a suburb of Kansas City. We have an amazing night life and several new venues are opening up including a whole entertainment center built inside an old bridge.

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jrhawk42@reddit

I would agree. Most nightlife culture is about the youth and this youth of today isn't nearly as nightlife focused as previous generations. A lot of nightclubs are catering to millennials again as they hit their midlife crises rather than trying to bring in Zoomers.

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Lopsided_Panda_775@reddit

Bars close at 4a here plenty of stuff going on at the Riverwalk late. Have access to late night ethnic food as well as 24hr diners. Walmart closes at 11 but that about the only thing thats changed. He'll we can still smoke in the waffle house (after 9pm)

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weirdoldhobo1978@reddit

A lot of things are declining as people's disposable income shrinks

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New-Process-52@reddit

Too expensive we have other shit to care about

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Sensitive-Chemical83@reddit

I've been debating that for a while. Because it feels like COVID ruined night life in america. But maybe that's just me getting older and out of touch with what's going on.

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aloofman75@reddit

You realize it’s an enormous country with a huge variety of social scenes, right? It’s an impossible question to answer.

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seifd@reddit

From what I hear, it never really recovered after the pandemic, at least locally. I guess a lot of people realized they didn't missing going to nightclubs.

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NickFromNewGirl@reddit

It's definitely not what it used to be. It's multiple factors.

1) Aging out of millennials who were more social than the Gen Z replacing them. Millennials are in their thirties or forties meaning most of them are now deep in careers and/or parenthood.

2) Gen Z doesn't drink as much, they spend more time online, and prefer drugs more.

3) Post-pandemic shift of routines, spending, and living patterns collapsed late night industries and they're fickle to rebound.

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The_Spaz1313@reddit

Tbf I was never really into nightclubs/going downtown to party and now I'm in my mid 30s and rarely leave my house so I'm probably not the best judge. But a lot of 24 hr diners and dive bars/good karaoke bars in Denver shut down during covid and never came back. They seem to be modernizing downtown but it's definitely a different vibe now.

But my theories are that 1. Like i said before, many places shut down during covid and never recovered 2. People who used to go clubbing are now in their 30s+ and have kids or are just too tired to be doing all that. 3. Gen z's who would replace the older people seem wayy less into alcohol so aren't going out to bars/clubs as much, and would rather smoke weed at home and be in bed by 10. Or they can't afford to go out. I'm sure cheap dive bars still exist, but at least in Denver, cheap dive bars seem to be getting replaced with expensive cocktail bars aimed more at the richer corporate types or high end restaurants

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PerformanceDouble924@reddit

I live in L.A., and I hear the rave/warehouse/desert party scene is going strong, but the traditional bar / Hollywood club scene seems dead as a doornail. You can drive down Hollywood or Sunset Blvd. on a Friday or Saturday night and it doesn't seem like the place to be.

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The12th_secret_spice@reddit

I dunno but I do know the gay clubs and afters are alive and well. Also shoutout to the old Mexican ladies slinging hot dogs at 2 or 3 am

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WhatAmIDoingHere05@reddit

It always depends on:

Where you live
The “nightlife” that interests you
The music you’re interested in
All combinations of the aforementioned
Your age

If you live in New York and you’re interested in Top 40 music, and want some “clubby”, you will still find spots in abundance. Replace New York with Seattle and you won’t have the same options.

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Engine_Sweet@reddit

I know people in the restaurant business. I know some places found out that overnight was not profitable and probably never was.

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Jkid@reddit

Government response to covid caused this. Many youth went to social media and never recovered. Lockdowns, restrictions, inflation caused by super unemployment checks caused everything to cost a lot more that young people are better off staying home doomscrolling on tiktok and watching Netflix.

Bars closed early because lack of labor caused by super unemployment checks and outlets not willing to pay more.

And there is no effort of a push to recover from this. We are in a state of terminal decline

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Bear_necessities96@reddit

Yes, cost of living, cost of production and strict regulation are hurting nightlife, the only way to survive is being a big fish in the industry but small, quirky places don’t survive much.

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Inner_Researcher587@reddit

I just watched a YouTube video where the creator went to Las Vegas, and it looked like a ghost town. I think what's going on there, can translate over to similar places where you'd "party every night".

I've also been noticing a strange push of Christianity, a "post COVID" slump, and a serious assault on our liberties and privacy.

Put it all together, and YES, the nightlife IS trash.

Nowadays... going out with friends and "cutting loose" will most likely end up filmed and posted everywhere. Which could potentially offend someone who will report you, dox you, and/or get sent to work or family.

That forces a lot of people to go "underground".

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beribastle@reddit

Yeah, I was a bartender for a little bit post covid, and the common consensus among bartenders was that things slowed dramatically. Also, it's obvious on the west coast when walking around at night that things aren't lively like they used to be. Young people aren't drinking or having the same type of social gatherings that my generation did.

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derekhans@reddit

There are a lot of downsides to living in a small, isolated college town, but night life closing early isn’t one of them. Enough that I’m mad I’m over 40.

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Mtrina@reddit

I never lived in an area "with" a night life so yeah id say so

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Limp-Strawberry-5830@reddit

I mean it all depends on what you’re talking about Do you think bars have to stay open till four in the morning for it to be a good nightlife?

I think fewer people are drinking and I think a lot more people are content staying home than 10 years ago

But I couldn’t say there’s a lot more live music at least around here where I live today than 15 years ago

And a lot of it’s free. What’s changed is people are more likely to go to a neighborhood bar(and some of these bars are new and I’ll have the same kind of floor plan)… but they go to different kinds of places where when I was 21 years old we go to areas that had lots of clubs

People don’t go to the clubs like they used to. They’d rather go to a trendy bar.

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DejaBlonde@reddit

Cheaper to get drunk at home.

Granted, I'm beginning to age out of night life at the ripe old age of 31, but I just straight up can't afford to go out either.

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CountryClubMembr@reddit

I'm a 21-year-old in rural Texas and the nightlife is awesome here lmao. Live music every weekend, drugs and alcohol abound. It's a growing - but still pretty tiny - town and there are like 5 bars I frequent, each offering something unique.

I'd say the nightlife is thriving here, and we've largely recovered from COVID as far as social life is concerned; there are just a lot more shut-ins than there used to be, thanks to the internet and shit-poor state of the economy.

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ArtDecoNewYork@reddit

Not quite rural Texas, but in both of my trips to Texas I decided to step out of the city and go to some random "towny" sort of bars and I had a fucking blast lol.

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CountryClubMembr@reddit

We make our own fun down here!! Being around the most rapidly growing corridor in the country certainly doesn't hurt in my case, but I'm seriously able to have a blast every weekend in bumfuck nowhere for cheap. If anything, there's too much nightlife where I'm at now - lately I've been having to pick and choose between events.

Every time I see these alarmist headlines I just want to barf. If you're bored in 2026, it's probably because you're boring

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TerminatorAuschwitz@reddit

I may be pessimistic but there's always such awful people at clubs late at night it cancels the fun. Small bars are the way to go, clubs are usually shit.

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bapanfil@reddit

I feel like I've seen a visible shift. It may not be "trash" but a few different comments here so far have hit home I think.

it's way more expensive, relatively speaking, than it used to be. When I first turned 21, the impact didn't matter as much. But now, as a young homeowner, I would much rather prioritize a night in with a few close friends and all the cheap drinks from my fridge/bar area that we want, not to mention the clean, private bathroom...
it doesn't seem to feel as essentially a part of young culture as it used to. I think the back half of Millennials and this first wave Gen Zs just dont see the value in going out as much, especially the Zs. Going back to my first point, they'd much rather stay in, save money, and have a good time with close friends. There's a growing number of Gen Zs that don't even drink at all, which is creating its own crisis for those in the beverage industry.
the culture of those that go out feels so much more homogenous. A year ago or so now we went out for my friends 30th b-day, and we felt really old looking at all the younger people that looked, acted, dressed, exactly the same. We joked it was "copy and paste" with how they looked, they all had the same outfits and the same hair and were all drinking the same drinks and acting the same. It almost felt like a dystopian novel. We probably just chose the wrong, "trendy" place though

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malpasplace@reddit

Where I am at evening life is fine. There are better cocktail bars, better breweries and better restaurants than there were 20 years ago. The live music scene is very much back both in local and traveling concerts, but not as much "free" bar shows. But since people are drinking less, that ticket to a show really does matter.

But after 11pm. Things begin to close. After midnight it gets empty quicker. Not as much dancing, not as much people out having a good time. Some but not lots and it is sorta lame. The younger crowd has a hard time letting loose. No late night music. No late night coffeeshops or cafes either. One can push it to a 2am closing, but that is pushing it.

And the thing is, I am older. I am not the audience for a lot of this anyway. But I am more a night owl, always have been, and the done at 10pm I see so often is just sad to me.

I know people in their 20s and they just seem so stuck in a world without much communal in person fun. That they have been priced out, but also that it just doesn't seem to appeal to them because it isn't an organized playdate. They have a hard time just hanging. Just being around people.

The lack of bonhomie and bohemian freedom, just not there as much. Not totally gone, but embers compared to campfires.

I wish I thought that people in their 20s just had a world that was different, but one that they wanted. But I just don't see that overall.

I don't think it is trash. I just think it is sad.

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sammysbud@reddit

My biggest disappointment has been the diners that still have the "24-hour" neon signs lit up, but alas, they are open like 6am-10pm.

This past NYE, I was heading home from a house party at 6am and was sooo looking forward to a simple eggs, sausage, and toast meal from a greasy spoon near me. I got to the door, and they had a sign up that they were closed for New Years Day. I get shortening hours bc of rising costs, but I'd think that a diner like this would have its best business the morning after a drinking holiday. Mind you, the "open 24-hours" sign was still blinking.

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LucidNytemare@reddit

What night life? Covid killed the fun spots.

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helen790@reddit

Going off of how my moms described the 80s vs what I’ve seen among my own peers, yeah there is a definite decline.

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UnderCoverDoughnuts@reddit

Probably not. I'm just older now and appreciate being on the couch in my pjs at 8pm with my dog on my lap rewatching episodes of King of the Hill more than I appreciate being at the club dancing and drinking until 2am.

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Danibear285@reddit

Do you know what happened in the year 2020?

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Both_Painter_9186@reddit

Covid fallout. During the pandemic millennials aged out of it and GenZ had a 3 year black hole that zapped a lot of the energy from them. Also shit got expensive. I remember 10 years ago you could have a great night out for maybe $100-150. Nowadays its easily $300 and $500 if you’re not careful

I’ll say this also depends a lot where you are and your demographics. Im an elder millennial married straight white dude in the DC area. Theirs not a lot of parting in my world among my other straight white friends. Like we’ll go to bars but usually just chill and usually leave by 11. I’ll say my black friends and my gay friends always know where a party is though.

I went to a friend’s birthday in Manhattan a few months ago and I’m still hungover from all of it. We were out until 5am. I also dropped like $500.

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LA_Nail_Clippers@reddit

I live in the SF metro and most of the bigger cities still have a lot of restaurants and bars open late, still lots of places to see live music. The suburbs changed though - no more late night diners, no more late night grocery shopping.

Mostly the thing I notice isn't the lack of availability, it's the price.

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Overall-Revolution43@reddit

It’s not that nightlife is declining it’s that alcohol consumption is declining. which is tanking an entire industry built on sin basically.

alcohol is bad energy. Shrooms are Good energy.

Times are changing.

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Snawer_brillant@reddit

People are becoming like Muslims basically

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Overall-Revolution43@reddit

Not really that either because religious worship and affiliation is also on the decline. That’s another bad energy thing aswell.

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Occamsrazor2323@reddit

What an idiotically broad, unfocused question ....

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FunImprovement166@reddit

This is Reddit. Not the best place to ask. It's like asking the kid who wore a cape to class in high school about the party scene.

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airbear13@reddit

Yea, it’s been that way since Covid. It’s still there but more lame than before

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TheClubsterFist@reddit

Compared to Europe? Or Australia? Yeah. Yeah it is.

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Imallvol7@reddit

It's definitely more trash because it's too expensive. That's it. No one can afford to do if anymore. The other half that can are doing illegal drugs.

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Jason6368@reddit

Nightlife is declining because people are just trying to survive since life has got so expensive since Covid. Cost of alcohol is extremely high. No one goes out because they can’t afford to.

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Admiral52@reddit

Bot account

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einsteinGO@reddit

It feels like it came to an abrupt end for me but I’m 38 now and covid happened, when we go out at night it’s pretty deliberate

But my younger cousins must be doing their 20s thing even if I don’t see it because I am an elder millenial

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shermywormy18@reddit

It’s too expensive to go out anymore. No alcohol specials, $14 for a cocktail is crazy, $20 cover to get in, music from 2010-2016 was actually full of bangers. Music today doesn’t hit the same. Bars close early, people aren’t organic enough they’re all on their phones, it’s not an enjoyable experience.

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wcked-husky@reddit

I wouldn't say it's trash but I think it's a combination of a lot of issues coming out of the pandemic with the rising costs of everything and a decrease in the quality of service workers where we now have a consolidation of everything because the economics don't work anymore. We are seeing this with publicly traded companies and small businesses just shutting down or consolidating because there just isn't enough spending to support everything. By me an outdoor mall has had their movie theater close, multiple empty restaurant spaces that closed a couple of months, and I just can't imagine what anyone can do to push for more consumption and spending.

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Gold_Telephone_7192@reddit

I’ve been going out to bars in different cities in the US for a decade and haven’t noticed a decline. Some cities definitely have better or worse nightlife than others. And everyone’s definition of “trash” is different because everyone is looking for different nightlife. But I haven’t noticed a decline.

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steveofthejungle@reddit

I hate nightlife like this in general so I’m not the person to ask haha. It still exists, can’t comment on Wuality

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IronSavage3@reddit

COVID definitely took out a lot of later hours at many places from 24 hr department stores and fast food joints to late night bars, but (in my own limited experience) I’ve seen some of those start to make a comeback lately. Gen Z drinking much less than previous generations did at their age is also a huge factor.

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CounterObjective2347@reddit

It took a hit in my neck of the woods during Covid but it’s been getting stronger and stronger ever since 🤷‍♂️

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funktion666@reddit

lol. Not anymore trashy than it’s always been.

Right now there is an economical decline and Gen Z people are drinking less. Naturally that would lead to less people going out to drink.

Go to Vegas and surely the clubs are popping. Same with Miami. And all other major cities. There’s always a solid scene.

And Vegas and Miami and other big cities always have nightlife for those who have enough money to spend. Right now, many Americans cannot spend a few hundred dollars for a bunch of drinks or table service. Everything has become more expensive.

But there are always a ton of people across the country who have plenty of money and don’t think twice about spending $400 on a night out. $1000 in Vegas at least.

And major cities, especially Vegas and Miami, are full of tourists - both across the country and internationally.

But majority of Americans are being extra tight with their spending right now. And as mentioned, younger people are drinking much less than other generations.

You will also find a ton of nightlife in college towns. These are more affordable and cater towards young adults. These are scattered all over the US.

I don’t think it’s just nightlife is declining. I think Americans are just spending less money and going out less to save money. So this impacts all commercial businesses and restaurants/bars/clubs. We saw the same trends when we were in recessions before.

Why spend $15 on a drink when you can buy a bottle for $15 with your friends at home? Why go out to eat for $50 when you can cook a meal at home for $20.

Prices of going out have been going up for a while and maybe they finally hit their ceiling in the majority of the US.

Also, many of the bars and restaurants closed due to COVID. So there are plenty of new businesses in this particular world. And it’s well known that restaurants and bars commonly don’t make money for a few years and majority of them close down. It’s a risky industry. And anyone who started a business in night life after Covid definitely did not expect our country to go to shit economically.

Many people in the suburbs in super affordable parts of the country might not see this happening. As they have money and only 5 bars within 20 mins. But for many, many people - the uber there and back, the drinks, the babysitter, the $20 appetizers are just super expensive for a simple night out “on the town.”

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RageDeemz@reddit

If by "night life" you mean "railing lines in a complete stranger's kitchen after bar close until the sun comes up" - then yes, American night life is trash

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Snawer_brillant@reddit

No more alcohol, people are starting to become like Muslims

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eilataN_spooky@reddit

Chicago night life is still good!

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Appollo64@reddit

I live in a college town, so our night life seems to be just as active as ever. There are fewer things open after the bars close, though. We used to have a handful of late night restaurants, aimed at serving the post-bar crowd. Now we've got maybe 2 or 3 places open past 1am.

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IsThisDecent@reddit

Nightclub culture seems to be vanishing

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Stan_Deviant@reddit

But also cropping up in different places. For example, house DJs from Minneapolis are driving 6+ hours to do nights in the middle of the woods.

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BetterCranberry7602@reddit

When I occasionally stay up late it’s about the same. I’m within 1/2 a mile of 3 bars and a fairly busy social district when it’s warm out. That being said I’m old now and hardly do it anymore.

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ArtDecoNewYork@reddit

IMO it's well past the glory days, but there is plenty of fun to be had still

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Purple_Glove_6694@reddit

I think it has more to do with our population devolving into a bunch of degenerates than it has to do with regulations.

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Electrical-Speed-836@reddit

I live in Detroit and graduated college during covid experiencing nightlife immediately before and after and could not tell the difference. We don’t have as many 24 hr spots but the scene itself is much more fun then pre-Covid. However, the city has improved a lot and opened lots of new bars. Afters are still a thing and feel way more organized and safe too

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LockNessCrotchMonst@reddit

You ain't been to one of my parties.

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justdisa@reddit

It's all of everything everyone else has said plus nobody has any money. Discretionary spending takes the first hit.

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dj_1973@reddit

My spouse is a musician. Their gigs used to be from 9-1. Now they are from 5-9, or 6-10.

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tnred19@reddit

People arent drinking as much.

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dangleicious13@reddit

I think it's pretty much been years since I've even really tried to check out any nightlife that didn't center around some kind of concert.

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Commercial-Group4859@reddit

I remember one time I had a solo trip to Charleston on a long weekend. At like 10PM I decided to drive down to downtown to see what it was like. It was DEAD. On a Saturday night.

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remix951@reddit

I live in Austin and it's pretty much a dead nightlife scene unless you're near downtown

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SabresBills69@reddit

nightlife was always a 20s crowd in most places and in large cities it might get into the early 30s but many just have no luck meeting people at bars.

the driver for night clubs now is for music and dancing. this just isn’t as common unless you are in a large city or a place with music roots.

covid significantly dampened this

there are still evening activities to do with concerts and sports.

cing

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jessek@reddit

Maybe it is, but I'm also old and don't go out much either.

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SassyGirl0202@reddit

Not trash where I go. I live in Cali. Night life is what you make it.

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zinky8@reddit

No, it’s the same if not better.

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meltedbananas@reddit

Mine is, but I'm old and infirmed.

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SmokeOne1969@reddit

Yes, if you’re a possum or raccoon.

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atomfullerene@reddit

I have as easy of a time staying out late playing DnD with my friends as I ever did, so I think it's fine.

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G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit

To me, the idea of "nightlife" itself is trash, so I'd say America is getter better?

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SirMildredPierce@reddit

Trash in the good way, or trash in the bad way?

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Due_Masterpiece_3601@reddit

Nightlife is declining but I don't think it's total trash yet.

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Curious_Matter_3358@reddit

Not if I'm in tha house

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mar_de_mariposas@reddit

it depends on the city but generally yes.

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Trick_Photograph9758@reddit

Is OP "trash" now? There's been a lot of scuttlebutt that OP is really very trash, due to OP's terrible posts, passive aggressive attitude, never posting in good faith, etc.

So what say you? Is OP really trash? Or are all the rumors false?

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OpeningChipmunk1700@reddit

It seems fine to me. And a lot of people (myself included) have little need to go to a restaurant or the bookstore at 3 am.

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XupcPrime@reddit

We go to bars wed with my wife. Tbh it’s absolutely phenomenal now. Better then it bet was. That is in NY.